by David Hunter.
I think we Christians get into a muddle from time to time and perhaps no more so than with the word “sin”. We seem to have lost the important distinction between “Sin” meaning wrong Being and “sin” meaning wrong Doing. Theologians as different in time and place as Oswald Chambers and Douglas John Hall raise this issue.[1] Chambers quotes 2 Cor.5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[2]
The Gospels show Jesus forgiving sins readily and without any sign of anguish, so much so that it becomes an accusation against him (Mark 2:3ff). Also, Jesus gives authority to his disciples to forgive sins and through them to his church (John 20:23). The social aspect of forgiving sins is embedded in The Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”.
But the forgiveness of Sin – wrong Being – is an altogether different matter. Here we encounter not the symptom but its cause, Sin.
The story of the Fall encapsulates Humankind’s predicament, death follows disobedience (Gen 2:16f) which at its heart is a desire to escape creaturehood and become like God, knowing everything and so exercising control over Creation.
That Jesus, who is alive and reigns with God, continues to forgive our sins, our wrong Doing, should go without saying. But to say that he died to be able to do this is simply wrong and totally misses the profound, life changing reality of Christ’s death and resurrection for both the Cosmos and Humanity, for all Creation!
The fractured relationship between Humankind, Adam and Eve, and God , which also fractured the relationship between the Cosmos and God (Romans 8:19f) is “Sin”: wrong “Being”.
In his dying and death Jesus became wrong “Being”, the gulf, the chasm, that Adam and Eve created between God and themselves which all Humankind has inherited. We all inherited the broken relationship and the death God said would follow on from that fracture of disobedience and hubris (Gen.2:16f). Death hangs over all of us like the Sword of Damocles.
Our Lord’s “Cry of Dereliction” was authentic, he died Godless and alone. (Mark 15:34). As Christ died so the chasm died, disappeared, was destroyed completely, a work that only God could do. (Romans 5:10f)
The death of the broken relationship between God and All Creation is irreversible (Romans 6:9f) and the New Covenant envisaged by Jeremiah (Jer.31:31ff) is established. Oswald Chambers can say “We are condemned to salvation through the Cross of Jesus Christ”. And St. Paul says, “For as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.” (1 Cor.15:22). “Dying you destroyed our death. Rising you restored our life” (Methodist Worship Book, p170)
In the light of this understanding of our Lord’s death what is the task of the Church? It must surely begin with the message of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18f) “The Living God has befriended you!”
And then be clear that we, all of us who would be Christians, enter into the reality of God’s friendship through believing in the Resurrection of Jesus. (John 20:27ff).
We know that the journey home to our Heavenly Father, through Christ our Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit, cannot be reduced to a plan or schema! But the Church must know to where it is leading people so as to prompt and encourage the journey when we are tempted to stay where we are through certitude, sloth, fear or anything else.
With the Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ a new Covenant and a New Age has begun, sealed by belief (John 6:29) and blessed by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8). The New Age and the Old Age exist together until the Parousia,[3] the second Advent of Jesus, the end of history and the fulfilment of all God’s promises (Mark 13:32).
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev.21:1), and we journey to it together with God: “Jesus answered him, Those who love me will keep my word and my Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them”. (John 14:23)
[1] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for his Highest. Marshall, Morgan & Scott, London: reprint 1975; Douglas John Hall, The Cross in our Context. Fortress Press, Minneapolis: 2003, p104.
[2] Chambers, My Utmost for his Highest, October 7th.
[3] James D G Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle. T & T Clark Ltd, Edinburgh: 1998, p464-5.
Theology Everywhere 