Ole boy in bib overalls just got back from church. Uncle Fred asked, “What did the preacher preach about?”
Ole Boy: “Sin.”
Uncle Fred: “What’d he say?”
Ole Boy: “He’s agin’ it.”
Sin. Nobody likes to talk about it nowadays. Forty years ago, Psychiatrist Karl Menninger penned the classic, Whatever Became of Sin? Sufficiently desensitized, contemporary culture doesn’t even ask the question anymore.
The answer provides explanation for much, make that most, of what ails us both personally and societally. In fact, biblically speaking, sin is lethal. It is the prime reason for the cross of Christ.
Renowned Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias made the poignant observation: “Contrary to popular notion, sin is not simply a set of actions: sin is a condition.” In other words, sin is not what you do, so much as what you are.
Let me elucidate. You and I sin, because we are a sinner. We are not a sinner because we sin. Illustration: a dog barks because it is a dog. It is not a dog because it barks. Behavior doesn’t determine character. Character dictates behavior! Check out Romans 5:12. Sin is the inherent default human condition. Our sin is not merely lying, cheating, lusting, stealing, et. al.. Keep reading.
The New Testament word for “sin” is the term “hamartia”. An archery term meaning, “to miss the mark”. My Dad used to say, “What is the mark in life? To know Jesus.” Sin is separation from God, due to self-will. Reference Isaiah 59:2.
I best be succinct because you’re growing weary of all this talk about sin. O.K., enough bad news: here’s good news. Jesus is the full and final antidote for our eternally fatal condition. Visit I John 1:7. Repent; then, rejoice!