Sin Part Two

After a bit of reflection I think I will spend this article on treating sin more verbally and giving specifics rather than waxing on theologically.

Sin is treating the planet badly. In Genesis God gave human beings the responsibility of caring and nurturing God’s creation. When we concentrate on our own exploitation of the planet for our own immediate gratification we are distracted from our responsibilities. Not to accept our responsibility for global warming, or wearing out the land, or scaring the earth and not replenishing it or refurbishing it, to me is a sin. Fracking for me falls in that category.

Sin is saying something hurtful to another human being or dehumanizing them in some way. Scripture teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we are hurtful, bigoted, slanderous, judgmental or condemning of fellow members of God’s family we are distracted from that basic divine intent for us to care for each other. In the same way not loving ourselves and appreciating ourselves is a sin as I see it. As the old poster said, “I am great, I am good, cuz God don’t make junk.”

Sin is a public servant who serves the masters of reelection rather than their constituents. Jesus tells us to care for each other loving our enemies as well as friends. When we act as masters rather than servants we are distracted from our purpose of being blessings to each other.

God gave the Hebrews the 10 commandments as a gift. They were given to a people who had lived in slavery for generations and knew little of self-government and how to live as freed people. They were not meant as a club for one person to condemn the actions of another person; they were gifts to help us live together freely and lovingly. When those who seek to oppress or hurt others they distract us from these gifts and are a sin and a misuse of God’s laws/guidelines.

Obviously I could go on and on. Fundamentalists love to quote the passage, “the wages of sin are death,” more bad news rather than good news which is what the word “gospel” means. But it is wise to note that that they are wages, or in other words the results of what happens to us when we are distracted acting as those created in the image of God.

I once wrote a sermon entitled, “What Can We Give a God Who Has Everything?” My response is that they only thing that we can give to God that God does not have is our sin. Further I maintained that is all God wants from us. God wants us to give us those things that distract us so God may heal us and make us whole and complete. That is what the word salvation means in scripture: health, wholeness, harmony, and completeness – being what we were intended to be. And in my opinion that is exactly of Jesus the Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection; healed us and made us whole; all of us not just a select few.

Our appropriate response to that gift is to say, “Thank you.” We don’t earn salvation/health, it is a gift we will have eventually have in full abundance.

Micah 6:8 (NRSV)
⁸ He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 (MSG)
⁸ But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.