There are few concepts more out of style today than the
concept of sin. Biblically, sin is any
disobedience (passive or active) of the commands of the sovereign, holy God.
When you reject the notion of a sovereign, holy God (which much of our culture does
today), the concept of sin becomes irrelevant at best, and dangerous in the
eyes of many. It is viewed as a vestige
of a more primitive time that was used to provide common people with a
framework to understand problems, pain and suffering, and a tool to help
control the masses.
In our more “enlightened” age, the concept of a creating,
sovereign God has been rejected for a scientific, man centered view of
existence. Thus, sin as an offense
against God has also been rejected.
Instead, sin is considered an obsolete guilt trip that gets in the way
of men and women reaching their fullest potential. The concept of evil has been redefined as
anti-social behavior that is remedied by education and rehabilitation.
Sadly, this societal shift has also affected the
church. Sin is rarely taken
seriously. Research done by one of our
nation’s polling groups has concluded that “there
is no significant difference in ethical behavior between churched and
unchurched citizens of America.” In
other words, our beliefs regarding God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness has done
little to affect how those who claim to be Christian’s live. The lack of church discipline is evidence of
this. Historically considered to be one
of the marks of a true church, rarely is personal sin addressed within the body
of Christ, even scandalous sin.
James 1 has been talking about the Christian’s response to
suffering. It is critical to realize
that suffering does not just come from outside sources, but it is often the
result of our own sinful choices. In
James 1:13-18, James speaks to us about the reality of sin, the consequences of
sin, and our hope in the midst of sin. I
know that sin is not a popular subject and that it is not something we like to
think about. But the truth is, we cannot
understand and embrace grace if we do not have a clear understanding of the
reality and depth of our sin. We all
have sins we wrestle with, and some that we harbor and nurture. Please read Sunday’s passage carefully and
boldly ask God to open your eyes to the presence and danger of sin in your
life, and for the Spirit’s power to overcome them.
Blessings,
Scott
