One Scream A Day Keeps Hell Away. Not!

The Christian faith has always been a matter of the heart. Our faith is not determined by the approval of any person—priest, pastor, or parents—or institution. However, our faith is interwoven into a web of social relationship we call the church family. And, although, our decisions, in regards to our relationship with Jesus, are generally of individual concern it is never of individual consequence.

            This rising generation has understood a great truth that many believers have missed out on previously, namely identity in Christ. What a joy to stand with confidence[1] before God knowing that one is fully accepted[2] as a son or daughter of God;[3] requirement has fully been paid by Christ,[4] and it is “no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”[5] No longer do we stand under condemnation,[6] but we are fully and completely "saints/holy ones",[7] "elect",[8] "beloved",[9] and "children of God".[10] However, over the years I have seen an abuse of this truth. Although, many understand the reality of their being in relation to Christ they continue to live a sinful existence. Sin often becomes secondary to identity. Those old judgmental—doom and gloom—church-time anthems this generation fought to exchange for the goodness of God has left holiness on the side of the road. However, I see no biblical precedent in separating adoption or identity from holy living. For example, the Apostle Paul can, within the same breath, speak of salvation by grace alone,[11] and its immediate result of good works and holiness.[12]  We must begin to ask, how our identity in Christ regulates our lifestyle in the world? Our failure to live holy often originates from hearts that do not understand the detriment of sin or its personal power.

            Jesus, in Mk 8:42-48, speaks about sin in a fairly grotesque manner. He advises those who might make another Christian “stumble”[13] to put a millstone around their neck and jump into a lake. A body with a millstone tied around the neck can neither be rescued nor their body plucked from the lake for burial purposes. Jesus’ point is maintained; it is as if this person never lived, and no trace of their existence remains. Jesus continues, and indicates that not only is sin against another detrimental, but also sin against oneself. He employs another extreme metaphorical tactic in explicating the grievousness of sin. This time he indicates in a three-fold (hand, foot, eye) manner that if any part of the body causes one to sin they should hack-off or gauge out that body part. Jesus’ point is clear enough; if we do not cut off the limb from the spreading sin, it will overcome us. Jesus is concerned that wrong action, when it has overcome a person, will lead them to “hell” (Mk 9:43, 45, 57). Sin, in this verse has the ability to start small, only affecting ones arm, leg, or eye; and the failure to “cut-off” that which is causing wrong action has eternal consequences. Notice that hand and foot explicate sin of physical action whereas the eye speaks of the mind. In effect, what we do with our physical and mental actions, right now, matters. But, why does it matter?

            In the beginning, God creates, and “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”[14] God is to be glorified in and by the goodness of his creation. Sin is the undoing of God’s goodness that he implemented at creation; it wages war against everything God loves and initiated in the beginning. God’s purpose for humanity is affronted in the presence of sin. Sin distorts the best of life, which God had always intended for humanity. One cannot be in the presence of sin and live the most genuine human existence—it corrupts God’s image in each of his creations. The Bible uses numerous images to speak of sin (I will only list a few):

·      Missing the mark (Jas 4:17; Rom 3:23)

·      Going astray (Isa 53:6)

·      Rebellion (1 Sam 15:23)

·      Idolatry (Col 3:5-6)

·      Lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4)

·      Death (Rom 5:12; 6:23; Eph 2:1; Jas 1:15)

·      Defiling (Mt 15:17-20)

·      Enslaving (Jn 8:34)

·      Blindness (Jn 12:39-40)

·      Hard-Heartedness (Isa 6:10)

·      Stiff-Necked (Ex. 33:5)

·      Injustice (Mic 2:1-3)

·      Fear (Rom 8:15; 2 Tim 1:7)

            In any case, it is certain that sin is a serious and treasonous act against the God who calls his people to holiness,[15] but I wonder how many people, realistically, who claim to serve and love Jesus wholeheartedly—but are caught up in a sinful lifestyle—genuinely desire their lifestyle? My experience is that people and sin do not mix well. I have failed to meet anyone who steps through the church doors and desires to be a terrible person—hurting others and themselves with sin. Most people—even non-Christians—often recognize their sinfulness (although they may call it something else) and the negative effects it has on their lives. Why do we, or other Christians, continue to make the same mistakes even though we desire so badly to live correctly?  

