What is sin?

I will be moving up to the next stage in the ordination process of our denomination  next week. And in order to do so, I have really been reading and learning a lot about John Wesley . I even wrote a paper on what he has in common with this new way of thinking and being church that so many of us are apart of.

But one of the beliefs that he held that really stood out to me was his concept of sin. Too many evangelicals in the West only think of sin(s) in terms of individual action(s). But is this truly what we find when turning the pages of the scriptures? 

For example, when does adultery start?  Which sin is worse: doing a sexual sin or speaking out against it without love?  What about generational sin, systemic sin, sins of comission vs. sins of omission?  Maybe we need to rethink and redefine sin for this generation.

While attending a conference this week on holiness in the 21st century (Chris blogged about it here: ),
this very subject came up during small group discussion at our table. I don't think people in the world in which we live have no concept of sin, they just see it differently than most in the church. What do you think?

Comments

[Heather W.]

I think it is being too simplistic to say that any act done without love is sin. People have sex and in a very loving way but can still be acting (making love) in sin. And, people often judge with love as their guiding compass, but still act accordingly in sin. The KKK, on this point, could argue that they love and want to protect their family and other interests and in their judgment they take sinful action against their neighbor. Sin often has root in some act of love. The issue is that person loves the wrong thing. The crest of holiness is a person's love for God. If you love God, you want to honor God in your actions. To honor God you must first know what He loves and what actions please Him. Sin is doing anything (littl or big, trivial or consequential) that isn't pleasing, loving, or honorable to God.

[Steve F.]

" Which sin is worse: doing a sexual sin or speaking out against it without love?"

Maybe I'm just being simplistic, but anything which has as its foundation the absence of love is sin. Sex without love is just masturbating into another's body. Judgement untempered by love is hurtful and uninstructive - and frequently driven by pride (and ignorance of one's own sinful condition).

I've found that Wesley informs a lot of my my theology. Of course, having Tex Sample and Eugene Lowry for professors at St. Paul in KC probably helped that...

Good stuff.