While there is no concept of sin in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, the common theme is the need to do better, become enlightened, or beat desires into submission. This signifies the fact that there is inherently something inadequate in us, which requires a change or improvement.
Various faiths are trying to reach a better state either by doing good works, becoming enlightened, or by striving to get rid of all negativity.
I would like to state a few problems in the above approaches to God.
1. We cannot get enlightened about God unless God chooses to reveal Himself to us.
2. If we have a flawed nature, how can we look within ourselves to become enlightened or get to know God?
3. Getting rid of negativity is not just about cleaning up our behavior to be impressive to others, but it is about the condition of our heart and mind before a holy God!
4. While God has a requirement for good works, good works don’t change our nature neither do they change our heart. If someone is bent on doing wrong, they can do good works and then behind others’ back still do wrong. How much good works does one have to do to have assurance of paradise/heaven? When you do wrong, does it erase the good you’ve done?
5. How do you correct evil/wrong committed by someone? Is there restoration for that person? Do they have to perform more to be accepted?
History shows us that man tries to reach God and figure out God. People make statues to worship their god. Some believe there are special locations that God’s presence is there, and if you really want to reach certain height of spirituality you must visit this location. For some, one god hasn’t been powerful enough, so they have had various gods for different needs of man. Some chant various prayers in repetition or have different rituals to please God. Some cultures have had various sacrifices including baby sacrifices to please god. The truth is since God is holy and man’s nature is sinful, there is a great chasm between a holy God and a sinful man. Can man in his own self-effort or ingenuity close this huge gap?
The Jewish faith believes in the concept of sin starting with Adam & Eve. God had rules for His people from onset. That’s why when Adam and Eve did not fulfill God’s expectations, they fell into sin. Since God is the creator, He can and will establish the rules of engagement just as all of us have rules/guidelines for our family. We expect our children to follow our rules and if they don’t, there are consequences associated with the trespass.
The Lord declared that the punishment for sin was death, and He warned Adam & Eve of it. When they disobeyed God, they died spiritually and as a result lost their relationship to a holy God. The Lord instituted the Ten Commandments through Moses as clear requirements for His people. He also gave them the solution of a lamb being sacrificed in substitution for the sin of man. This would allow the judgement of God to passover people for the lamb would be killed instead!
God showed through His law that man’s sinful nature is a death sentence that cannot be wiped away by the sacrificial blood of a lamb and neither does following the rules change the man’s nature. That was a temporary solution to a permanent 24/7 problem, which was the problem of sin!
In the midst of all of this, there were over 300 prophesies made at different times by various people that God was going to send a Savior . The Savior was going to be beaten, scourged, and bruised. His sacrifice would heal man of his sin!
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6
The above prophecy along with many other prophesies in the book of Isaiah about the coming Savior were spoken somewhere around 740-720 B.C.. It was as if God was saying what you have right now is a temporary fix to a permanent solution in store for my people. God was going to reach man and close the huge gap between Him and people. The permanent solution was on its way to mark the history of humanity! Hallelujah!