Christianity and Sin - Case Study Example

Christianity and Sin – An Overview Introduction The concept of sin holds a very relevant position in all the major religions of the World, with each of them having their own philosophies and interpretations on this concept. But almost all the religions have more or less the same primary definition of sin, which is considered as a deviation from the moral path that has been laid down by divine injunction. Diverse belief systems have their own practices and explanations on aspects such as various forms of sin, purification from sins, amongst many others. But in this essay, focus will be solely on the concept of sin from the perspective of Christianity, which is the religion having the largest number of followers across the globe. Origin of Sin in Christianity “As per Christianity, Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, respectively, who were created by God. God specifically instructed Adam to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit. Despite that divine order, Adam chose to have his own way and ate the fruit, before making Eve do the same, and thus paving the way for the origin of sin in the World. There are various interpretations about the reasons for Adam defying the order of God, and the same cannot be dwelled upon in this essay, owing to paucity of space. But there is one point on which the various schools of Christianity agree upon, in this context – immediately after the aforesaid forbidden act, the souls of Adam and Eve got disconnected from God, before both of them met with the physical death. Owing to this misdeed of the first man and woman, each and every person of the subsequent time started to be a sinner right from the time of their birth.”1 Redemption from Sin for Mankind It was highly unfortunate for the World that just because of the misdeed of two people; the entire mankind got condemned to be sinners. There had to be some form of redemption for humanity. Finally, God decided that there can be only one way in which mankind can be saved from these flames of sin – The blood of someone who is totally flawless and perfect has to be shed, and in his suffering people will be purified and they would be redeemed from sin! At this juncture, the question that arises is “Who can be so flawless and perfect? It is next to impossible to find a person who is totally free from sin.” But this question is not without an answer, with the answer being that there can be only one who successfully meets the criteria of perfection – God himself! Jesus Christ As matters stood as discussed in the preceding paragraph, God decided that the one who would be making the supreme sacrifice of atoning for the sin of mankind is none other than his only son, who was born on this Earth as Jesus Christ. He was born to a virgin mother who earlier became the wife of a carpenter following the command of God. Jesus lived a very simple life spreading the message of love and compassion amongst the masses and eventually went on to fulfill the primary mission of his life by dying a very painful death on the cross, preceded by over twelve hours of severe physical torture. In this manner, a man who was free from all flaws suffered for the sin of mankind. Subsequently, there is just one way for people to be redeemed from their sins – acceptance of both the sacrifice of Christ and also his position as the savior, with a firm commitment to refrain from all forms of sin that have been enumerated in the Ten Commandments. “Even Biblical prophecies related to an era that was hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus, spoke about his birth and death, along with elaborating on the main purpose of his advent. The Bible is having an irrefutable record of Jesus speaking about himself as the resurrection and life. He also goes on to add that a person who accepts him as the savior would be gifted with eternal life. Jesus Christ is the answer for all people who are seeking the forgiveness of all their sins.”2 Sin and Grace – A Modernistic Perspective “In the book titled “SIN AND GRACE in Christian Counseling”, the author, Mark R. McMinn, seeks to provide the readers with a proper understanding of the aspects of Sin and Grace, which have become stereotypical along with the passage of time. The author precisely elaborates about the manner in which the various behavioral sciences can be utilized for providing an apt counseling, from the perspective of Christianity. This book holds high relevance as it provides vital inputs to therapists, psychologists, students and pastors, to cite a few. Mark R. McMinn is a highly reputed teacher, along with being a very successful practitioner of psychotherapy. This book of his aims to address an aspect that is highly relevant from the perspective of Christianity.”3 The points discussed in the above paragraph subtly, and yet vividly, focus on a highly noteworthy aspect of the modern–day World, from the viewpoint of a Christian. People are indeed being drawn towards Christianity and are highly keen on understanding the religion’s aspects of sin, grace and forgiveness, amongst others. There is another equally relevant issue on which this book strives to focus – people are keen on the way the present day knowledge, which is inclusive of various sciences, can be used by Christians in enhancing their position as staunch adherents of the Faith (Christianity). At this juncture, it would not be out of place to be having a look at another book on the subject of “Sin and Christianity”. “The book in question is titled “Overcoming Sin and Temptation” written by John Owen, who is a renowned theologian. The book consists of well over 450 pages, and it in fact includes a total of three books. The first one of those talks about the manner in which mortification of sin can be brought about. The second book dwells on the dangers that are posed by temptation, along with suggesting the ways in which people can guard themselves against the various immoral allurements. The last one, dealing with perhaps the most important of the relevant issues, elaborates on the sin that is inherent in human beings, and also suggests the mode in which this indwelling enemy can be vanquished.”4 It would not be an exaggeration in stating that, though this book tests the intellect of the readers, yet, its thorough study will ensure that they (readers) end up as more enlightened and responsible individuals. In light of that, this book is strongly recommended for all the Christian Spiritual Seekers. To put the matter in a nutshell, all the vital philosophical and ethical issues of Christianity are covered in the book. Various Schools