_{Sin is a heavy topic, but one we all face in life. The Bible is clear:}

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Romans 3:23

_{This blog explores the nature of sin and its impacts on our world and personal lives.}

What is sin?

_{The world has a bullseye just like any target board has. For some that bullseye is pleasure. For others, it may be success in a particular field of study or work. And outside the bullseye, one may have some point system which he or she can then justify as being better or worse than another particular outcome. While one may miss the bullseye, one may land onto another target which, though it wasn’t the primary target, is still satisfying.}

_{Yet God’s target board only has one point system. It is either hit or miss. Pass or fail. Bullseye, or sin. Therefore in God’s economy, to hit anything else besides the bullseye is to come short of God’s glory. See, God does not place values on sin — one is not greater than another. Unlike the philosophy of the world today, God doesn’t weigh murder to be worse than hatred. A little, white lie is no closer to the bullseye than adultery because, again, it is pass or fail in God’s economy.}

Understanding Sin

_{Sin disrupts our relationship with God. When we sin, we enter into a space God has made off-limits to us. This trespass, then, leads to brokenness in our relationships with others, ourselves, and ultimately God himself. And as an effect of this brokenness, there is separation (what the Bible calls “death”). In Christian theology, there are three aspects of death: the physical, the spiritual, and the eternal.}

• _{Physical death is the idea that our soul and our bodies will separate. So, when we die, our bodies will be buried or cremated, but our soul will either go to heaven or hell (Ecclesiastes 12:7).}
• _{Spiritual death is the idea that our spirit has been separated from the God of life. This is why the Bible refers to unbelievers as lost or dead (Ephesian 2:1; Romans 6:23).}
• _{Eternal death is the idea that a person’s soul is irreversibly separated from God. This is only experienced by those who reject him. In Christian theology, it is often associated with hell or the second death (Revelation 20:14-15; Matthew 25:46).}

_{Since sin fractures that which was previously held together, and breaks that which was previously whole, separation occurs. Hence, when we sin, our relationships towards one another, as well as our relationship with God, is disrupted.}

Capital “S” sin and Lowercase “s” sins

_{Last year I did a five-week series on Sunday mornings with the teens. It was called This Ain’t it: A look at how sin fails to deliver what it promises. I sought to teach my students two ways in which they could better understand sin. The first way was referred to as Capital “S” sin while the second way was referred to as lowercase “s” sins.}

• _{Capital “S” sin refers to the nature or force of sin. This means that sin is a part of our makeup as human beings now. It wasn’t always a part of humanity as we understand the book of Genesis. But after the fall of mankind in Genesis 3, our human nature became tainted with sin. As a result, because sin is in us, everything we do, even the good that we do, bears stains of our sinful nature.}
• _{Lowercase “s” sins refers to the attitude or the behavior we have. It is our sinful nature expressing itself through our thoughts, ideas, words, or actions. In Romans 3:9-10, the Text speaks of our corrupt nature (also known as the natural man in 1 Corinthians 2:14), and how we are unrighteous because of its condition. In Romans 3:11-19, the Bible speaks of the ways our sinful nature has revealed itself through our behaviors.}

Sin in Universal

_{In Romans 3, Paul declares that everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, is under the power of sin. And if you and I were to be honest with ourselves and with one another, we would be able to admit that in our lives, there is a very heavy presence of sin. For some, that may mean:}

• _{Sin is present in our homes.}
• _{Sin is present at our workplaces.}
• _{Sin is present within ourselves, which is to say our words, our hearts towards others, our attitudes, or our actions.}
• _{Sin is present at our schools, within our sports teams and in our classrooms.}

_{Undoubtedly, sin has a very real and heavy presence in the world in which we live. The Bible states it this way in Romans 3:}

• _{we’re all under sin (v.9)}
• _{none of us are righteous (v.10)}
• _{none of us seek after God perfectly (v.11)}
• _{none does good all the time (v.12)}
• _{all the world is guilty before God (v.19)}
• _{all have sinned (v.23)}

_{Despite cultural and societal differences, the sin that is in us and that is in the world around us is heavily present.}

Reflections from 2020

_{Most of you probably already know this, but 2020 was quite possibly the worst year of our lives. Your children will one day read about the pandemic in their history books.}

_{In 2020, I was still in Bible college. We received a notification that we had 72 hours to pack everything up and go home. The only problem that posed for me was that I was becoming a manager at Chick-Fil-A. If I were to leave Ohio and move back to Philadelphia, I would have lost the promotion. Additionally, I would have had to find work in the middle of a pandemic!}

_{Later that year, my Aunt Sissy had a major medical emergency and would later die because of those complications. The saddest part about her death was that she spent it alone. Because of COVID, our family was kept from being able to see her. We couldn’t even say goodbye.}

_{Throughout the year:}

• _{churches couldn’t meet and some were even threatened to be fined for meeting.}

• _{the COVID-19 vaccine was being created and people were uneasy about that.}

• _{People had to isolate themselves for two weeks to not spread the virus and people were outraged over the enforcement of masks.}

_{Overall, 2020 was not a good year. It felt like the world was crumbling on itself. And so, when we all look at that year and the crazy things we had to do, we could easily say that things weren’t supposed to be that way. That life wasn’t supposed to be lived that way. That our family members shouldn’t have to die alone. That churches operate better when their doors are open. That social distancing isn’t the model way to be in communities with one another.}

_{If there is one statement that we could use to sum up our feelings about 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is this — that life is not supposed to be this way. In 2020, this pandemic reminded me of sin’s ultimate truth: it is life lived and experienced outside of God’s design. In fact, this is now the definition I use with my students–my way of giving a timeless concept relevance for a contemporary audience.}

_{Sin is real, but it doesn’t have to be the end of our story. 2020 came and is now gone. The year is 2025 and God’s mercy continues to renew every morning.}

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