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What about my Sin? ...
Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013. We have been discussing the ability to be critical with ourselves. The topic is not just one-dimensional. The question of criticism, the questions of perspective, of community, the question of how to know oneself is a part of it.
My sin …
But one important main thing has not been discussed yet. We need to talk about “sin”. We need to talk about God's viewpoint when our life, our thoughts, our emotions, our plans, our wishes, our desires … are concerned.
God talks a lot about the plans and actions of people. And there is a deep criticism in his words. Mankind is not considered to be good. When you search for “sin” in the English Standard Bible, you find 390 hits. There are many places and many occasions, when God talks about failure in behaviour and failure in attitude in the biblical books. Why is this? What does it mean?
The background of talking about “sin” is that there is something better. There is a measuring rod which is good, which is fantastic, which is breathtaking and astonishing. It is God himself. He is called “love”. The is called “truth”. He is called “pure”. He is called “faithful”. God is so wonderful, that we can barely imagine how good he is.
God himself is the measuring rod. And mankind has been separated from God - which is the reason why the word “sin” is used, which comes from “separation” or “big rift”. Sins are actions, thoughts or words, which are carried out under the influence of the big rift, under the separation from God. I would follow a big illusion, if I would think I am not influenced by this big rift - everyone is in this world.
God knows me …
When we show the ability to be self-critical, this is a first good step towards God. It will help us to see him - the one who is so different. And it will help us to see ourselves, with all what does not fit to him. King David talks about this attitude in his Psalms, for example in Psalm 32:
1 A Song of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up2 as by the heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32: 1-5)
It is a matter of both insight and honesty, to be able to acknowledge ones sins to the Lord. We need him as a measuring rod - otherwise we will remain blind and deaf with respect to true life. But when we turn to him, when we start to get to know God, we will start to see our sin. We will start to realize what true life might be. Then, we need the courage to acknowledge the truth in us and confess our sin. When we do, we will find what the bible calls “new life”. We find community with God himself - a purity not known before, coming from him through Christ Jesus. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts