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7.13.2005

Deep Response #2

As usual, most good answers should lead to better questions. When I started questioning "original sin", and then how Jesus addressed sin in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), it struck me that "sin" was more than making a mistake, more than "missing the mark". A broader sense of sin is that it is a worldview or mindset or stronghold that discounts God's place, that leaves Him out of the picture. Sin is anything that is outside the influence of the Spirit.

"Sins", individual and particular shortcomings, are actions and thoughts that would usually fall into these categories:
  • Ignorance - just didn't know; I don't know how accountable anyone is in this area, except to say that biblically there's instances where there's just no excuse
  • Selfishness - we put ourselves ahead of God, ahead of others, willfully standing up for our own "sovereignty"
  • Defiance - much like selfishness, making choices and actions based on what we want instead of God's will
  • Half-heartedness - I take that phrase from the description of Caleb in the book of Joshua as being "wholehearted"; this comes when we actually do the right things for the wrong motives or wrong reasons, and much of the Sermon on the Mount deals with, "you're doing the right thing, but your heart is far from Me"
There's something more intentional in sin, where we intentionally disobey or we intentionally disregard the Father and others, that makes it more destructive than simply "doing the wrong thing". It throws all relationships to the curb, since we've lifted ourselves above any other relational factor. We're separated from God because we've separated ourselves from God. Our "condemnation" has been our choice in the matter. He is holy and perfect and knows best overall - and when we step away, we're asking for that responsiblity.

So what are the next questions? I'll work on phrasing that in the morning. Thanks for reading this far.

5 Comments:

Blogger Christi said...

Huh, that's a new way of putting it. Makes perfect sense.

Thanks for stopping by. How cool that you're in Columbia, too. How old are your kids? Does your wife work? I go to Ashland Methodist, but I've been to the Seacoast church w/my sister in Summerville. It was definitely DIFFERENT!

13/7/05 3:15 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Rick,
Great questions! I am not attempting to answer the question per se, but share my journey.
All I can say in my journey sin is not right vs. wrong thinking....
It is returning to the "good" that all creation was, a return to innocence, as before the fall.
We fell from a state of Grace to a works mentality of seeking to find for our selves, right and wrong.

When we took upon our self to be the judge of good and evil as you stated I agree we chose to be as God.

I think this is what is wrong with most of modern thinking. They focus on right wrong, being fixated on the very thing that is our fallen state. So it seems that is the big struggle.

I see it as returning to total dependence on God the Father as Jesus Himself walked. Jesus did what was good and that was His focus, the result, righteousness satisfied. A bit of a dichotomy, yet that is as God is sometimes.

Blessings,
iggy

13/7/05 3:16 PM  
Blogger Rick said...

hi, christi - yeah, "different", but in a good way :)

iggy - thanks for sharing. there's alot of grey area that's usually cleared up more by "it's within God's plan" rather than the legalism & judgment of "that's wrong".

13/7/05 3:19 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Rick,
Actually I may have miswrote something....

Yet, I think the point is the contrast between modern view of sin versus an emerging view from what I have began to see.

I meant to say sin is a state of being in the "right/wrong" or thinking that on our own we know what is right and what is wrong, and God calls us to do Good.

Ha-ha,
I am going to stop while I am ahead here as I have a bit of a fever and wonder if I am making sense.
Actually I was diagnosed with pneumonia last night. So I appreciate all the prayer I can get.

Blessings,
iggy

13/7/05 3:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent Topic. I think you really put all sin in a nut shell. Going against the will of God. But what is wonderful is that Jesus has filled that gap from the sinner and God. God knew that the "original sin" had grown to be a part of our nature so he sent his son to rescue us from ourselves. Growing closer to Christ, through the power of the holy spirit is the road to fellowship with the Father. But I am sure that I am preaching to the choir.
Seacoast is a great Church.
I have a lot of freinds that attend the Seacoast in Mt. Plesant.
I attend a equally wonderful Church called Christian Life Assembly.
iggy, I prayed for your illness bro

13/7/05 10:42 PM  

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