Lets talk about sin again. I know many people don’t like to talk about it, and I have some theories as to why.
First off, when we go to church we hear the preacher tell all the people to “stop doing this”, or “stop doing that”. They come across as very angry. In the end we look up at the pastor and we call him a hypocrite. We wish we could tell the pastor to mind his own business: “stop telling us how to live when your life is a mess; stop using the Bible as a weapon”. We want to ask the Pastor “Who are you to tell me to stop sinning? Look at all the bad things you do!”. Regrettably, while no one is perfect, most Pastors have the best of intentions.
Another reason we don’t like to talk about sin is because we believe that what we do with our lives is our choice. When we listen to the preacher, it sometimes seems like he is just picking on certain people. Some pastors seems to have their “favorite” sins. They have things that they harp on all the time. One preacher may talk a lot about gluttony. The reason we are bothered is that the preacher is hitting on something that we enjoy. We think we have found some harmless thing in life. The real problem though is that we have taken our choice sin and turned it into a right. “I am not a glutton,” we say, “I am just free from the unhealthy stereotypes about people who are overweight, and besides God made me this way.” At least this is what we say to ourselves.
I think the criticism of preachers on this matter of sin is radically unfair. I am not trying to justify the hypocrisy of many. Nor am I am trying to justify the prejudice and hate of some. But preaching against sin has a purpose. When I meet with people who are suffering I often want to learn what events lead up to their suffering. What I discover is that somewhere down the line someone–not necessarily the person in front of me–has committed a sin that has resulted in this person’s pain. I look out into the world and see lots of suffering. A couple is married. Someone has an affair. Then the other finds out, resulting in a great deal of pain, feelings of betrayal, being taken advantage of, loneliness. A child is physically and emotionally abused by his parents. Obviously the child is suffering under the abuse. The child is a victim of the parents sin. A man steals from his neighbor. The neighbor now feels angry, hurt, violated, insecure. Just about every sin that I can think of results in someone getting hurt. Deep down, at the core, all suffering is a result of sin.
It is no wonder, then, that when the Bible talks about Jesus coming down from the region of Bethany Bethpage which overlooks the city of Jerusalem that on seeing it he weeps. When he sees the city he is overcome with emotion. I would argue that he wept because he was able to look down on the city and see all the suffering. He was able to see the pain of the people. He saw the sickness; he saw the hurt; he saw the poverty. The reality is that he saw the root of it all. He saw the sin. The tragedy is that He came to help, but people don’t want the help He offers. Jesus came as a solution to the problems that people were facing. He came as a solution to the problem of sin.
Jesus was telling them that if they turned to Him, turned away from sin, that there was hope. Now here is the critical part. We so often think of God as being a judging, condemning God. He hates sin. So, if I am a sinner, well he must hate me. If I step foot into a church, lightening is sure to strike.
But the truth is that Jesus looks out on us all hoping and longing that we will turn to him and turn away from our sin. Preaching against sin is not hatred towards us. Preaching against sin, is telling us how much God loves us. God is trying desperately to inform us how we can find greater joy in life. Preaching against sin is an attempt to spare us pain and suffering. Perhaps it is time for us to reflect a little more on the idea that talking about sin is a loving act. Preaching against sin is a way of showing us that there is something better for each of us.