Sin: it’s a word that many Christians use. Honestly, I think it’s more frequently used in Christian vocabulary than words like love and forgiveness. So, what is sin and why do Christians talk about it so much?
When we commonly think of sin, we think of doing something wrong. From this perspective, there are “little sins” like telling your boss you have a doctor’s appointment when you are really going for a long lunch with friends. Then there are “big sins” like theft of something valuable and “really big sins” like murder. That’s how we usually think about sin.
Here’s what will be the big surprise: the notion we have of sin as doing something wrong isn’t from the Bible. Instead, the notion of sin as doing something wrong dates back to the sixth century CE and books known as “penitential manuals” created by Irish monks. In brief, after the collapse of the Roman Empire, tribes from Northern Europe came south and looted what was left of the empire. We commonly refer to this period of European history as the Dark Ages. Local churches were ransacked. What was left of Christianity on the continent were some monasteries. But in Ireland, Christianity was growing. In time, Irish monks became missionaries in Europe and reestablished churches. To get back into the good graces of the church, everyone was taught to confess their sins regularly. The Irish monks had manuals that listed “sins” or wrong actions with appropriate penances when people confessed sins or wrong actions.
But shouldn’t Christians base their understanding of sin on the Bible? That would seem to be the most logical foundation. In the Hebrew scriptures, sin primarily referred to how the people broke their covenant relationship with God. In other words, sin is primarily about the people of God not being faithful to their promises to be faithful to the God of Exodus. It was communal, actions by the people, like worshipping the golden calf in Exodus. That understanding evolved in the New Testament writings and is clearest in Paul’s various letters to the early churches. Paul uses a specific term for sin: ἁμαρτία. That’s Greek. It’s a term from archery. It means missing the mark or missing the target. To miss the mark or to be off-target is a different concept than doing something wrong. I may follow all the rules and not do anything wrong, but I can still be off-target. That’s because hitting the target isn’t about following the rules. Instead, it’s about doing things well.
Based on the Bible, I understand that sin is living in a way that’s off-target and out of balance. The lives we lead aren’t integrated but are pulled in one direction or another, perhaps by selfishness, or an insecurity that makes us overachieve, or shame about who we are, or greed and malice. Lots of things pull us off base. That’s the nature of sin. It’s not the action. It’s what pulls us away from being whole, healthy human beings.
Living in a way that’s free from sin is to live as a whole, integrated person who is healthy and comfortable as a person. It’s about learning to be our best selves, as people who reflect the image and likeness of God.
In the end, preoccupation with wrong actions leads to a focus on ourselves that’s unhealthy. Psychologists used to call that neurosis. I still think that’s a good word to use. When we’re overly focused on our actions, we get out of balance and neurotic because we become obsessed with ourselves. Instead, living in a healthy, balanced way is living free from sin. Indeed, it is living a new kind of life.
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