Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18; Romans 3:21-25; Matthew 5:38-48; Psalm 103
February 23, 2020
Lloyd Penner
Sin and the Image of God
We are about to enter the season of Lent – a time when we reflect on the state of our inner spiritual life as we prepare for holy week and Easter. One commentator calls Lent “spring cleaning time”. Another commentator calls Lent a time for the “greening of the soul.” What are the things in our lives that need “spring cleaning”? My topic is sin. It’s unfashionable to talk about sin. It makes us feel bad and that is frowned upon these days because as certain experts tell us –it’s bad psychology to focus on the negative. The word “sin” may bring up bad church memories –times when a minister hammered away on the topic of sin Sunday after Sunday creating a lot of guilt. But maybe the topic of sin is unpopular because Christians in general just don’t take it very seriously anymore. Why make a big deal about sin? And yet each Sunday we have confession when we are encouraged to acknowledge that we have sinned and then receive Absolution. For 2000 years, confession in one form or another has been a very important aspect of Christian worship.
Sin is a big deal because it undermines our spiritual lives and our sins (by word or action) often hurt others. In my preparations for this homily I came across many definitions of sin and many examples of sins. Famously, there are the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger and sloth (often expressed as laziness’ especially about doing what’s most important). Some mention an eight sin-despair. In Romans Chapter 1, Paul adds other sins to the list: gossip, slander, arrogance, disobedience to parents, infidelity and lacking in love, mercy and gratitude. Many Scriptures interpret sin as an act of rebellion against God, something that many theologians such as Augustine, Calvin and others trace back to the story of Adam and Eve. This doctrine of original sin says that we have inherited a tendency to sin. About 50 years ago at the University of Manitoba in a history seminar class we were discussing the origins of evil. Our Professor said that while he was not a Christian, he thought the doctrine of original sin made sense as an explanation for why people do so many evil things. However, the book of Genesis is clear that original goodness preceded original sin which means I believe that goodness is our most fundamental nature but there is no doubt that evil is real.
The New Testament was written in Greek. One of the definitions of the Greek word for sin as used in the News Testament is “missing the mark.” Think of someone using a bow to shoot an arrow at a target but missing. Its sin that causes us to miss the mark. But what is this mark that we miss because of our sins. Our Seed Group has been studying the Book of Romans. Paul, I believe, provides us with an answer in Romans 3: 23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But what is the glory of God? Many commentators say it means the magnificence of God – the essence of God and it appears throughout the Scriptures when the authors want to describe who God is. So, Paul is saying that sin keeps us from experiencing the fullness of God.
However, I had a hunch (an intuition) that there was more to the “glory of God” than this. I kept digging until I found a commentary who agreed with me. We are created in the image of God and therefore share in God’s glory. Sin is anything that diminishes the image of God (the glory of God) in us and in others. There are social sins against marginalized people and environmental sins against God’s creation but that is not the focus of this homily. Sin is a major issue because it undermines our essence - our fundamental identity and blurs the image of God in us. No person I believe loses the image of God completely even the worst of sinners such as the Hitlers and Stalins who commit unspeakable acts of evil. If this definition of sin has merit it also means that every time we sin against others by our words, actions or inaction we diminish the image of God in other people. This adds a new dimension to our understanding of sin in my view. I am not just speaking about the obvious sins that I listed earlier. Starting about 2 months ago I began a sober examination of my life by ask myself a few questions. “What the ways I diminish the image of God in others? What are the ways I diminish the image of God in myself?” For example, I have a habit of getting really down on myself when I make a mistake.
Barbara Taylor in her great little book Speaking of Sin calls this the “sin of self-negation. I am hurting my soul (my essence) and thereby damaging the image of God in me. Taylor also says that sin weakens our connection with God. It’s not that God stops loving us but sins put up barriers to experiencing that love in all its fullness. She says sin inhibits the soul’s ability to breathe. Sin often has long-term consequences. Barbara Taylor refers to a conversation she had with a Hindu friend about the Hindu concept of karma. Even if our sins are forgiven, they have consequences. According to Paul the consequences of a life of sin is spiritual death. (Romans 6:23). I have been contemplating these matters since Christmas. I feel a new aliveness in my being as I try to apply these ideas on a moment by moment basis throughout the day identifying specific thoughts and actions whereby, I am undermining the glory of God in me and others. It is both sobering and exciting. Lent offers us an opportunity for self examination. Next Sunday I will focus on forgiveness, repentance and restoration of the image and glory of God.