Thoughts on Sin

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. 

Are you a wretch? A sinner? Do you carry those labels around with you? The idea that sin separates us from God, and that without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we would go to hell has always fascinated me. And confused me. And at times even angered me.

If you’re trying to belong to the church, it's not great to feel a gap of belief growing inside of you when it comes to the main pillars of its theology. See, the idea that we are born sinners and destined for hell unless we said a prayer accepting Jesus into our hearts just seemed a little too tidy. We are all categorically damned, unless we hear of Jesus story, are lucky enough to believe it, and then say a prayer to God acknowledging our sins and the need for Jesus to step in and absolve them for us through the work HE ALREADY DID on the cross. It intuitively doesn’t work for me, because I’ve never viewed myself as a sinner needing saving. Have you? If you think about it deep down, isn’t the narrative a little convenient? To neatly condense all matters of morality into a yes or no choice that solidifies your place in heaven forever seems too easy. Too made up.

And I’m not saying that we need to make morality difficult here. It doesn’t need to be hard earned. In fact, I believe the opposite. See where sin breaks down for me, is that its an oversimplification of the entire gospel message. It encourages a shallow experience of straightforward answers. The problem with sin is 1. it can easily turn the whole spiritual pursuit into simply checking a box if we’re not careful. 2. Can create a codependency on “the altar” by instilling fear and anxiety as our default emotions. Forcing us to return and seek salvation “just to be sure.” And then instead of walking through this life, noticing the good and expanding our sense of God in everything, we begin to shrink the experience into a gate (heaven) and key (the cross). Not wanting to miss out on the afterlife. Where’s the life in that?

But let’s look at the reality. Sin is real. We do create a worse world for ourselves and others by sinning. So what’s really going on with sin? How can we think about it in a way that really does fit into a story of good news? Let’s take a look at Isaiah 59:2, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” So sin is anything that isolates you. That creates the illusion of separateness from God. And that’s really important because being separate from God is being separate from all of creation, from life itself. After all, Acts 17:28 says in God we live and move and have our being. Sin breaks you off from the ground of being, from the source. Anything that causes your spirit to constrict is sin, not a list of actions, not commandments to follow, but a state of being. 

What in your life right now is isolating you from the source? What’s causing you stress? Is it comparing yourself to others? Is it overwork trying to get that promotion? Is it resentment? Bitterness? Are you holding the weight of your life on your shoulders? See, the belief that you are the master of your life, that your story belongs only to you, that each choice you make is the difference between success and failure - that’s sin. Because you’re holding on to the illusion that You are the source. And that is separating you from God. If you living your life like the buck stops with you, you're separate from God. If your next promotion or relationship is make or break, that’s a position of separateness. Any story we tell ourselves, where getting something, buying something, achieving something is the answer, we’re in sin. 

So sin, then, is an anything you need to let go of. This is your invitation to ask, where have I been carrying the weight of my story in an unhealthy way? God is everywhere. The foundation of your being. If you’ve been feeling wary and cast down, its not because you’re a wretch. Its not because you don’t measure up. Or that God cant stand the sight of you. Christ came to let you know that the work is already done. You can rest. Sin is part of being human. Its there to remind us to cast aside the illusion of separation and find our rest in God. Its good news, because God is always here and now. You can have all of it in this moment you’re in. Regardless of your habits, grief or shame. Heres the truth: Its not about you, its not about what you’ve done or who you’ve hurt. Its about recognizing youre already where you need to be. You just need to notice.