Dear Friends,

This week Holy Church asks us to prepare spiritually for the great feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It is a week of fasting, prayer and repentance.

Today’s gospel lesson (Mark 2:1-12) draws a close connection between sin and disease; and consequently, forgiveness and healing. To help us better understand sin, I’ve translated an article by Levon Sarksian in “Krisdonya Hayastan – Christian Armenia” for your spiritual edification.

Sin is disobedience to God; willful or unwillful acts, words, feelings, and thoughts, which are contrary to God’s will, His ordained order and commandments. It is disobedience to God the creator and obedience to satan. (see I John 3:8)

The first man, Adam, obeyed satan’s evil suggestion, partook of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was an act of disobedience towards God his creator. Thus he became a sinner and for that reason was expelled from Paradise. According to St. Gregory of Datev, “sin is turning one’s face away from the permanent good, which is God and turning toward the changeable good, which is the creatures.”

Original or adamic sin is spread throughout the entire human race, is manifest openly or secretly in human acts; causing us to be citizens not of God’s kingdom, rather of the realm of evil.According to scripture death is the consequence of sin, which is seen in the divine curses pronounced on the disobedient Adam in Genesis 3:17,19.Scripture considers sin to be lawlessness, turning away from the divine laws. (I John 3:4) Only God can grant forgiveness of sins.

Until the incarnation of Christ the patriarchs and later the levitical priesthood had to offer animal sacrifices on the holy altar in order to have freedom from sin. In Hebrews 10 St, Paul said that these sacrifices were unable to once and for all justify and free humanity from sin and slavery to sin. Rather there was to be a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, which is Jesus Christ the Son of God, who being sacrificed on the cross of Golgotha, vanquished Satan, and nailed sin, the wall of enmity was between God and humanity, to the cross and gave the good news of eternal life. (I John 3.5 & Hebrews 9:26)

The mission of Jesus Christ was to reconcile God and the generation of Adam, with an invitation to faith in and obedience to God, and a pray to God the Father, “Thy will be done.” Just as man became obedient with his free will to satan, now he must repent and with his free will believe and be obedient to God in order to be feed of sin and to again partake of the tree of life.

The Church Fathers teach that man is a sinner from before and not just after the committing of any sin. For we are sinful from birth by bearing the original sin, which is forgiven by Jesus Christ, having faith in Him, repenting and receiving Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The sacrament of Baptism removes the adamic or original sin, while the sacrament of penance takes away active sin.

According to the will sin is either willful or unwillful; according to the intellect, it known or unknown. Unwillful sin is easier to be forgiven of, while willful and known sin is all the more difficult to be forgiven of. The seven deadly sins in particular are hated by God and the saints.

They are pride, envy, anger, sloth, covetousness, gluttony and lust. These of are the offspring of demonic powers working in man, which give birth to one another and multiply.

Every kind of sin is subject to forgiveness by virtue of the power of the expiatory blood of Jesus Christ, if there is a manifestation of sincere faith, contrition and penance accompanied by their fruits of virtue, mercy and good works. Our Lord said that all sin is forgivable except for sin against the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 12:31-32)

Being freed from sin, being justified and finding salvation in Jesus Christ is God’s greatest gift to humanity.

May we grow in our recognition of our sins and the great gift of forgiveness in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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With prayers.
Hayr Simeon
August 10, 2008