Sin

Martin Luther defined sin as the turning inward on oneself. I think that’s a pretty good definition. When we turn in on ourselves, we turn away from God and from everyone else. By Luther’s definition, sin is narcissistic in nature, which is pretty fitting actually.

When we talk about sin, we often think of it in terms of individual actions. And those can definitely be sins. We sin when we do certain things to other people. But I wonder if we get the full extent of sin when we limit sin to just some things that we do to other people.

When sin is limited to some actions that we do that we shouldn’t, doesn’t that marginalize sin?

As Christians, we claim that sin is more pervasive and dangerous than that — Sin is something we are in bondage to. But if sin is only based on what we are doing, are we really in bondage to it?

But what if sin were bigger than that? What if sin was also the things we didn’t do? What if sin went beyond human relationships? What if sin went beyond our own individual actions? Well, it does.

In the Lutheran tradition, we say a Confession at the beginning of worship. It goes like this:

“Most merciful God, We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us…