a short musing on sin.
It’s easy for perfectionist-types to conceive of their sin as being frustrating lapses in their attempts to attain a perfect standard (which they delude themselves about actually being able to keep). Sin for perfectionists is against an impersonal standard, and against their better ability to achieve it. Repeated sin perpetuates the perfectionist’s prideful frustration.
It’s easy for self-pitying types to conceive of their sin as being yet another pitiful lapse, in keeping with all their other pitiful lapses to be a better person. Sin confirms them in their mindset that ‘the only thing keeping you from achieving your dreams is your negative attitude’. Sin for self-pitying types is also against an impersonal standard, and against their chronic inability to achieve it. Repeated sin perpetuates the self-pitier’s self-ward misery.
In both cases, there’s a terrible delusion at work – not that a perfect standard of morality doesn’t exist, but that it’s (supposed to be) achievable by us apart from Jesus achieving it for us.
But there’s also the key delusion that sin is merely against a standard rather than against a person. In actual fact, our sin is grievous not because it reflects our lack of self-betterment, but because it’s an expression of our rebellion against God. There’s a Person on the other end of our sin who is personally grieved by it.
If the perfectionist or the self-pitier would see their sin as being against a person, they would have the right biblical and relational motivation and empowerment to fight it – because not only does that Person care deeply about hating and fighting sin, He alone is able (and willing) to empower this fight to enable consistent victory. No longer then will the impersonal standard mock the hapless sinner, because the aggrieved Person doesn’t stop at being grieved, but offers the repentant sinner grace – grace to see and hate their sin rightly, and grace to overcome it.
It might be scarier to acknowledge that we sin against a Person rather than a standard, but it’s infinitely better for us. Because what an incredible God we serve (and sin against! :S) – who not only knows and grieves our weakness but is faithful and just (and unbelievably gracious) to forgive us our sin, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and to renew our very hearts and desires to love and obey Him.
are u saying that through God’s grace we are victorious over sin by not being trapped in the catch 22 of pity and guilt as a result of falling short of a standard but to come out of it renewed, cleansed and willing to obey?
thank you for this post k! ya, for the christian fully embracing God’s immense grace, we are freed from that vicious cycle of guilt, doubt, and frustration which nips away at our confidence & assurance in the finished work of the cross! at the same time bearing responsibility for our actions which means a bajillion times more when realizing its against a person rather than the detached impersonal ‘standard’.
Mario, I think I can say ‘yes’ to that, but it’s such a long sentence I’m a bit hesitant about which bit/s I should perhaps qualify – either in my original post or in this ‘yes’?! By my ‘yes’ I mean that I pretty much agree with your thoughts, but wouldn’t necessarily say that your thoughts are a summary of what I was trying to say – though I’m not sure whether you were suggesting them as a summary… ?!
in conjunction with Grace’s comment: a standard (like the Law, a la Romans 7-8) while being good in itself, condemns us because it holds out to us what we need to be but can’t, whereas the Person of God, while being Holy Judge, is also Gracious Saviour – so we’re much better off seeing our sin as against this Person (because it means we can get help from Him to overcome it) than suffering the dead-end frustration, guilt, and/or self-pity that come from just seeing ourselves as sinning against the standard.