Sin

Sin is such a little word, with such big implications. Upon this one syllable three-letter word hangs the fate of our world; because of this word, the Son of God hung on a cross. Such is the staggering cost of our salvation. 

And yet this little word, so despised by moderns, has also been obscured in Western church life. It’s as though a triumphant eschatology has been fully realized, here and now. Alas, I wish. Or, and I posit this is closer to the truth, we have been enculturated with a notion of the inherent goodness of mankind (despite all the contrary evidence). We prefer the romanticism of Rousseau to the church's bleak diagnosis, especially the pernicious (so-called) doctrine of total depravity. However, Reformed theology is closer to the reality of our humanity than an unproven and desperate belief in essential goodness. Whilst this doesn’t always feel good, it has stood the test of time and the reality of the human condition.

Add to this, we are given to extremes, which often makes a biblical understanding of sin reactionary in its reception. We talk too much of it, or we minimize it to the point of irrelevance. C.S. Lewis said something similar about the devil in The Screwtape Letters, where he argued that people fall into two equal and opposite errors regarding the devil: either disbelieving in his existence or believing in him and having an excessive, unhealthy interest. We do the same with sin; little said or too much said. We are either dismissive or obsessive.  

When we speak too little of sin, we fail to perceive the nature of grace, which is comprehended in the light of God’s response to sin. We talk a lot about grace, but grace is offered because of the burden of debt we owed God, and were incapable of paying. To speak of one is to speak of the other. 

Another pertinent issue deals with the casual conformity to the world in which the Western church is drowning. The desire for relevance, a good thing, has morphed into becoming irrelevant to the very world we are trying to reach. Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the world, not a motivational speaker giving us tips for a better life. 

And speaking too little of sin informs our view of God. We see him as a lenient deity, a doting father wanting us, if at all possible, to be happy.  In short, speaking little of sin and its disastrous impact on everything perverts our view of who God is, and ultimately makes the sacrifice of Jesus effectively impotent.  

But speaking too much about sin has equally harmful results. We, by being overly sensitive to sin and sinning, will grow an unhealthy sense of guilt. (Some guilt is good, of course.) If guilt dominates us, victory over sin is much less likely, as we will be flailing about in guilt and blind to the marvelous grace and forgiveness of God.

In a strange twist, a focus on sin only intensifies its operation in our lives. It is often the case that the Christians who rail against sin do the very thing (in private, of course) that they publicly denounce. An obsession with sin leads to the practice of sin, in the same way that minimizing sin leads to the practice of sin. Neither assists in the mission of God’s church, nor in holiness. 

In this case, where sin is majored on, our view of God is perverted. He becomes a distant father, a critic of every endeavor, and a harsh judge of every sin, infraction, or failure: the god who waits to pounce. 

If we are to lead people to the offer of forgiveness for their sins and the conferral of the gift of righteousness, we must make them aware of the nature, damage, and hell of sin. To fail in this task is to fail people, in truly receiving the grace of God in Christ. Sin is not a minor or transient matter. We always need to remain aware and vigilant regarding sin, without resorting to extremes.