Defining "Sin"

Wonderful, excellent questions, deep.thought. I am mulling over much as I prepare to write a response. I am hindered somewhat by a full dose of TheraFlu cold and flu medicine. Somewhere in the past week I picked up a bug. I will happily endure a cold; I am less eager to endure the flu.

The most common definition of "sin" is, I suppose, something along the line of what you cited: the trangression, or breaking, of God's law. The trouble with that definition pops up almost immediately as we wrestle with what exactly constitutes "God's law." There is a real danger of becoming legalistic in this pursuit. Recall the parable of the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37). The Bible records that an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. The expert asked Jesus, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus turned the question around, and asked a question in return: "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" (Luke 10:26, NIV, paraphrased, emphasis added.) The expert replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (A reference to Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, respectively.)

Good answer. "Do this and you will live." Jesus replied (Luke 10:28)

The expert should have left well enough alone, but instead pushed on. The Bible attributes the motive of self-justification to the expert's next question: "And who is my neighbor?"

You can almost hear the expert saying, "Now let me understand exactly how this works. Who, precisely, is my neighbor?" The expert was looking for a loophole; a way to avoid the hard truth of his initial answer. Legalism had slipped into the discussion. Jesus responded with the parable of the man left beaten and dying in the ditch, with Hebrew priests and Levites passing him by on the far side of the road. And then, a despised Samaritan is provided as the merciful one. There was the expert's answer: your neighbor is everyone, even those you do not like, even those that hate you.

What's the point? The point is that "God's Law" is really nothing short of a requirement for us to do things as completely and perfectly as God himself. Take for instance the first response of the expert: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." Think about that. Every waking moment of your day you are to dedicate every breath, every thought, every motive, every action to the Glory of God.

Impossible, you say. Can't do it.

Precisely the point.

You wrote: "Which means I probably am always going to sin."

Yes. As will I.

This really is the heart of the Gospel message: we're sinners and we can't be perfect so we can't really abide by God's law perfectly. God knows this, so he gave his Son to be a sacrificial payment for our sins. Our faith in Jesus clothes us in his righteousness, giving us reconciliation with God that we ourselves could not achieve. Simple (and mysterious) as that.

You wrote, with reference to some Christians' answer that those who do not believe in Jesus had their chance, therefore off to Hell they go ... "Which is highly unsatisfactory, especially going back to the one year old baby I saw coming out of a cancer radiotherapy suite."

With regard to small children who do not have the opportunity to learn and know about Jesus prior to their death ... there's a very critical aspect of the bestowing of Grace that we have to keep in mind: The bestowing of Grace is completely within the sovereign desire of God himself. It is not a transaction. We do not "earn" salvation by our profession of faith. God in his mercy bestows it upon those whom he is pleased to bestow it. This opens up a series of other quesitons, which I'll skirt by for the moment ... the key point is this: a small child in a cancer ward may very well receive Grace from God, for it is at the pleasure of God to bestow Grace on those he is pleased to do so. Suggesting that Grace is given only when we humans execute a certain series of things (profession of faith, baptism, whatever) limits God. Similarly, suggesting that God can't bestow Grace on a small infant also limits God. It is a healthy thing to watch our thoughts for things that limit God; our putting limitations on God is never Scripturally supported.

Response to sidenote: it saddens me and angers me to see smug, self-righteous "Christians." I'll confess to harbouring similar thoughts, however, much to my shame. It's a part of our fallen nature to wish to be part of an exclusive grouping. The proper response should be humility and gratitude, with a burning desire to help non-believers come to Christ. It is a useful prayer to ask God for humility and tenderness in the way we conduct ourselves.

I'm left with one final thought: the Bible teaches us in Luke 12:48 that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I've always thought that what's being referenced here is not material things, but rather knowledge of God. So a person who has had ample opportunity to hear and study the Gospel message, yet still rejects Christ stands in a perilous position. Someone who has never heard of Jesus (the aborigine example) will receive mercy.

Note: To what degree, I do not know. Some believe that everyone will receive salvation in the end. Those who believe this are properly classified as Universalists. Often they cite Philippians 2:10-11, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (NIV) I'll confess I'm unpersuaded by this interpretation of the text. It strikes me this is really saying there will be a day when there shall be no doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord, and everyone in heaven, earth and hell will acknowledge it.