Dismything Sin

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9. NLT).

Most Christians today have a superficial understanding of human depravity. Although they give lip service to the doctrine of Original Sin, they typically see themselves as basically good people who occasionally do naughty things. This muddled thinking about sin helps to explain the anemic condition of the church today. Oh that the pulpits of our land would once again thunder the truth about sin and call people to confession and repentance.

To understand God’s assessment of the human heart, we need only to turn a few pages in our Bible and read: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:6). Many other references in Scripture speak in similar terms (see Ps. 58:3; Rom. 3:9-18; Eph. 2:1-5; etc.). Yet in spite of what is so clearly spelled out in God’s Word, many assume they are not sinners and therefore have no need to repent. This delusional posture can be explained, at least in part, by the presence of certain myths about sin that are widely accepted by people today, even in the church.

Myth #1. Sin is a social construct.

Many believe that sin is nothing more than what one’s culture says it is. It has no objective

reality. “Sin” is merely the term a group of people agree to use to define behaviors and attitudes that they corporately believe are inappropriate. For example, people once thought that homosexual behavior was a sin. But now they don’t. And in some cultures slavery is seen as a good thing while it is viewed as evil in other cultures. Group consensus determines what is wrong. Right?

The Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai are not the product of ethical

consensus. Rather they are God’s definitive statement about morality; universal, unchanging, and eternal. These are not ten suggestions! They are moral absolutes that are true in every society and in every age. To violate these standards is to stand condemned before God, regardless of what one’s culture might say!

Myth #2. All sin is the same.

Many today piously pretend that because we are all sinners, we are all equally bad, as if all sins were morally equivalent. But this is not only bad theology, it is silly nonsense, bordering on dangerous stupidity. When Jesus said that lust was a sin even as was adultery, he was certainly not pretending that the two actions were morally equivalent! If you want to know the difference, ask a woman if she thinks her husband’s occasional impure thoughts are no different from him having an affair. Although both actions are sinful and need the atoning blood of Christ, they are certainly not going to be handled in the same way. We can understand the distinction when we remember that doctors know that all cancers are potentially deadly and must be treated aggressively. Yet they respond very differently to a patient who has a basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) and one who has pancreatic cancer! Yes, we all alike have sinned; but we have not all sinned alike!

The Bible makes a distinction between those whose sins are “unintentional” (involuntary) and those who sin with a “high hand” (see Num. 15:22-31). Errors of judgment, mistakes, and sins of ignorance are indeed violations of God’s law and need forgiveness. But “unintentional” sins such as these are very different from acts of defiance; willful, continual, and brazen violations of a known law of God. Every parent understands the difference between a child who fails to clean her room because she forgets and one who defiantly refuses to do what she is told. Both situations involve the same wrong-doing: a room is left unclean. However, parents intuitively recognize that these two situations, though similar, are clearly not the same, and will respond to one child very differently than to the other.

Myth #3. To err is human.

Many believe that because sin is so deeply entrenched in the human condition, it is, therefore, normal, natural. When confronted with moral failure, these people are apt to say, “Hey, I’m only human!” The implication is that being human and being sinful are synonymous; that our humanity is the problem. The Bible teaches, however, that sin is an expression not of our humanity, but our inhumanity! It is profoundly unnatural. Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human. He was like us in every respect, “yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

Myth #4. Sin is no big deal because God loves us anyway.

Yet another myth about sin is the notion that, because it is so prevalent, sin is nothing to worry about. “Hey, we’re all messed up. It’s no big deal.” But attempts to minimize the seriousness of sin because ‘everyone does it’ can be likened to those who downplay the dangers of smoking. “Lots of people smoke,” they say. “So, go ahead. Not everybody gets cancer.” When it comes to inhaling tobacco smoke, we recognize that downplaying the risks is dangerous foolishness. The Bible minces no words when it comes to the dangers of sin: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek.18:20).

Conclusion

The historic church has always believed that one of the best methods for dealing with sin is

corporate confession. Tragically, most contemporary worship offers little or no opportunity for God’s gathered people to confess their sins. For centuries, The Book of Common Prayer

encouraged believers to kneel and confess their sins to God by using the words below. I’d like to ask you, dear friend, to deal with the sin in your life today by letting these words help you to confess the true state of your heart before God.

The depth of your recognition of sin will determine the depth of your experience of grace.

Almighty God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men; we

acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we, from time to time,

most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty,

provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent and are

heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the

burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful

Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that

we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honor and glory of thy

name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.