We all probably have some concept of what sin is. Typically in pop culture, sin is understood to be any form of wrongdoing. The thoughts and behaviors that are considered sinful are hotly debated and oftentimes the concept of sin is viewed as a means of oppression, limiting the freedoms and pleasures of the individual. But the bible offers a different perspective. “Sin” is characterized as a disease of the soul that has many symptoms. The symptoms are what we may commonly think of as “sinful behavior”, but it seems God is less concerned about cataloguing a list of these behaviors, and far more interested in addressing their root cause.
What does Sin mean?
The first mention of sin in the bible comes in the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis. The Hebrew word חטאה (Chata) is used to describe sin as a failure to be truly human, a failure to love. In this text, sin is described as some sort of inhuman beast that wants to consume the individual. It is personified as an enemy of humanity. In the same line, the man, Cain, is told by God, “it (sin) desires to have you, but you must rule over it”. God is giving Cain an option here, painting a dark picture of sin. It's eat or be eaten with sin, either rule it or it will rule you. Sin is not simply a behavior, it is an approach to life that we must all resist.
Sin is not an action so much as a disease, or a foreign, infectious mentality. But what's the mentality, where did it come from and what is the alternative? I think that the infectious, disastrous mentality of sin can be fundamentally understood as a selfishness that seeks its own good at the expense of others. This is quite literally the “eat or be eaten” mentality. This mentality is described in the bible as a product of not trusting that God loves us. We can see this theme play out from the very beginning, spreading from one serpentine lie, culminating in the loss of paradise.
Where did Sin come from?
In Genesis chapter two, God creates the first two humans, Adam and Eve, and places them in a garden that is overflowing with abundance. The garden is full of all manner of fruit trees, with endless food and drink, where the humans exist in friendship with God. Everything they could ever need is abundantly provided for. The humans are not without need, but in the presence of God, they are without lack. The picture described in chapter two is of a reality that we all long for. But in the very next chapter, Adam and Eve are approached by a serpent who says God is not as good as he claims to be and that Adam and Eve would be wise to stockpile as much of this goodness as they can before it runs out.
They believe the serpent and the immediate consequence of this is that they hide from one another and from God. Do you see this? The fear that there is not enough, that God is not good, is the source of all our disharmony, all of our broken relationships. This is sin: a mentality of distrust of the creator that overflows into selfish livinging that benefits at the expense of other people. This is חטאה (chata), a failure to be truly human, a failure to love.
Why does Sin feel right?
We can tell a parallel story about a giant party. There are loads of hors d’oeuvres, bottomless drinks, mountains of fruit, and endless charcuterie. At a party like this, you are not worried about whether there will be enough wine for you to get another glass, it's obvious that there is plenty. You're not filling your pockets with prosciutto because everytime one tray runs out, there is another brought out. This party is just like the Garden: a place of total and perfect abundance. But imagine a stranger approaches you and says, “Hey look, I know the host said that he'll never run out of party fares, but he’s full of it… You'd be wise to snag a few extra snacks and make sure you get enough before it runs out”.
This feels pretty reasonable, and if it's true that the party will end then this is the wise response. This mentality is infectious. In the scenario of the garden, God promised that the abundance would never end, but Adam and Eve chose to trust this snake, this stranger, rather than their creator and friend. This willingness to believe the serpent shows a deep distrust for the God who has only given them good. But they were nonetheless convinced.
So, you casually start to fill your bag with prosciutto. Of course others notice and ask what you're doing so you tell them what the stranger told you. They start doing the same. Pretty soon, the party has divulged into chaos. There are factions of partygoers who have claimed territories and specialized into stockpiling incoming resources. There is a group in the pool room who has taken all of the charcuterie. Another group has walled themselves off in the kitchen and holds the chef hostage to cook only for them. Yet another has channeled all the wine into the backyard where they are filling barrels.
All of a sudden, the abundance of the party feels quite scarce. Even though the host continues to provide, it is the fundamental mistrust of the host that breeds fearful hoarding in the partygoers. This self preservation mentality leads to true scarcity. This selfish mentality is sin. The behaviors that result from this mentality are the “sinful behaviors” we think of. But if the stranger we met was telling the truth, then this selfish response is quite reasonable. Sin seems like the right thing to do if we believe the premises that God is not good and we need to meet our own needs. But the entire story of the bible is God trying to show humanity that they are wrong, that he actually loves us dearly and is always providing for us. The bible says the only way to experience his provision is to let go of your sinful mentality, which insists that you need to take care of yourself, and trust that God is going to take care of you. Participating in the reality of God’s love is always available, but you must give up all your selfish striving.
