Oh sickness that has infected humanity

I've been thinking a lot about sin.  I think about how it has ravaged humanity since just after the beginning of the story.

This is my first reflection on sin and so I will focus on the way that the church (as I know it) misses the mark and miscommunicates about this deadly disease.

Sin Management...

that's what I call the average sermon.  Most teaching in the church focuses on the importance of managing your sin.  "You need to flee temptation.  Don't give in to the enemy.  See what a wretched sinner you.  You desire Hell, everything else is pure grace."  These statements put all the focus and responsibility of perfection onto the individual.

You may be thinking, "but all the focus and responsibility should be on the individual.  We are all responsible for the sins we commit."

Yes, we are responsible, but anyone who believes they can control sin is missing the entire point.  Jesus came and died for us partly because we cannot manage sin on our own.  He saw the insidious sickness that has devastated humanity and knew that we could not cure ourselves.

In many churches sin is the focus.  Places like this become very dangerous and unsafe for sinners.  PEople must put on aires and act really well because the fear of discover - that others will realize the depth of sin in me - is overwhelming.

As I read the Bible and the gospel, sin is an integral part of the story, but not the focus.  Christ is the focus.  This story of God and humanity is a love story - the story of Love and how he destroys the sickness that has ravaged his bride to be.  It is the story of God's overcoming rather than my overcoming.

God can overcome sin in me.  He has the cure, but if I am foolish enough to believe that I can do it then I am going to fail.

I am a sinner.  I am infected.  I am trying to make good choices and live a good life.  I am interested in righteousness, but apart from Christ I can do nothing.