Defining Sin So We Can Understand Its Consequences
You’d be hard pressed to find a guy who thinks he’s a bad person. When I ask others how they would define a good person, the qualifications normally range from not being a murderer to never doing anything that hurts another person. Most often, I hear a good person defined as someone who does more good things than bad things. I understand. That makes complete sense if good and bad held in equal tension. Simple acts that have one-level of ramifications, here on earth. A bad thing is a withdrawal from our moral bank account and a good thing is a deposit. If I steal a candy bar, then if I give some money to charity, help an old lady cross the street, or give up my seat on a bus, than I can make up for that stolen candy bar, according to the karmic view of the world–good negates bad. If I just make sure I’ve got enough in my account to pay for the bad withdrawals, I’ll be good to go. However, according to the Bible, our bad isn’t just a withdrawal from an account. As I talk with students each day about the reality of our human condition, I’ve found one analogy in explaining the true cost of sin to be especially helpful. ...