Iniquity

Iniquity – Psalms 51:1-2Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

The subject of iniquity is seldom discussed in the church.  It’s unfortunate because so many questions can be answered by knowing how iniquity affects our lives emotionally, spiritually and physically.  So many ask this question: Why am I the way I am?  Where did this evil in me come from?  Why is it so hard to control or get rid of?

Iniquity means twisted and distorted.  I refer to it as wickedness.  It is in fact anything that turns away God’s straight and perfect path.  The origin of iniquity was found in the fall of Lucifer.  It happened the moment this archangel, full of beauty and perfection, allowed a thought that was of line with God and stated to believe in something different and opposite of God. (Ezekiel 28:15, 18 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you….You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading…).  This twisted thought that came from Satan produced a spiritual substance which is the origin of evil. 

The words iniquity and evil, are referenced numerous times in the Bible, and are fundamental to understanding the root of the vast majority of problems we suffer.  Evil is the diabolic seed from which all wickedness originates.  It is then transmitted to man in birth, impregnating his heart with thoughts and intensions opposed to righteousness, truth, love, and everything God is.  Iniquity is the sum of all twisted thoughts or the total of all that is evil in mankind.

Iniquity impregnates the spirit of the human being at the moment of conception (Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me).  In that very instant all of the spiritual data or spiritual inheritance of evil is established in the person.  Iniquity operates as a “spiritual umbilical cord,” that transmits the spiritual DNA of evil from one generation to the next.  This is how the twisted, sinful legacy of man is imprinted and passed on to his children.  These children in turn will twist it further by their own sins, and thus pass it as a baton of influence and consequences to the subsequent generations. (Judah’s Punishment in Jeremiah 17:1  “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altar).

Iniquity is what the Bible calls the body of sin. Iniquity has formed part of the spiritual body within man, affecting his behavior, the structure of his thoughts, and even the health of his physical body.  The body of sin originates in the spirit and invades the soul and body.

Iniquity is tied to the spiritual world of darkness, and it is there the devil binds us with the curses from our ancestors.  It is in this place that the legal bases of sickness are rooted and transmitted from the parents to their children and from the children to their grandchildren.  It is also here where Satan’s legal right is granted to rob, to destroy, and even to kill us (John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…).  Our iniquity will constantly prevent us from receiving the fullness of the blessings of God.

This is the main door that the Satan uses to affect a human being’s life whether you are a believer or unbeliever.  It is through iniquity that the evil one permeates a man’s heart in order to inflict all kinds of perverse, sinful, passionate desires.  The inheritance of evil has been transmitted, and it is going to corrupt the souls so that they will desire to do wrong.  It becomes an irresistible force compelling good people to commit abominable sins.  That is why sons of alcoholics, after reaching a certain age, have an uncontrollable desire to drink. Some of them may be sons of Christians or pastor whom, without any apparent reason, begin to develop these sinful inclinations.  The reason is that iniquity has not been uprooted.

James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Not only does the devil interfere in man’s life through iniquity, but this is where God will constantly manifest His judgments (1 Peter 4:17   For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?)  Iniquity opposes divine justice by being a twisted form of it.  Therefore, a constant friction with God’s righteousness will occur.  Part of the essence of righteousness is that it judges all that oppose it.  The purpose of God’s judgments is to bring order to everything according to His will and His righteousness.  Understand, that whenever the paths in a person’s life are twisted, judgment will come as a continuous diving action through trials, tribulations, deserts, and others, so as to pull the person back to His divine order.

Exodus 20:5 …For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.

As a side bar to the above scripture; we tend to misunderstand the “iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations.”  This scripture applies to each individual generation.  It can be perpetual going forward and can go all the way back to Adam and Eve.  Some may think that it stops after the fourth generation.  It does not stop unless we cancel the iniquities of the generations.  Why do you think we have so many generations past the fourth generation in bondage to alcohol, disease, sickness, etc.?

Please note that God is not talking to unbelievers, but to His own people.  He is not visiting sin, but iniquity.  Sin is just the fruit of iniquity.  It is the superficial, visible part of something deeply rooted in the human being.  Our sins are the branches of a large tree that grows stronger from generation to generation.  Iniquity is the real root from which all evil inside us merges, and it is there that we must cut it away.

Most believers confess their sins to God, but have never asked Him to blot out their iniquities and trespasses.  For this reason we continue suffering the terrible consequences of financial curses, incurable family sicknesses, divorces, accidents, and tragedies that would never occur with the protection of an omnipotent God.

Although God is merciful and longsuffering, He will not excuse those who are guilty of iniquity, transgressions, and sins.

Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT) The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord!  The God of   compassion and mercy!  I am slow to anger     and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.  I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.  But I do not excuse the guilty.  I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;  the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”

A principle we must understand as a source of great release in our life, is that God does not deal with evil and especially iniquity in a generic manner.  He is extremely specific, and so we must respond to the kingdom of darkness.  Most people feel satisfied with general and simple prayers such as “forgive me all my sins from my entire past.”  Although God hears the intention of our heart and forgives us as far as our eternal salvations is concerned, the legal bases in operation are unaffected with generic prayers.

God wants us to examine our hearts, as well as to understand evil and its consequences in the same dimension as He does.  He does not want the devil to have something to use against us.  Jesus died for our complete deliverance, and every part of the cross and His passion is related to the different areas where He paid the price for us so that we might enter into a complete fulfillment in Him.  We did not receive forgiveness for our sins alone.  The cross also represents a comprehensive work in which each part of our spirit, soul , and body are redeemed.

Isaiah 53:4-5 Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 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 heal.

Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.  When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

In these passages, we see how His sacrifice on the cross touches several areas in which we must be set free and redeemed.  A great part of the body of Christ restricts itself to receiving salvation from their sins, but live their lives overwhelmed with emotional and physical pain.  They are trapped in prisons of the soul and the spirit, and above all, suffer the continuous burden of carry their iniquity.

Jesus did a complete work so that we may live a life of fullness in Him.  However, we will never see His total triumph in our lives if we do not understand how we have settled for less in our spirit, soul, and physical being and how the victory of the cross applies to each one of these areas.

The next verse will show the differences between iniquity and sin as descripted in the Old Testament.

Leviticus 16:21  Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.

Again, we see again God specifically cleansing His people through a detailed confession of these three corrupt forms of the human condition.  We must be specific as we bring iniquities, transgressions, and sins to the cross.

It is my prayer that we all take into consideration areas of our life that we need to address.  I hope this gives you some insight on how iniquity can be such a huge hindrance in our lives.  I hope to put together a second part to explain how we can pray away iniquities and break the curses of the generations as time allows.

God’s blessings on you,

Tony Sanchez, 7-12-15

References: NKJV, NLT, and Iniquity by Ana Mendez

Transgression:  Transgression refers to presumptuous sin. It means “to choose to intentionally disobey; willful trespassing.” When we knowingly speed while driving, tell a lie, or blatantly disregard an authority, we are transgressing.  The Bible is our authority and when we choose to disobey His Word, we become transgressors.

Sin:  Sin means “to miss the mark.” It can refer to doing something against God or against a person (Exodus 10:16…“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you), doing the opposite of what is right, (Galatians 5:17  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish), doing something that will have negative results (Proverbs 24:33–34 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man), and failing to do something you know is right (James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin). In the Old Testament, God even instituted sacrifices for unintentional sins (Numbers 15:27 And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering ). Sin is the general term for anything that “falls short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God).

1 Peter 4:17   For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

We cannot intentionally be living in violation of God’s will and expect His promises to be fulfilled.