Sin is A Symptom, Not the Problem

In many, if not most Christian churches today we often hear messages condemning sin and asking us to make a change in our lives. These messages are often filled with guilt-laden comments, guilting us into making a change in our lives which, because of the way the change is brought about, does not last for long and we end up deeper into our "sin" than we ever were before. Why does this phenomenon take place? It is because in the Christian church we are addressing the wrong thing when we address sin. When a person goes into the doctor with a pain, the doctor can treat the pain or look for an underlying problem. People don't normally have pain without an underlying problem. If the doctor treats the pain, the thing causing the pain might get worse and the pain might therefore get worse. In order to fix the pain, the doctor must ignore the pain and fix the underlying problem. Every sin is a symptom of an underlying problem that is going untreated in the Church. What is the underlying problem? Emotional pain.
The only reason people get involved in sin; whether it be drinking in excess, cheating on their spouse, involvement in pornography, etc., is because they are trying to self medicate. If you ask an alcoholic about their childhood they will tell you that nothing they ever did was good enough for their father. If you ask a porn addict, they will tell you they never got enough attention. What is condemnation and a guilt trip going to do to those already feeling such pain? It is going to drive them deeper into their sin. Criticizing an alcoholic for their drinking is going to make them want to medicate even more by drinking even more. Instead what the sinner needs is an increase in love. Let's take a look at what Jesus did with sinners.
The best example in the bible of Jesus's response to sinners comes in Matthew 9:9-13 where Jesus is walking along and sees a tax collector named Matthew sitting at his tax booth. Tax collectors in Jesus's day were seen in the same way as gay couples are seen today by many in the Church. Jesus did not condemn Matthew for his tax collecting. Instead, Jesus invited Matthew to follow him and even ate at his house with other tax collectors. Instead of showing condemnation, Jesus showed care and compassion by loving and accepting the tax collectors; giving them what they likely had never experienced before. The religious leaders of Jesus's day, on the other hand, did what the Church tends to do with sinners today: it condemned the "sinners" and Jesus for eating with sinners. Then Jesus gave his famous line: " it is the sick who are in need of the physician, not the healthy."
Jesus knew that sinners enter into sin because of the pain they are feeling. He knew that it was ridicule that drove them deeper into their sin. He knew that the only cure for sin for them was for him to befriend them and love them. By accepting them for who they were, Jesus helped the men and women of his day to overcome sin. The next time you see someone sinning, don't criticize them for sinning; that will only drive them deeper into their sin. Instead, empathize with the pain they must be feeling for them to be driven to sin, and show them the love and acceptance of which they are in such desperate need. And hopefully the pastors of our churches will follow our lead and end the condemnation that so often comes from their pulpits.
Sincerely,
-Brandon