Defining sin, of course, is a favorite Christian pastime, coming in a close third after macrame and Salem-style barbeque. We're all sure we know what it is, and we're all double extra sure plus to let all the sinners around us know that we know.
As the caricature would have it, Christians fall into two distinct camps on the subject. On the one hand, you have progressive, social justice, organic Guatemalan llama's milk Christians. For them, sin is primarily a corporate thing, something systemic and thus a bit on the amorphous side.
On the other, you have the fundamentalist, bible-believing, it's either Jesus or H-E-double-toothpicks Christians. For them, sin is primarily a personal thing, something to do with your own walk with God and whether or not you've had your altar-call card punched enough times.
That's the caricature, anyway.
But the Christian view of sin isn't just about our collective injustices or our individual moral failings. Sin isn't a particular behavior or pattern of behaviors, but something somehow integral to the human condition. Scripturally, sin begins before the word
sin is ever used.
It starts, of course, at the beginning, so to the beginning we must go.
Comments (5)
Oh I do so love these epic theological story arcs you construct, "Tune in next week!"
-A. Rust
Good question. In thinking, I would say the desire to be like God was the original sin. From that came the knowledge of good and evil and eternal seperation.
"In thinking, I would say the desire to be like God was the original sin."
Be AS God.