Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:34-36).
One translation of the Greek word for sin is hamartia which means "tragic flaw", it is taken from the Greek word hamartanein which means to "miss the mark", other possible translations include error or offense. In Literary terms it is the flaw in character that leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy.[1] One literal translation of verse 34 would be something like; "I am saying to you that the one doing the missing (or tragic flaw, or offense) is the slave."[2] So what is the tragic flaw, missing the mark, error, or offense? Is it transgression of the laws or is there a greater meaning?
"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie" (Romans 1:18-25). They do not see fit to acknowledge God and are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, v.28-32. They are slaves to a tragic flaw, their master is the one who created the tragedy. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5). In contrast freedom is found in being a son, the sons are those who hear the truth and have believed on the Son, who are sealed with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie" (Romans 1:18-25). They do not see fit to acknowledge God and are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, v.28-32. They are slaves to a tragic flaw, their master is the one who created the tragedy. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5). In contrast freedom is found in being a son, the sons are those who hear the truth and have believed on the Son, who are sealed with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust" (Psalms 103:10-14). By His Grace and mercy the Great I Am adopted me as His son.
If we are sons then we have been set free, but what are we set free from? Is it that I am set free from transgressing the law, from addictions and habits, from sickness and disease, pain and heartache? We are born with a flaw; a fault, a defect, made by violence, or occasioned by neglect.[3] The tragic flaw is that we are missing the mark of righteousness, born with a defect, our spirits are not free but slaves because of one man's offense. However through one man Jesus Christ we can become adopted, righteous sons of God. The tragic flaw becomes triumphet victory.
"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us" (1 John 3:23-24).
"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us" (1 John 3:23-24).