Whatever Became Of Sin?

Though seldom acknowledged, at the heart of discontent -- of life 'out of sorts' -- is sin.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells a marvelous story/parable centering around two men going up to the temple to pray. 

The first is a religious leader, a Pharisee who shockingly doesn't pray to God, but prays “…about himself.” (Luke 18:12) acknowledging only the wrong doing of others -- not self.   “…God I thank you that I am not like other men -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers…”  (Luke 18:12).    

However, a second man also ascends to the temple, a tax collector (a despised member of biblical society) who doesn't even think of praying about himself -- rather he prays to God to have compassion on him, for the Tax Collector knows he’s a stained self, a sinful self.   

For that reason, he “…would not even look up to heaven…”  (Luke 18:13) Luke tells us.  Rather the tax collector beats his breast, a demonstrative sign of penitent humility, exclaiming: ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.”  (Luke 18:13).   

Actually the literal translation of this phrase is even more striking:  God have mercy on me, the sinner.  In other words not just any sinner, but the sinner par excellence.   Talk about being convinced, convicted of one’s stain, one’s error, one’s iniquity.

In 1971, Karl Menninger, a prominent Kansas psychiatrist released a landmark book entitled: Whatever Became of Sin? Menninger’s premise:  rather than naming our rebellion against a holy God – we downplay our rebellion – categorizing sin as just a little slip.  Or being more specific: categorizing adultery as just an accident – lust as just a lapse – envy as just an error – hatred as just a habit. 

But such tendencies are more than tendencies – they acts of moral, sinful insurrection against the Creator of the Universe!  The result? A deep, deadly crippling of our very soul.

So take stock of what you downplay as sin in your life. 

Once John Wesley asked his mother Suzanne how to recognize sin, especially the subtle sin of life. "Take this rule” Suzanne noted.  “…Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things.  In short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind -- that thing is sin…however innocent it may be in itself."  (Susanna Wesley - Letter, June 8, 1725).   

Wow, what incredible, wise counsel -- helping us navigate our inner world, as each of us seeks honesty and integrity, at the very heart -- the very soul of life!