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Time: Spring 1937Place: Canton
(Editor's Note: In the spring of 1937, Brother Nee conducted two studies on "The Gospel of God" in Shanghai and Canton. The Shanghai messages have been published as The Gospel of God (Volumes 28 and 29 of The Collected Works.) The following two chapters are based on the Canton messages, and they are similar in content to the first two chapters of The Gospel of God. The dates of these articles are not known.)
Tonight I am not here to preach the gospel. Rather, I am here to teach the gospel. In the Bible, there is gospel preaching and there is also gospel teaching. We need to teach the gospel because many have become Christians, yet they do not know how they became Christians. Many Christians know that they have entered the gate, but they do not know how they entered the gate. The message tonight is for those who have entered the gate; it is to show them what the gospel is. Therefore, we are not standing at the entrance compelling or inviting people to come in. We are speaking only to those who have already entered the gate. We want to speak concerning how you have become a Christian. I will not be doing a gospel preaching work; rather, I will do a gospel teaching work. I will not persuade or encourage you to believe the gospel. I only want to tell you how you have obtained the gospel. Just like an instructor who shows his students a map, I will tell you the way that you have come to this point.
What is the gospel? The gospel concerns how God saved us, that is, how we entered the gate of God's salvation. Tonight we are not in any hurry. I would rather speak slowly so that you may know more about the truths of the gospel. By the grace of God, I want to speak to you concerning the subject of man, sinner, sin, and sins. Tomorrow evening perhaps we can speak about God's love, grace, righteousness, etc. What I am going to speak tonight may not be so pleasant for the ear because people dislike these four items.
In Genesis God made Adam, that is, man. Adam was the first man. However, his wife, Eve, was not the second man. Eve was just a part of Adam. Even in committing sins, Eve was still a part of Adam. The Bible does not say that Eve sinned independently. Only 1 Timothy 2:14 speaks of Eve's transgression. Other than that instance, the Bible says that Adam was the first man who sinned; only the one man Adam sinned. Eve was taken out of Adam. Since Eve was taken out of Adam, she can be considered as a part of Adam. From God's viewpoint, there was no way for Eve to exist independently by herself. We know that we sin because we were born of Adam. According to God, we are all sinners. Unlike Adam who became a sinner because he sinned, we sin because we were born sinners. There is a big difference between Adam and all other men. Adam became a sinner because he sinned. But we sin because we first are a sinner. Man did not become a sinner because of his sins. Even if a man did not sin, he would still be a sinner. The moment a person is born, he is in Adam. Therefore, man is born a sinner.
When I was speaking in Kaifeng, someone asked me, "How can we be in Adam?" I said to him, "The Chinese say that they are the descendants of Hwang-ti. When Hwang-ti was fighting with Tzi-you, suppose that Hwang-ti had not killed Tzi-you, but that Tzi-you had shot Hwang-ti with an arrow. Where would you be today?" He said, "Definitely, I would not be here." I said, "What does Hwang-ti's death have to do with your existence?" He said, "If Hwang-ti died, all of his descendants would not have lived, because we all came out of him. Because there was a Hwang-ti, we are here. Without him, we would not be here." I said, "That is right. This is the same as man's existence in Adam." We came out of Adam. Because Adam was a sinner, those who are in Adam are also sinners.
Suppose you go to a plant nursery to buy a peach tree. Later, this peach tree bears many peaches. If you have bought a good peach tree, it will bear good peaches. If you have bought a bad peach tree, it will bear bad peaches. Sinners are just like trees. Sins committed by the sinners can be likened to the fruit of a tree. A certain kind of tree will bear a certain kind of fruit. The question is which kind are you. The fruit you bear will be according to the kind you are. You sin as a result of being a sinner. You do not become a sinner because you have sinned. This is the fundamental concept of God's salvation. What you are is far more important than what you do. Adam became a sinner because of his sin. But we sin because we are sinners.
There are two kinds of sinners in this world: One is the sinner who sins, and the other is the sinner who does not sin, or the moral sinner. Whether or not man sins, he is a sinner. For example, man has the ability to speak, but there are some — namely, those who are dumb — who cannot speak. However, just because a person cannot speak does not mean that he is not a human being. We can only say that he is a dumb person. Those who can speak are human beings; those who cannot speak are also human beings. There are some sinners who sin, and there are some sinners who are moral. It does not matter who you are. You have always been a sinner. This is why all men need a Savior. Many compare themselves with others and congratulate themselves for not sinning. But in God's eyes, they are only sinners who have not committed a certain kind of sin. Some may think that since they have committed only a few sins, they do not need the Savior. But in God's eyes, they are still sinners; they are just sinners who have committed a few sins. Even if you think that you are moral and have high ethical standards, and that you are very humble and gentle, at most God would consider you to be a very humble sinner. You are still a sinner. You still need the Savior.
In the book of Romans, there are only two verses prior to 5:19 which use the word sinner. They are 3:7 and 5:8. Romans frequently mentions the many sins of man, but it does not say that man has become a sinner because of the many sins he has committed. There is only one place in the Bible that tells us how man became a sinner, or what constitutes man a sinner. Romans 5:19 says, "Through the disobedience of one man the many were constituted sinners." The one man who disobeyed was Adam. Many were constituted sinners through his disobedience. Man's sins have not made him a sinner. All those who have been born of Adam are sinners. One time I was teaching a group of elementary students in a Sunday school class. I did not know what to say, and I first asked them what kind of people are sinners, that is, who are sinners. A little girl answered, "Those who sin are sinners." Many who are here tonight are much older than that little girl, but many may think the same thing. This is childish thinking. The Bible says that as long as one is a man he is a sinner. Adam became a sinner because of his sin. But we who came out of Adam are sinners whether or not we have sinned.
