If God created the commandments then didn't he also create sin?

Question

If he gave people rules to follow wouldn't he have know the sins in the first place?

If God created a person without the 5 senses, how would he know what sin was then?

Answer 1

Sin entered the world with Adam.

But of course it never did because Adam never existed (the figure is an archetypal man, symbolizing 'humanity'). Sin actually entered the world in the perverted mind of priestly scribes. A perfect God no doubt could have created a perfect world. But instead God's priests had their deity create Sin. If God's creatures did not sin how could this heavenly monster exercise his 'saving compassion' through the intercession of the priesthood?!

Sin, sinfulness and sinners appear in every book in the Bible, several hundred times in fact. Sin is the very foundation of Judeo/Christian religion. It is the dominant theme of the Torah and the Prophets.

Who is the author of all this "transgression of God's Law?" In a theology which allows only a single god, there can be only one answer:God himself!

According to the paramount Jewish sage, God tells us:

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isaiah 45.5,7


The theology of course has an unresolved paradox because the sole deity has to remain blameless, even if he is the ultimate author of all that is evil.

"Since it is of faith that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and all good it is difficult to account for sin in His creation. The existence of evil is the underlying problem in all theology."
– The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV

In an attempt to talk their way out of this corner, the priests pass the blame for sin to mankind. Though Man is "God's perfect creature" he is given the free will to chose various temptations – which are themselves on offer only because God allows them to be! Thus the great god himself connives to entrap mankind in sin, with such tasty fruits as the Tree of Knowledge and genitalia. When Man's weak will succumbs the penalties are severe indeed. As Ezekiel writes in 18:4, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." And don't think you can hide your sin either: "Be sure your sin will find you out" Moses writes in Numbers 32:23.

After its encounter with Zaroastrianism, Judaism later acquired the notion of an evil god (Satan), together with his demons, as a counterpoise to the good god (Yahweh) – but even then, Satan can only exist because the "all-powerful" god allows it.

Man inevitably sins. The temptations are so appealing, contact with the unclean and bodily discharges are so likely. The answer? The holy charlatans come forward with the notion of repentance and atonement, which – surprise, surprise! – involves obedience of, and payments to, the priests: animal sacrifice will do nicely, thank you.

The priests specified a whole variety of offerings ("burnt", "peace", "guilt", "sin") which required either "clean" animals (cattle, sheep, goats, doves, pigeons), cereals, incense or wine (Leviticus 1. 3 ). The fat and inedible parts were burnt (that was God's bit!); blood was smeared or sprinkled on the altar (a bit of drama); the choice cuts and skins went to the priests. The priests eat and the sin of others is atoned.

Should an individual refuse to atone, the Torah requires that the sinner be expelled (or killed) to protect the collective from divine retribution.

Judaism had had its sin but at least it allowed for the occasional appearance of men of "righteousness". In the sacred mythology, these paragons appeared from time to time to berate their fellow tribesmen.

But Christianity went further. In the demented mind of the Christian theologians, sin became more obnoxious than it had ever been. As Christianity developed so too did sin. No longer was sin just an action (Romans 1:32); transgression could occur in word (e.g. Matthew 5.22), or thought (e.g. 1 John 3.15) – "Thought Crime" would accompany the arrival of Church totalitarianism.

The natural self, with carnal instincts, had to be denied. The guilt that any transgression engendered, even for the tiniest infraction, fed the psychosis upon which Christianity flourished. Sins became cardinal or deadly. Deliberate disobedience of the known will of God required the harshest punishment – death and the torments of hell. Rebellion against God’s law was far worse than the calamitous behaviour of princes that merely produced distress, sorrow and suffering.

Empowered by the authority of the Roman state, the fanatics of Christ were more proactive than Jewish scribes had ever been. It became their sacred duty to hunt out and punish sinners.

The Law obviously gave rabbi St Paul – or rather those who wrote pseudepigraphically in his name – a problem. If the Law was a perfect code of behaviour why was the salvation of Christ necessary?

“If righteousness come by law, Christ is dead in vain."
– Galatians. 2:21

If the Almighty had 'given up' on the misbehaving Jews why not just take the Law to the gentiles? Paul's objective, however, was to fuse the dying/rising sun-god of the pagans with Jewish scripture. In a stunning short-circuiting of the theology Paul gave the answer: we are all sinners.

"For God has consigned all people to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all"
– Romans 11.32.

"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
– Romans 3.23.

The entire human race is already condemned!

God makes us all sin so that he can save us! Paul's epistles refer to sin almost a hundred times. According to the radical rabbi, the atonement for all of humanity's sins – past, present, future – had already been paid by the sacrificial death of the god-man Jesus. Aren't we all "saved" then? Only with the intercession of a priest, says Paul, who can bring the sinner to the "grace of god". All the sinner had to do was "accept Jesus". Paul offers "fast-track" salvation for the pagan multitude ... Says Paul:

"For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
– Romans 6.23.

