Doctrine of Sin
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
As noted last week, some of the Bible’s terms for sin sound heavier and harsher than others, even though all sin is serious in God’s estimation. One of the heavier terms for sin is “perversion.”
When the angel of the Lord rebuked Balaam for his treatment of his donkey, the angel announced, “Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me” (Num. 22:32).
Proverbs 12:8 says, “A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.”
In addition to speaking of a perverse heart, the Bible in warning against some influential persons in Egypt, spoke of them as bringing into the land “a perverse spirit” (Isa. 19:14).
In preaching on the Day of Pentecost, Peter exhorted his hearers, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40).
The idea behind the terms rendered as “perverse” is that of being bent, twisted, distorted or warped. Perversion occurs when something that is good is twisted or distorted into something evil.
Paul confronted Elymas the sorcerer in strong language, saying, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10)
We might rightfully say that perversion is both the cause and result of sin. A perverse heart manifests itself in acts of sin, even as habitual or repeated acts of sin lead to developing a perverse spirit. Thus sin as perversion brings with it a defiling influence.
A repeated warning in the Bible is one having to do with perverse speech. The good gift of speech can be diverted into hurtful uses like foul language, coarse joking, gossiping and lying.
Ephesians 4:29 admonishes, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth.” And Colossians 4:6 counsels, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.” Inasmuch as speech is a window into the heart, perverse speech betrays a perverse heart.
Another biblical warning is against the perversion of justice. God, who is absolutely just, demands that people reflect justice. One manifestation of perverted justice is the taking of bribes.
Exodus 23:8 commands, “You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.”
In the same vein, Proverbs 17:23 declares, “A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice.”
A specific perversion of justice condemned by God relates to the treatment of the poor. Exodus 23:6 admonished God’s chosen people, “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.”
When we use the term “perversion” in relation to sin, many think immediately of the perversion of sexuality. Having created humans as male and female, God saw this, as well as all else He had made, as being “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Sin as perversion has the character of taking what God calls “good” and distorting it.
Perverted sexuality carries such labels as “adultery,” “fornication” and “homosexuality.” In its extreme manifestations, sin as perversion results in calling evil “good” and good “evil.” In its least extreme, it results in behaving as if some sins have somehow come to find favor with God since the writing of the Bible or have fallen off His list of sins against which He warns us.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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