Sin is In

We live down the street from a small church that felt a need to spend their money to put up a sign so they could post cute sayings on it each week.  (I bet a church could buy a book of cute sayings to put on their church signs)  A recent cute saying on their sign was "Sin is Sin."  Each time Jack and I drove past the sign, we were determined to dress up in black and, at midnight, go take off the second S.

At the NCCZ a couple of weeks ago, we were discussing some problems a person we were helping was having. At one point in the discussion, G. said, “You know, it’s a sin issue.”


I had an aversive reaction to the statement initially. I wanted to disagree with the statement, that way I could avoid having to use that language. I did some research on the definition of sin so that I could formulate my argument against it. I went right to the source of true definitions, dictionary.com:

Sin
–noun
1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam.
2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.


–verb (used without object)
4. to commit a sinful act.
5. to offend against a principle, standard, etc.

I actually like #2 and #5, the idea of a violation of some principle. Darn it, this wasn’t helping my case. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked those definitions of sin.

Lots of principles, if violated, will create problems for us. If you violate the physical principle of your body needing sufficient sleep, your life will not go as well as it could if you followed the principle. There are many physical, psychological, and social principles that, if followed, will result in a better life. Similarly, there are moral principles that, if followed, will result in a better life. With this definition, I found myself agreeing with G, it was a sin issue; however, I still do not like to phrase it that way.

If you want to kill a helping relationship, tell the person you are helping that they have a sin issue. Try it this week. When you notice someone who is suffering in some way because they violated some principle, go up to them and tell them that they are sinning, and then see how it goes.

I was in a therapy session last week with a teen who was complaining about some physical and psychological symptoms. He had been reading up on a disorder that he thought he had. After asking him some questions about his life, it became apparent that he was not getting enough sleep. He was getting less than 6 hours a night because he was doing the teen thing. Of course, he was yawning as we were talking. Principle: teens need more sleep than adults, as much as 9 hours.

He had a sin issue. I could have told him that he was sinning and needed to repent, which by the above definition would have been true. God designed us to need at least 8 hours sleep. Life is better when you follow the design. But, of course, I did not state it this way to him. I told him that at least part of his problem was that he was not getting enough sleep. We talked about how much sleep people need and the effects of sleep deprivation.

He reflectively stated, “Could it be that simple?”

I said, “Yes, it may not solve all your problems, but it is a good place to start. Do an experiment; try getting at least 8 to 9 hours sleep and see how you feel.”

K. accuses me of making up words or phrases to replace church words. I do that because of the baggage that has become associated with church words. When people hear you talk about their sin, the word that is conditioned to come up in their minds is moralize.

mor•al•ize: to reflect on or express opinions about something in terms of right and wrong, especially in a self-righteous or tiresome way.

Or maybe they have thoughts of judgment, condemnation, and angry god, or some sour prude with a bible in one hand and hatchet in the other.

Who wants any of those associations?

Rather than kill the relationship with sin talk, maybe we should help them see the principle they are violating, or, preferably, help them see how following the principle would lead to a better way of living.