of Thought “As discussed earlier in this essay, owing to the misdeed of Adam and Eve, man has been condemned to be born as a sinner. Over the course of time, a fair bit of controversy started to surround this very Christian Belief. In the history, there were numerous great personalities who chose not to accept the concept of man being born as a sinner, just as there were many others who adhered to this aspect of Christian Faith. As a matter of fact, even to this day theological debates are going on about this angle of sin.”5 Some belief systems strongly opine that man can never be a sinner at the time of birth, and that sin results from act that is intentionally committed by an individual. They also argue that it is illogical to be condemning the entire human race just owing to a misdeed of two people. Others (belief systems) strongly go with the original version emphasizing on the role of Adam and Eve in the origin of sin. Despite all these debates and controversies on the question “Whether man is born as a sinner?", all Christian Schools of Thought are more or less unanimous in adhering to the most primary tenet of Christianity – Jesus Christ suffered a violent death on the cross to atone for the sins of mankind, and that only through belief in him will the World be redeemed. In this context, it would not be out of place to make a note of the point that Christianity offers lot of hope for repentant sinners who are seeking to reform themselves. More on Christianity & Sin In light of the subject that is being discussed, the question that is often posed by many people strives to seek more clarity on negative and immoral thoughts. To elaborate further and put it more clearly, people want to know whether or not the aforesaid negative thoughts by themselves lead to sin. “In this regard, many renowned personalities inclusive of theologians and pastors, among others, are doing their utmost to dispel the prevalent confusion. They all maintain that the mere presence of immoral thoughts such as fantasies and jealousies do not amount to sin. A sin results only when individuals start acting upon all these thoughts. In this regard, the individuals can also find advice on the way to be followed, for eliminating all immoral stuff present in the mind.”6 The points discussed in the previous paragraph go a long way in projecting Christianity as a liberal religion that does not restrict itself just to laying down rigid rules, but also strives to help individuals in overcoming their flaws. It is rather difficult to totally eliminate unethical thoughts and Christianity is well aware of this fact. Hence, it has not made the mere presence of thoughts as being tantamount to sin. Simultaneously, the religion also provides flexible guidelines that help people in totally discarding all those tendencies (of immoral thoughts). Jesus Forgiving a Woman Guilty of Adultery It would be highly apt to examine an incident in the life of Jesus, where he pardons a woman who was guilty of Adultery. “The religious leaders brought a woman who was guilty of adultery, in the presence of Jesus, and demanded that she needs to be stoned to death as per the Law of Moses. In reply, Jesus states that only a person who has never ever committed any sin has got the right to take the first stone. The leaders had no reply to that and they all left the place, leaving the woman unharmed. Jesus then tells the woman that her sins have been forgiven, and that she should thereafter be away from sin.”7 This particular incident speaks volumes about the limitless compassion and love that Jesus has for people who surrender to him. As a matter of fact, he even prayed to God, his father, to forgive all those who were subjecting him to intense physical torture. And he did that even while being in the midst of severe pain, which was beyond human endurance. This just goes on to show the boundless love that Jesus displays towards mankind. Personal Experience In view of the subject discussed in this essay, it would be worthwhile to be narrating my very own personal experience that brought me closer to God. Right from the time I was old enough to have my own opinions, I stopped going to the church much to the displeasure of my family and friends. I strongly opined that intellectual growth is what that assures success in this World, and at that time I also had the audacity to blatantly state that there is no such thing as being spiritually uplifted. In fact, there was even a phase where I showed an inclination towards atheism and agnosticism, and started questioning the very existence of God. During all this time, I was attaining a decent level of success in all my academic pursuits and thereby assuring a comfortable life for myself. But slowly, things started to change and for some inexplicable reason, I was feeling that something was badly lacking in my life, despite all the material success. And gradually a feeling commenced in me that probably religion and church, which have been long ago discarded by me could provide the answer for the thing I felt was missing from life. At that point of time, I decided to return to the very place that I considered as unnecessary, just a few years ago. Spiritual Pilgrimage The things discussed in the preceding section can more or less be considered as my first steps on a spiritual pilgrimage, where I eventually re-discovered myself. On one day, I attended the church, and it was after many years that I entered into the holy premises. I was surprised, to say the least, that on that day I was engulfed by a feeling of intense joy that was never ever experienced by me. It was as if I was re-born as a new individual, who was thirsting for divine grace. After that enlightening spiritual experience, I never looked back and my life got converted into an incessant spiritual pilgrimage. I started studying Christianity in depth, and the manner in which God himself suffered for my sins really moved me beyond words. I developed a firm conviction that it is only by steadfastly persisting with the above pilgrimage that I can be totally purified, and I decided to make my very existence as an offering to our Lord Jesus. Here, it needs to be noted that this spiritual awakening also helped me a lot in meeting unpleasant situations during my academic and worldly pursuits, and coming out of the same with renewed spiritual strength. And I thank Jesus for always being by my side, and also for the supreme sacrifice that he made for all of us. PS – Sources 1 and 7 are internet sources, with source 2 being an extract from Online Bible. Sources 3, 4, 5 and 6 are based on various book sources, taken from the internet. Read More