Sin: It's Not What You Think It Is

During much of this past week I've been thinking a lot about the concept of sin. I understand that sin is a concept that is clearly addressed in the Bible, but I am wondering how much that concept has been misinterpreted and misused over the past two thousand years. Traditionally the term sin has denoted wrongs committed and has been used for the purpose of condemnation and has caused the alienation of many people because of the so-called sins they have committed. So how can we look at sin differently that might help clear things up and portray scripture in a more accurate light?

Last week I discussed sin as being a symptom of a problem rather than the problem itself. What if we look at sin this week as a hurt or a pain that one experiences? One of the definitions for the Greek word typically translated as sin is "to miss the mark," or "to be without a share in." These are both things that cause a great deal of distress and pain in the person who misses the mark and is without a share in. So it is reasonable that "sin" refers to a hurt of some kind which may result in bad behavior.

I think this is a better definition because it doesn't allow for the exclusion of someone because of a sin, but instead welcomes greater love and compassion toward sinners. Defined the traditional way, sin tends to bring about criticism by people for the way a sinner might live his or her life. If you are gay you are seen as a sinner by many in the church who will then shun you. If you have had an abortion, you will be excluded from certain church groups. The pastor gets up to the pulpit on Sundays and preaches against sin, bringing about a feeling of condemnation in those who are in the pews.

Defined in this new way, sin breeds a sense of empathy from those who sense the pain of the "sinner". Instead of creating an atmosphere of exclusion, sin now brings people together because people want to help those who are in pain. When we view sin not as a wrong committed but a pain felt, it lends itself to a more loving church body that wants to bring in sinners instead of keeping them away.

This interpretation also changes how we interpret the saving act of Jesus's crucifixion. Instead of Jesus being punished for our sins, an interpretation which breeds more guilt in me than relief, Jesus bears our burdens and our pain, making what we bear a little less burdensome. This accords with the words of Scripture where Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden light, easing our burdens. It also is in tune with Isaiah 53:4, a prophetic passage about the Messiah, which reads, "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.". Not only does this prophetic passage interpret sin in the new way we have interpreted it here, but it also predicts that we would interpret sin in the traditional way in which we have by calling the crucifixion a punishment from God for our sins. It seems to me this newer way of interpreting sin is more biblical than the traditional way.

But what about those passages in the Bible where Jesus and John the Baptist are telling people to repent and turn away from their sin? Here is how that comes to be translated. The term "repent" means to turn away from one thing and towards another. What these men are saying is that I can turn away from my pain and face Jesus where I will receive comfort. When repentance is called upon by us, it is repentance from our hurts toward a man of compassion, Jesus Christ, from whom we can be healed and comforted from all of the pain that we experience in this life. Won't you repent with me and turn away from what is causing you pain, to receiving the ultimate healing from Jesus?
Blessings,
-Brandon

Christ Is Risen, A Core Doctrine: a Series on Christianity's Core Beliefs

Ending our series on the core doctrines of Christianity, I wanted to address what I consider to be the most important doctrine in all of Christianity, the doctrine upon which our entire faith rests: the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. We were all reminded of this doctrine yesterday, on Easter Sunday, as we went to church and our pastors preached the good news of the risen Christ. Paul goes far enough to say that Jesus' resurrection is what our entire faith hinges on. He says, "Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there (W)is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain" (I Corinthians 15:12-14). If Jesus' resurrection did not occur, then we might as well leave the faith.

But Jesus' resurrection did occur, he lived, he died, and he rose again, defeating death and giving us all hope. But I am sure that none of my Christian readers would dispute that.

I am reluctant to say that this is a much debated doctrine today, but none of the really core doctrines of Christianity are much debated. I would even venture to say that those doctrines which are core are the ones the vast majority of Christians agree on, and those that are marginal (doctrines that do not have ultimate significance for our faith) are the ones we tend to debate about.

That is why I think many of our debates, you know, the ones where we get so infuriated that we resort to name calling and online tirades, are in vain, because we are fighting so voraciously over doctrines that do not even matter, and in the long run end up turning people away from the Christ. The most important thing for us to believe is the Jesus rose from the dead; in the long run, that is all that matters.

I agree that it is fun to engage in philosophical, though provoking debate. But if we do not do it out of an attitude of love, we are running away from the greatest commandment Christ gave us: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself.

My purpose for this series was not to look in depth at the different doctrines. It was not to provide an all inclusive look at the marginal and core doctrines of Christianity. My purpose was to get Christians to see and to understand how and why we treat other Christians the way we do. This lack of distinction we tend to have between core and marginal issues is one of the reasons we treat each other so poorly at times. We take a marginal issue and make it a core issue, and end up fighting barbarically for our side. Or we take what is a core issue and fight barbarically for it. With marginal issue, such as what is and what is not sin, we need not argue voraciously for our viewpoint. We can state our viewpoint, tell the other person that they have the right to their opinion, and when the do not agree with us, we can drop the issue. When we are arguing for a particular core doctrine, the resurrection for instance, we can do the same thing. The most important thing Jesus wanted us to practice was love. So in the name of love, in the name of Jesus, let us be more peaceable to one other, allowing others to have their own viewpoint, without feeling the need to convince them, knowing that giving up the argument does not mean we are giving up our own beliefs.
Happy Easter.
-Brandon