Thus Paul's religion – in common with all others – creates the 'problem' for which it then offers the solution – submission to the priesthood, of course! Much of Paul's message is actually to do with collecting cash ...


"So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised ... Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
– 2 Corinthians 9.5,7.

"The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD ; it belonged to the priests."

– 2 Kings 12.16


After deliberating on sin at synods in Rome and Carthage (251/252 AD), the Church decided that no one could avoid venial sin, and therefore all needed the intercession of the Church. But it also ruled that "all sins were forgivable with sufficient penance."

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."
– Romans 4.7

Here, potentially, was a vast business in forgiveness– But who had the right to absolve sin?

Certain sharp clerics saw the opportunity and declared themselves to be "Confessors". Filled, as they said, with the Holy Spirit, they claimed the right to absolve sins (particularly the sin of apostatising during the Decian persecution) – and just as surely availed themselves of recompense for their efforts.

The appearance of this rash of competitive charlatans set alarm bells ringing among the bishops who responded by declaring their own exclusive right to forgive sin. The lucrative sin business was being parceled out among the operatives.

Towards the end of the 4th century Augustine made clear that it was only the Catholic hierarchy that could forgive sin:

"Since the days of Adam, all have sinned; only a few with 'God's Grace' can rescue sinners."
– On Predestination.

Augustine waged a brutal campaign against the followers of Pelagius, a monk who had the temerity to believe that man had an innate ability to live by God's commands and could thereby avoid sin.

In the late 6th century, Pope Gregory, an enthusiastic follower of Augustine, codified sins into seven types, folding "vainglory" into pride, "acedia" into sadness, and adding envy. His ranking, from most serious to least was: pride, envy, anger, sadness, avarice, gluttony, and lust. In the 17th century, the Church replaced the vague sin of "sadness" with sloth.

The list of sin crimes set the stage for centuries of ecclesiastical extortion: the sale of remissions from sin!

The Church had devised the most successful protection racket in history.

Answer 2

While it is true God did not create sin, but simply provided the opportunity for humans to follow their natural inclination of going towards darkness rather than light, the law or commandments were never meant to stop sin. The law or commandments were there to show what sin was and what God's perfect standard is, a standard no man can attain. What, in essence, He was saying through the law was, "If you wish to reach eternal life by following laws, this is what you must do, perfectly, from birth until death". Hence the need for a savior, since we could not save ourselves by keeping the law.

Answer 3

God created the ten commandments when he saw what the people were doing as Moses was leading them to the Promise land. That's when Moses went up to Mountain to talk to God, about the people not listening to him. Sin was created by man in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve who fore took of the Fruit from the Tree of Life. Eve asked Adam to take a bite and Adam took the first bite and that's how sin began. Because after they ate of the fruit, they fet shame and naked.

Answer 4

For the sake of argument, we'll stipulate that god existed, and that (s)he created the commandments. Even so, your cause/effect scenario is still flawed

Sin came before the commandments, so they would have been created as a response to sin, regardless of how and where sin originated.

Answer 5

Certainly God created sin. What good are commandments if there is no sin? God is like every politician, His existance has to be justified.

Answer 6

Of course He knew of sin. But He didn't instill that behaviour in humans. Sin came to be when the serpent tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. God didn't actually create the commandments until Moses' time during the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Answer 7

The law/commandments give a knowledge of good and evil. The commandments expose sin, and make sin utterly sinful.

The fruit of sin is death, even as that law of commandments has death as its fruit. The commandments are that tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Faith is where the answer to the dilemma lies, and not in keeping the commandments.

.

Answer 8

Man created sin! See Eve verses the Apple! Temptation, and sin!

Answer 9

It seems everyone has their own definition of sin.

Sin is when your behavior results in you turning your back to God. There is seperation. That is why repentance is preached by everyone including Jesus.

When you repent, you move away from the poor behavior and turn back to face our Creator.

The commandments were created as guidelines for the Hebrews to have 'godly' behavior. Jesus' coming superseded those commandments but He too gave us 2 laws to live by.

1) Love your God with your whole heart, mind and soul and obey His commandments.
2) Love your neighbor as yourself.

Answer 10

God didn't create sin, he created choice/free will. People choose to sin, and God created the Commandments to show people what they ought to choose to do.

Answer 11

God created Adam and Eve and they were given brains to use. They were told the rules of the Garden of Eden. They disobeyed God and were punished. God gave us all brains and if we don't use them the right way, it is not Gods fault. When we disobey Gods commandments we are punished, one way or another! when we die, our soul leaves our body and goes before God to be judged.