            Sin is strong, but God is stronger.[16] The Christian is not only battling spiritual warfare,[17] but also genetic dispositions and brain structures that have been formulated through a number of experiences over several years. Science reveals that the brain is malleable—both the anatomical structures and physiological functions—and is shaped through learning and experience from birth to death.[18] Through these experiences the brain creates new pathways, often to accommodate less processing time for regular motions. For example, when driving a car, less process time is needed when driving on a familiar road. Sometimes, I can drive from one place to another and have no memory of the details of that trip—my mind can be elsewhere, but I drive safely to my destination. My brain has created a pathway making it easier for this monotonous task to be done without much brainpower. For others, like porn-addicts, their nervous system has been flooded with happy chemicals that tell them their experience is pleasurable—therefore those sensors run rampant desiring that “high” once more. The new pathways provide the easier way for the next encounter—this cycle continues until the pathway is deep-rooted and difficult to change. As humans, we formulate pathways much like this in regards to sin. Some of these pathways were formulated over five, ten, fifteen, or maybe twenty years. Therefore, it is often disheartening when a pastor stands before his or her congregation and directs them to “stop sinning!” as if the complexity of the mind is solved in his or her two-word riddle. This person is asking that years of trauma, patterns (neural pathways), and hurts be recreated immediately (this is the hope through the power of Jesus and his authority, but most often not the case). This is not how physicians treat traumatized people. For example, alcoholics are not treated in this fashion, but rather they are given help through a twelve-step program or the likes. Physicians and counselors know it is insane to think anyone could unravel years of pain or genetic dispositions towards alcohol in just one moment. So why don’t churches deal with sin in the same manner?  

            Undoing and changing is not a task to be done over night. Instead, this is a process that could take several years—decisively making good choices to reshape and pattern your pathways in a new way. In fact, this is Paul’s encouragement to the church at Rome, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”[19] Proverbs 9 interestingly speaks of both wisdom (Prv 9:1-6) and folly (Prv 9:12-18) as an invitation to a feast. Wisdom “builds her house” and folly sits at her brothel hoping to entice a passerby. Wisdom offers “meat” and “wine” (true nourishment) whereas folly can only offer “stolen bread” and “water.” Wisdom leads to life and folly to death. Wisdom and folly both send invitations to their feasts, and it is the choice of the individual to accept one or the other. Daily we make choices that shape and provide patterns for how we think, believe, feel, and act in the world. What we do really matters, but the old-fashioned, “turn or burn” just isn’t cutting it. Discipleship that aids developing new learned experiences, and overcoming daily challenges, are needed more than ever. Fathers and mothers[20] are needed, not just more sermons. If we are to take sin seriously we must be invested in those who need freedom. Just as sin is not an individual endeavor so to holiness requires the help of the whole community. We must maintain the serious call to abandon sin and to live holy by understanding the inner workings of sin and the human being. There can be no room for frustration by the church in the process of redemption and holiness. Lastly, the hope is that the church would be a beautiful bride for her groom, but to achieve this goal we must take sin seriously and learn to defeat it practically.

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            [1] 1 Jn 3:21.

            [2] Rom 5:1; 8:38-39; Eph 3:17-19; Col 1:20; Heb 10:18; 1 Jn 2:5.

            [3] Rom 8:14; Gal 4:1-6; Eph 1:5-6.

            [4] 2 Cor 5:21.

            [5] Gal 2:20.

            [6] Rom 8:1.

            [7] Acts 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10; Rom 1:7; 8:27; 12:13; 15:25; 16:2; 1 Cor 1:2; 6:1-2; 16:15; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; 2:19; 4:12; 6:18; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2; Heb 13:24; Rev 5:9; 14:2

            [8] Col 3:1; 2 Tim 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet 1;1; 2:9; Rev 17:14.

            [9] Rom 1:7; 12:19; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 5:1; 1 Tim 6:2; 1 Pet 2:11; 4:12; 1 Jn 2:7; 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11; 3 Jn 1:2; Jude 3.

            [10] Mt 5:9; Jn 1:12; Rom 8:14, 16, 19, 21; 9:8; Gal 3:26; Phil 2:15; 1 Jn 3:1, 10; 5:2.

            [11] Eph 2:8-9.

            [12] Eph 2:10.

            [13] BDAG 926. Gk- “bring to a downfall.”

            [14] Gen1:31.

            [15] 1 Pt 2:9.

            [16] Lk 10:19.

            [17] Eph 6:12; 2 Cor 10:3-5; 1 Pt 5:8.

            [18] Buonomano, Dean V. and Michael M. Merzenich. "Cortical Plasticity: From Synapse to Maps." Annual Review of Neuroscience 21 (1998): 149-86.

            [19] Rom 12:2, emphasis mine.

            [20] 1 Cor 4:15.