Soldier On! w/Leroy Garrett — Occasional Essays

Essay 97 (11-12-05)

WHATEVER BECAME OF SIN? (2)

Beside the provocative catalogue of sins given by Jesus, there is a similar listing given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which has some surprising inclusions. These too are the New King James translation with an alternate rendition by Phillips in parenthesis.

Fornicators (the impure)

Idolaters (the idolater)

Adulterers (the adulterer)

Homosexuals (effeminate)

Sodomites (the pervert)

Thieves (the thief)

Covetous (the swindler)

Drunkards (the drunkard)

Revilers (the foul-mouthed)

Extortioners (the rapacious)

The apostle sometimes named sins indirectly, as in Romans 1:31: "undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful," and sometimes prophetically, as in 2 Timothy 3:2: "For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy."

While biblical writers appear satisfied to name sins without classifying them, the church throughout history has had a penchant to both classify and evaluate them. One common device has been to classify all sins as either mortal or venial. Those named by Jesus and Paul would all be mortal in that they defile the soul, and because they are willfully and knowingly done in rebellion to God. Venial sins, though contrary to the moral law, are "reparable by charity" because they are unintentional or committed in ignorance. We have all hurt someone's feelings unintentionally, or shortchanged someone unwittingly. But venial sins suggest carelessness and thoughtlessness, and since they can lead to mortal sins they are not to be taken lightly.

Even mortal sins have undergone gradation. Seven of them are classified as "The Seven Deadly Sins" -- sometimes called "capital sins" because they cause other sins. They are: pride, avarice (greed), envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth (acedia).

It might be surprising that acedia or sloth would make the list of major sins, and it gets close to where many of us are. It means callous indifference. We see injustice and suffering, and we say or think, "What do I care, its not in my backyard." We see the homeless on the street, and we say, "She's no kin to me." Then there's gluttony. which points a finger of guilt to our spoiled, acquisitive way of life. Pride -- self-centeredness -- heads the list and is seen as the source of all sin.

These are not the sins condemned by sectarian religion, where departure from the party line is more likely to receive top billing. Nor do these sins get much attention in polite society, in political circles, or even in the churches. After all, it may be the pride of power, wealth, knowledge, virtue, and religion that is the most offensive to God.

Even beyond the deadly sins are those that "cry to heaven," being so outrageously evil. These are the shedding of innocent blood, the sins of the Sodomites, the oppression of the poor, the widows, and orphans, and injustice to the wage earner. There are those who insist that America's most grievous sin is its violence toward the most vulnerable in its society -- multiplied millions of innocent and helpless children yet unborn.

Augustine classified all sins as either carnalities or animosities, sins of the flesh or sins of the soul. To emphasize that animosities are more serious than carnalities he observed that: "It is not the corruptible flesh that makes the soul sinful, but the sinful soul that makes the body corruptible." However sins might be classified it may be concluded that all sin is the offspring of inordinate self-love -- or is it stubborn self-will?

Whether self-will or self-love, or perhaps both, there remains the bewildering question of the origin of sin. If we are all sinners -- which both Scripture and human experience boldly affirm -- how are we to account for this? The Calvinist answer is "total hereditary depravity." We were born that way, having inherited Adam's sin, which leaves little place for freewill. An alternative view, which allows for freedom of the will, claims that we sin for the same reason Adam did. We all have our individual fall, for we are human. The key passage on this is Romans 5:12, which some interpret to mean that the whole human race participated in Adam's sin, and so we are born in sin. Others see it as an explanation of how sin first came into the world, and through sin came death; and so death (not sin) passed to all men because all have sinned. In other words, all are under the penalty of death, not because they inherited Adam's sin, but because, like Adam, they too have sinned.

Whatever the theology, the reason for human sin remains a mystery. Immanuel Kant held that we come into this world free and innocent, but he admitted that we have a propensity to sin, the reason for which he left in the realm of the inscrutable. Reinhold Niebuhr also agreed that sin is inevitable for everyone, but he had no answer as to why.

It is obvious to anyone who bothers to give it serious thought -- considering all the evil in the world -- that there is something profoundly wrong with human beings. It is also profoundly difficult to explain the inevitability and universality of sin. One would think that an occasional moral hero would escape sin, and 1 John 3:9 insists that "Whoever is born of God does not sin" and goes on to say that he cannot sin! And we all know people who seem never to sin. I'm married to one! No mortal sins at least. But it apparently is not the case. If no more, we all succumb to pride, even if it be the pride of humility. (You may have heard of the Trappist monk who boasted that his Order was known for its humility!) And the same John who says the born again cannot sin says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

If universal sin and evil are a mystery, so is universal goodness a mystery. If we are born totally depraved, how do we explain the overwhelming generosity and charity we see in each other, especially in times of crisis. Say what we will about the abundance of sin in the world, there is also an abundance of deep-down goodness and decency. Niebuhr saw this conundrum in human nature, and he concluded that man is a strange mixture of both good and evil, and as to which will dominate depends on the nurture he gets. He would also say that in our "struggle against sin" we have spiritual resources to draw on.

And that is what I hope we can take with us from this study -- that while sin is the big bully who can easily gain mastery over us, we have help that the world knows not of. But we must take sin more seriously, and we must know our enemy. We are at war, a spiritual conflict between flesh and Spirit. The Lord promised that he would not leave us bereft as orphans, that he would send us a Helper.

That Helper, the Holy Spirit, helps us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26), and is on our side in the tug-of-war against sin (Galatians 5:17). Then there is the other side of sin, redemption. That is the good news, that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Notes

I will address the Western Hills Church of Christ in Austin next Sunday, November 20, both morning and evening services. The address is 6211 Parkwood Dr. Ouida and I would be delighted to see any of you who live in that area.

There are three books that we continue to handle. The Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia ($50); The Stone-Campbell Movement by Leroy Garrett ($30); A Lover's Quarrel: My Pilgrimage of Freedom in Churches of Christ, an autobiography by Leroy Garrett ($15). Prices include postage. Make check payable to Leroy Garrett and post to 1300 Woodlake Dr., Denton, TX 76210.

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