Ordinarily, a peach tree bears fruit. But there are exceptions. Perhaps among one or two million peach trees, there are a few which do not bear fruit. Although these trees do not bear fruit, they are still peach trees. Likewise, there may be one or two men among millions who do not sin. Although they do not sin, they are still sinners. In the seventeen years that I have been preaching, I have never said, "If you do not sin, God will be pleased with you." God abhors sin, and because every man is a sinner and has committed sin, God also abhors the sinners.
Romans 1 through 8 specifically speaks of how man is a sinner and how he receives salvation. Every Christian should come up to the standard of the book of Romans. If you do not understand the book of Romans, you cannot be a good Christian. Only those who understand the book of Romans can understand God's salvation. Romans 5 is a chapter that deals particularly with sins. The sin spoken of in Romans 5 is the result of man becoming a sinner, that is, man sins because he is already a sinner. Man first has the sinful life, and then he lives a sinful living.
Now let us go on by asking how man sinned. The act of sin involves a process. The Bible, in particular the book of Romans, tells us that the act of sin involves a process of sin. First, sin dwells in man's flesh because he is a sinner. Second, the sin in man urges, tempts, and stirs up his lustful desire. Third, if man follows this urging, he commits a sin. The acts of sin that are committed outwardly can be counted. For example, one can say, "Yesterday I committed one or two sins more than before. Today I committed one or two sins less." Outward sins can be counted in number. The number of sins may not always be the same. However, within us there is another thing called the power of sin, which is always the same; it always induces us to sin. Hence, there is a distinction between sin and sins in the Bible. In English, one is singular and the other is plural. In the original text, the distinction is even clearer. Sins refer to the outward acts that can be counted item by item, while sin is something that cannot be counted. It refers to the sinful nature within man. The sin within man is a kind of power, a law, an inclination that continually pulls man downward and compels man to go down the path of sin. Pride, jealousy, and temper are all things within man which compel him to sin.
In order for one to sin, he must first have the inward power to commit the sin. Just as there must be an inward power to perform good before one can do good, there also has to be the inward power to sin before one can actually commit any sin. If there were no power within man, it would be difficult for him to sin. Man's indwelling power to sin is just sin itself, the singular sin. The outward sins committed by man are the acts of sins, the plural sins. Sins and sin are entirely different, and we must realize the difference between them. Romans is a book that deals particularly with sins. Chapters one through eight speak over and over again about sins and sin. Romans 1—5:11 speaks of sins, that is, the outward sins. From 5:12 to the end of chapter eight, it speaks of sin, not sins. The dividing line is verse 12 in chapter five. Prior to 5:12, Romans deals with plural sins and covers such things as justification, forgiveness, etc. From verse 12 on, Romans deals with singular sin and covers such things as sanctification and freedom from sin. The two sections are totally different. Blessed are those who have the grace to realize that the former section refers to plural sins, and the latter section refers to singular sin.
How do we deal with sins and sin? First, let us look at how sins are committed. For example, temper is a sin. If someone says something about you which is not nice, you may take their words into your ears and heart. You may not feel happy, and you may lose your appetite. Something may rise up within you, and you may try to suppress it. If the person continues to say unfavorable things about you, you may try to suppress your feelings even more. However, the more he speaks, the more your temper rises up within you. Should a Christian lose his temper? Of course not! Temper is a damage to the glory of Christ. But there is also a kind of power within you that wants to be let out. If the temper within is not let out, you will not feel happy. Suppressing your temper may even give you a bleeding ulcer. In the end you may lose your temper so violently that even your face and ears turn red. Here we see two things in man. The first thing is the urge within that induces one to sin; this is the singular sin that is spoken of after Romans 5:11. The second thing is the angry face, red ears, inflamed eyes, raised fists, etc. These are the many sins spoken of prior to Romans 5:12. Sins are outward, and they are countable item by item. Sins can be temper one time, pride the next time, and filthy thoughts another time. There can be hundreds and thousands of different sinful acts. But these hundreds and thousands of sinful acts all come from the singular sin within.
Here we see that a sinner has two different kinds of sins before God. Consequently, there are two different kinds of salvation before God. The outward sins committed by the sinners, that is, the plural sins, require God's forgiveness. The many sins that separate us from God require forgiveness. When the conscience in us is at peace, we know that the sins separating us from God have been forgiven. However, even though the outward sins are forgiven, the power within still remains. Sometimes it compels a person to be proud or to lose his temper. Sometimes it compels him to become lustful or to have unclean thoughts. While the outward acts of sins have been forgiven through the blood of Christ, there is still something within pulling and dragging us to sin. Therefore, in order for God to save us, He must not only forgive our outward sins but also save us from the inward power of sin.
Our outward sins need God's forgiveness, and our inward sin needs God's liberation. Forgiveness deals only with outward sins. Liberation deals with the inward sin. The plural sins refer to the various kinds of sins committed outwardly; the singular sin refers to the sin within that compels a person to sin. If we want to understand these two kinds of salvation, we must first understand that there are two different kinds of sin. One is inward and the other is outward. It is unfortunate that after many Christians are saved, they merely experience the forgiveness of outward sins without experiencing any release from the inward sin. We must realize the difference between sin and sins before we can obtain God's full salvation. Let me summarize the difference between sins and sin with the list below:
Once we are clear concerning the scriptural distinction between sins and sin, and once we are clear concerning their difference in our living, we will see the way that God delivers us from our sinful living and sinful life. We will know how God forgives our sins and how He gives us the power to be free from our sin.
