Complexity of Sin

How would you define sin? So often we think things are black and white. We think things are clear cut and defined in a way that we understand.

Think of it like this, who is the one sinning in this situation- A woman walks down the street, she has her purse stolen from a 20 year old man who is a drug addict.

Who is at fault?

What if I told you this- This same woman had a chance to help this man 10 years ago. This man had no way to get out of his community, whose friends were starting to do drugs and live a life of defilement. This woman had a chance to get him out, but instead walks right by.

Now who is at fault? Where is the black in white in this picture?

What parable does this remind you of?

Luke 10:30-37
The Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Notice something interesting, the passerby’s. The people, who believed in God, were the ones who just crossed over the road and passed by.

Some people might say the woman was perfectly fine, did nothing wrong. She just missed a chance. Or did she just pass by? Could she have done something about it?

Or how about this story- A man dies from a drunk driving accident. Luckily, his car was the only one involved.

What are your first thoughts? The person who got drunk and died was the horrible man, and got what was coming towards him.

What if I told you, this man lost his son 2 years earlier, separated from his wife 2 months earlier and just lost his job 2 hours before the accident and could barely pay the bills or make a meal. His neighbor was a local pastor, preached great messages, had a thriving church, and would always make sure to wave at him, but never once engaged him.

Then what would you say? Who is at fault?

James 2:14-18
Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

What did the neighbor do? Is not our commandment to Love God with our heart soul and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself?

Or how about this story- There was a prostitute. She was one of the best in town. She wasn’t the most expansive, but she was the most liked. She could live lavishly because of it. One day she ends up in the hospital because she had gotten beaten by one of her costumers.

Who is at fault? The prostitute? The man who beat her?

What if I told you, the only reason she was a prostitute was because she was molested by a family friend as a child, not once, not twice, not even three times, but 10 times. She was constantly told she was good at it and was being told she was asking for it. It was 10 times over 5 years, and her parents never found out. She was part of a church that never invested in her, just told her how horrible sex is outside of marriage, and how you are damaged because of it.

Now who is at fault?

It would have been easy to blame the kid who was a drug addict, because his sin is plain as day right? But what holds the woman who refused to intervene less responsible?
It would have been easy to hate the drunk driver right? Because what he did was shown through his actions.
We blame the prostitutes for making men leave their wives for a night of pleasure, but we so often forget that it is the men who pay, and they people who helped get them into prostitution.

Sin is complex. That is why we can’t be the judge of it. I think so clearly scripture has told us that many times, that we have no authority to judge the soul of a person. Our judgments are so skewed. They are lopsided and frankly not good. What gives me the right to remove a speck from someone else’s eye before I remove the log that is in mine? How do I have the right to judge sin?

Sin is complex. We can’t see all of it. In every situation sin has a context behind it. For the purse thief, it was the fact that no one reached out to him. For the drunk, his neighbor pastor never gave him the time of day besides a wave. For the prostitutes it was the fact that what the man had done to her was wrong, followed up by a church that enabled shame to reside in her, even though it was the man who molested her. Then it was another man who put her in the hospital.

Sin is complex. There are so many factors that we never see. But how often do we judge. How often do we look at a person, see what they have done, and instantly judge them? Compare our lives to theirs? Compare our convictions and sin to theirs?

Sad isn’t it?

Our sin in our life is complex too! There are so many factors we can’t even understand. This year I met with several people who had begun self-mutilating themselves. Each of them had a different reason, a different story, and different scars. It would have been so easy for me to tell them what they do is wrong and sinful. For some of them, there was a co-dependency on another person that led them to this decision. For some it was self-esteem issues connected with their environment and friendship group. For some it was all the pressure to perform to the best. For some it was the struggles at the home that they did not have control of. I have had one person tell me that when they see the blood drip from the cut, it feels as if the pressure and stress of life is being relieved! These stories are painful; they have so many layers to them. It would have been easy for me though, to just write it off and tell them that they have to find another way, and instantly start telling them how wrong it is. They never needed me to tell them that what they did was wrong. Just like the kid who started doing drugs later to steal a purse from a woman needed me to say that. Just like the drunken man who lost his son, losing his wife then lost his life. Just like the prostitute who was molested, told how damaged she was, and ends up beaten.

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. (James 2:12-13)

Judgment is not for us. I am not saying I am perfect at not judging people, I am far from it. But what I am saying is Love must play a larger role in our life. God loves these people. Loves the people who self-mutilate, who are drug addicted thieves, who are lonely drunks, who are prostitutes beaten down. God loves the Christian who is hiding parts of their lives from the church. God loves the person who has no money but tries to live lavishly with their friends. God loves the person who drives a BMW and the person who can’t afford a car. God loves the person who wakes up with a smile and the person who seems to have nothing to smile about. God loves the child who has everything and more, and the child who has nothing, not even parents.

Is this not our calling too? God Loves us! We are in a world that is DESPERATE for Love, for relationships to people. To be reconciled back to the arms of forgiveness, redemption and LOVE. Let us leave all the judging of sin to God, and let the Holy Spirit fill our lives.

1 John 4: 16-21
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.