What Are Sins Against Faith? ...

 You should understand that we are all people of faith and that with different systems, it’s not a matter of faith vs. reason, but faith vs. faith. Faith is trusting in what you have good reason to believe. Doubt is not a sin against faith but a necessary component. No one has perfect faith: God requires sincere, unfeigned faith. Note: even Christians can be guilty of these sins. A sin against that would obviously be anything done in “bad faith” or demonstrating “no faith.”

1. For instance, having blind faith or not knowing why you believe or believing for no good reason at all. Not knowing what or why you believe is a way of not believing at all.  Faith without rational evidence is blind faith! 
2. Another would be the escapism and crutch of skepticism or of not accepting faith at all as a system to find truth, though it is a philosophical fact that all knowledge begins in faith and is contingent. You must always commence with some presupposition you cannot prove or disprove.
3. Nihilism is another anti-faith belief system whereas one denies truth can be known or anything has real meaning at all, or that even nothing makes sense at all or has purpose or even can be known; basically belief in nothing at all.
4. Postmodernism is a threat that denies absolute, transcendent, objective truth can be found or established at all; basically, to them, all truth is “relative.” The catchphrase is “That may be true for you, but not for me!”
5. We live in a post-faith era whereas Secular Humanists believe that faith is the enemy and that the only reliable tool for gaining knowledge is the scientific method. Therefore, one must observe it or be able to measure it for it to be true. But they don’t realize they are putting faith in the scientific method, their own power of reason, other scientists, materialism, and naturalism.
6. New Age or New Spirituality says we can find truth in ourselves and the “God within.” There is no universal truth at all and dogma is unofficial and personal.
7. Pragmatists are also anti-faith in that they say the measure of an idea or system is not whether it is true but its results and effects.

Paul's Confession Of Sin...

 From Romans 7:15ff, Paul confesses his struggle with sin in the old man or sin nature that is still alive though he is saved and has a new inner man.  He prays for deliverance from this "body of death." It sounds like he may be confessing his sin before being saved, but this is a present condition that he is admitting he has not defeated sin in his life yet; this is good and an encouragement to us who struggle.  He is confused, discouraged, frustrated, and even disgusted with himself.  He concurs that the Law is good and the right thing to do and has the impulse to accomplish all the do's and avoid all the don'ts but he finds no power to do this in his own strength.  But Paul doesn't despair because he doesn't trust in himself but the finished work of Christ on the cross and knows that there is no condemnation for those in Christ.  

It is a dilemma when you feel convicted and know the right thing to do and don't do it and feel condemned or guilty. He says that nothing good dwells in him--what a confession.  By the way, he later admits he is the chief of sinners and this is not just before salvation. What is it like when you don't meet your own expectations?  You feel like a failure!  But the fact is that we are all born this way: we are not sinners because we sin, but sin because we are sinners.  Christians are not called sinners, but they are called saints.  But that doesn't mean we are not sinners at heart and in action.  Luther said we are justified sinners or at the same time just and sinners referring to Gal. 2:17. 

The point is that our struggle with sin will last till glory and we are to grow in the battle, knowing the battle is the Lord's.  He fights for us and gives us the victory one step in faith at a time. The law of sin and death no longer applies!  All whom the Lord justifies, He sanctifies and we are all holy in His sight.  The point to see here is that when we are justified, we do not become just, especially in man's eyes, but are declared just in God's eyes.  As far as He is concerned, we are just.  We are freed from the power of sin so that we do not have to sin or be enslaved by it anymore. 

Shall we continue in sin? There were two views that were both wrongs at the time of Luther.  The Antinomians thought that since they were saved, it didn't matter if they sinned: "freed from the Law, O blessed condition; now I can sin all I want and still have remission."  They saw no obligation to live holy lives of obedience or that their lives must produce fruits worthy of repentance. The other enemy idea was that of the semi-Pelagians going back to the monk Pelagius who debated Augustine about the issue that because God expects perfection and that is the goal, we must have the inherent ability to achieve perfection.  This came to be known as entire sanctification or perfectionism in Catholic or some Arminian circles. 

We must keep our eyes on the goal of holiness and confess our known and convicted sins so as to keep short accounts.  Jeus said to be perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, meaning that perfection is the goal but direction is the test.  Which way are we going? Note that going nowhere is somewhere if you go that direction long enough you will get there.   For all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.   We continue pursuing God, though realizing we are not perfect and will not be till heaven. But we must remain assured that we are forgiven and not trust in our own achievement or performance but in the persona and work of Christ. 

The Punishment Of God

"Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished"  (Psalms 91:8, NLT).
"But I will punish you [the nation Israel] according to the fruit of your doings..."  (Jer. 14:21, KJV).
"You [Israel] only have I known of all the families of the earth:  therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities"  (Amos 3:2, KJV). 
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains."  (C. S. Lewis).  
"Why should a living man complain, a man about the punishment of his sins?"  (Lam. 3:39, ESV).

God has forgiven all our sins (past, present, and future) at the cross, judging them in the blood of Christ on our behalf and there is no double jeopardy with God's justice.  However, on the other hand, God's children are not without divine discipline, pruning, and corrective action. He will do virtually anything to mold us in His image and to dislodge any un-Christlike flaw He sees.  Do not equate punishment with pruning, viva la difference!  When we bear fruit, God prunes us in order that we bear more fruit and sometimes this is inconvenient and unwelcome, but it's for our own good.  We can be assured that all that befalls us is Father-filtered and the devil cannot wreak havoc on our lives without His divine approval.  He has no power to even touch us! 1 John 5:18

If we are without discipline when we are wayward, we are not children (Heb. 12:5ff), for what child isn't corrected by a loving parent?  "Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?" (Lam. 3:39, NLT).  "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Be zealous therefore and repent." Rev. 3:19  If God were to actually punish us for our sins, we'd have to go to hell for ever to suffer for them!  But there is no double jeopardy with God.  God has judged our sins on the cross, but we will reap the consequences of what we sow according to Galatians 6:7 and that means we don't get away with sin, even as believers!  If we sow the wind, we'll reap the whirlwind (cf. Hos. 8:7).

As one of Job's friends said, God had punished him less than he deserved (we all are given mercy and are given less chastisement than deserved--there's no karma or cause and effect relationship between actions and events):  "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us [Israel] less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this"  (Ezra 9:13, NIV).  God always tempers His justice with mercy. Habakkuk 3:2   Zophar speaks in Job 11:6 (ESV): Know then that God exacts of you [punishes] less than your guilt deserves."  Eliphaz challenged Job: Whoever perished being innocent? (Job 4:7).

God punishes nations (like the great Nineveh) for their injustice and cruelty; however, we are always judged individually.  We are to behold the "goodness and severity of the Lord" (cf. Romans 11:22). God is treating us as children, so try to conceive of how much severer the punishment will be for those who trample on the Son of God putting Him to open shame (cf. Heb. 10:29)?  Let us heed the words of the psalmist in Psalm 119:67 (NLT) in summation:  "I used to wander off until you disciplined me, but now I closely follow your word." ("Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now I have kept thy word," in the KJV).  Soli Deo Gloria!