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.