What does Sin do?
So, what is sin? Sin is a fundamental distrust of the creator, of the generous host of reality. When we believe the lie that God is not good, we default to selfish, self-preservation. This infectious mentality, that God does not love us, is the source of all our “sinful” actions toward one another and all our suffering. If you find yourself scoffing at the idea that reality is abundant, that there will always be enough without our selfish striving, then you too have been infected with the lie. We’re all at a party, we’ve just forgotten. We've believed the lie that we need to stockpile party favors. It's quite a hilarious image when you think about it, but that's how we live. We're at a party, stuffing our bags with mini-sandwiches because we fear that others will do the same and there won't be enough.
As the story of Genesis unfolds, we see the detrimental effects of this mentality, this lack of trust in the generous host of reality. Cain kills his own brother because he fears that there is not enough abundance for both of them, humans devolve into murder, polygamy, rape and all manner of debauchery because each one is primarily concerned with ensuring they get what they need. If there is not a generous host, then taking what you can for yourself and your family at all costs becomes not just reasonable, but noble. This is tribalism. The effect of sin is always relational brokenness. But God does not just leave humanity in this twisted position. He also does not stop providing abundantly. He continues on as the generous host, always giving more than enough, hoping to convince humanity by his abundant gifts that he is in fact trustworthy and his kindness is unending. But once the lie has infected us, it will not let go.
Over the course of the old testament, God sent many messengers to the party to try to show his guests that they are at a party and they don't need to hoard and hurt one another to get what they need. These messengers sought to convince people that it is not their selfish scheming that meets their needs, but it is God’s generosity that they mistake for their own efforts. Ultimately all of these messengers either failed or were mocked and killed. It is a ridiculous idea after all, that God is taking care of everything, I mean just look around, the party is in total disarray. But, I will remind the reader that this disarray is not a result of God’s lack of kindness or provision, it is the product of our sinful posture, taking and misusing, distorting and twisting God’s generosity.
How does Jesus deal with Sin?
After many attempts to convince the guests that he is good and actively providing for them, even in their chaotic rebellion, he sends his son Jesus, who knows that he is good. Jesus laughs at the lie that God is not good because the he his father better than anyone. He is the perfect candidate to go into the party and show the people that the host has enough. The son did just this, he entered the world, he came to be with us in our chaotic state and he did not hoard or stockpile resources like other people. In fact, he gave away all that he had, to prove that whenever we are in need, God provides. He even gave away his life to show God’s love and generosity towards us. Jesus died, not just to prove a point, but to actually pay for the damage that we did to the party. All of the wrath that we earned through our rebellion and misuse of God’s generosity was poured out on Jesus.
Jesus knew the fundamental problem was that all of us are poisoned by the lie that God is not good. He knew that this conviction led to selfish taking that harms everyone. This is why he came to prove that God is good and to teach his followers to serve and live generously toward one another rather than taking from one another. He taught incessantly that the solution to scarcity was not more selfish taking, but rather, sacrificial generosity. He built communities of people who lived with love for one another and took care of each other.
Jesus proves that God is good because he is God. God came to live with us and he died to save us. God himself showed the ultimate act of love, dying for the people he loves. Based on this, he asks us to trust that God is good. This trust in the goodness of God (or faith), is the way to restore the party. For all who learn to trust God, to receive from him, the party is on. It was a failure to trust the host that led to selfish taking and scarcity and it is a restored trust in the host that enables us to give generously to one another, bringing abundance. God does not simply tell us to trust, rather, he compels us to trust by his sacrificial death on the cross.
But it doesn't end here because as long as the lie is present, this party remains corrupted. Jesus didn't just die, he was raised from death, paving the way through it for anyone that would follow him. God has promised that anyone who trusts in Jesus, who believes that God is good, will be raised from the dead like Jesus. We will enter a new, incorruptible party that will never end.
So, in sum, sin is not simply an action, but rather a posture of distrust in the creator that produces selfish attempts to provide for ourselves at the expense of others. We all have sin, everyone. We are all poisoned by the lie, even christians struggle trusting their father. Jesus doesn't offer a quick fix, but rather asks us to trust him and invites us to follow him into the life we were designed for. It's a long, hard process of learning to trust. Jesus calls his disciples to live with forgiveness, and a radical generosity that is only possible if it is true that God is providing for you.
Additional reading
Matthew Chapters 5-7