Sin

WHAT IS SIN?

The definition of "sin" comes from a Greek archery term meaning to miss the mark of perfection. From that standpoint, we see a key difference between Christianity and every other religion and worldview, with the possible exception of Hinduism. Christianity has as its goal to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Other religions will strive to have our good outweigh our bad, with no real idea how much a good or bad deed weighs.

Who sins? Who falls short of perfection? Everyone, the Bible makes clear throughout. Notably, 1 John 1:8 reads, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” This is affirmed by modern sayings like “nobody is perfect”. Even the kindest person is prone to selfishness and gets temperamental especially when tired or anxious. Usually it is the people we are closest to, that we spend the most time around, that we end up hurting.

The Bible uses several other words that are subsets of sin, most notably “trespass” and “debt”. A trespass is when I infringe on someone else’s person or property. I could use it to describe the times I have stolen property or robbed someone of their trust. A debt is something I owe to someone. I owe my parents honor and respect. I owe my children love and patience. I owe my neighbor compassion. I owe God thanks and praise for all he has done for me. I fall short of perfection in too many ways to count. I sin against my neighbors, but I also sin against God.

CS Lewis was memorably quoted by Keyser Soze, who said, “The greatest trick the Devil did was to convince the world he didn’t exist.” Today, we explain away sin with circumstance or genetics, or we simply move the bar down a bit further and say “Gambling, prostitution, pornography, drugs, abortion, these things are not really sins. It is fine to be selfish. If it feels good, do it. No one else is getting hurt here.” Or worse, “I’m OK, you’re OK. Be true to yourself.”

The problem with being true to myself is that I am a flawed, imperfect, sinful man. My true self has tendencies to selfishness, pride, lust and laziness that Genesis 4:7 depicts as “crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Again, Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.” But perhaps recognizing human frailty, Jesus gave one and only one new commandment. John 13:34 reads, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” As Jesus has loved me. That raises the bar just a bit over how I know how to love.

We always hurt both ourselves and our relationship with God when we sin, even if there is truly a sin that does not hurt someone else. Tomorrow, I'll look at what different responses are to offenses.

REPONSES TO SIN

What do we do when we sin? There are perhaps four responses when someone sins against us. First, we can ignore it. Second, we can get revenge. Third, we can get even. And fourth, we can forgive. I say perhaps four responses because ignoring an insult or trespass can work if you never see that person again, but if it is someone you see all the time, ignoring sin encourages the person to do it again. That, in turn will build up resentment in your mind and spirit, which becomes dangerous for you to carry around. You become likely to lash out at the offending party, or even at unsuspecting friends or family who happen to look at you the wrong way. Once you lash out, you are no longer ignoring.

Revenge is sweet, as the saying goes. But “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord (Romans 12:19)” Why does God not want us to seek revenge? Blood feuds become a way of life, whether it is the Hatfields and the McCoys, the English and the Irish, the Jews and the Arabs or any number of bitter enemies. No one remembers who first gave offense, and no one will stop until their side gets the last word.

Getting even, retributive justice, is a Biblical concept, though found in Hammurabi’s Code and other places as well. Deuteronomy 19:21 states, “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” There is a certain fairness to retribution. “Don’t get mad, get even.” But has Gandhi memorably replied, “An eye for an eye makes the world blind.”

Lastly, we can forgive. Please do not “forgive and forget”. That is not a Biblical concept. It may open you up to being used or abused. Forgive, even if the other person has not asked for forgiveness. Then you can seek justice, not revenge. And let your justice be infused with mercy whenever possible. Matthew 5:6-7 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Righteousness (justice) first, then mercy.

RECONCILING SIN

I have found there are four steps mentioned in the Bible. The very next verse in 1 John (1:9), the author writes, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Proverbs 28:13 is among many other verses advocating confession, which is step one.

Practically speaking it would be odd to confess without asking for forgiveness, that is, saying, “I am sorry for what I did (or for what I left undone)” but it can be done. One can simply say, “Hey neighbor, I dented your car when I was backing out of the driveway last night.” Alternatively, it will almost certainly make a situation worse to ask forgiveness without confessing, such as if you say to your spouse, “Whatever I did to make you mad, I am sorry for it!” Nowadays, I hear many people offering insulting apologies like, “I am sorry you were offended by what I said.” We must be sincerely sorry for our actions. We have all given and gotten half-hearted apologies, a shrug of the shoulders and a mumbled, “sorry.” It does not help.

In the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6:12 and 14-15, Jesus states, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

How do you know if someone is truly sorry? First, we must atone for our mistake. If I break something belonging to a friend, I must fix it or replace it. To truly show my regret, I must pay a price that is dear to me. That, I believe, was part of the nature of the sacrificial system in the days of the Temple worship in Jerusalem. Ideally, each person took an animal they had raised themselves, without blemish, not the runt of the litter, and gave it to God. That was an animal that might otherwise have been food for one’s family, or provided more offspring and wealth.

And second, I must repent. In Acts 3:19, Luke wrote, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” And in his Gospel, Luke wrote (13:3), “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” The modern phrase for that is to change my ways. If I commit adultery, I must never do so again. That will likely mean changing who I interact with, or how I do it. Biblically, this means turning from sinful ways and to the way outlined in God’s Word.

Not all this is necessary for forgiveness. But for reconciliation, these are the necessary components. The bigger the sin, the more important these steps are. Murder and adultery stand out as two that are impossible to undo. (And yet, sin is sin. In some ways, there is no “big” and “little” sin.)

The Good News of the Bible is that we do not have to pay that atoning sacrifice to have forgiveness with God. 1 John 2:2 reads, “He (Jesus) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” With God, we are already forgiven once we confess and ask it. But there must be repentance as well. Jesus told the adulterer in John 8:11, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is where the Holy Spirit must now come in. I have found that only by surrendering can I achieve victory over sin. Only by admitting that I cannot do it by my own strength and asking him to send his Spirit to me can I stop sinning. This I have to do every single day when I wake up, and often throughout the day. My terrible pride, my shameful lust and my indolent laziness are perpetual sources of attack that I must be ready for (hence the Armor of God in Ephesians 6). I once re-wrote the words to the Eagles’ classic song “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” to read “I found out a long time ago what the Devil can do to your soul. Oh, but he can’t take you anywhere you don’t already know how to go.” There must be both a personal responsibility for sin and an understanding and acceptance that we cannot conquer it on our own strength. So when we sin against others, for reconciliation, confess, beg forgiveness, atone and repent. When we sin against God, confess, beg forgiveness and repent. He has already paid the price.