Why do we sin?

“A child psychologist was looking over some reports while his little daughter and their neighbor’s children played outside his window. He glanced up just in time to see his daughter give one little boy, a violent shove that sent him to the ground. Before the psychologist could scold her, his daughter called up to him innocently, ‘Tell me, Daddy, why did I do that?’”

Why, indeed?  Why do we sin?  Why do we do things that in retrospect we know were wrong? 

At times we can feel sin does not apply to us.  And another times we know our sin only all too well and wonder how we can even be loved at all.  Scripture tells us we are a little less than God and we are dust, like grass that is here today and gone tomorrow.

Our struggle is to be authentically human, which is a precarious venture.  We want to be real, we want to be faithful, we want to do the right things - but sin creeps in and frailty is frustrating.

“Sin is the heart curved in on its self, contracted…
we become gods to ourselves, impotent to rise 
above our own myopic vision.”   - Anonymous.

Sin can be trying to act like God - and sin can be shrinking away from what God would have us do.

The season of Lent will be here in a few weeks and it is a time for penitence, introspection and serious reflection.  This article serves as a teaser for an upcoming Lenten adult education opportunity.  For four consecutive weeks we will explore sin, forgiveness, grace and gratitude.

When we consider God's perspective in all of life, we recognize that it is both risky and powerful.  Risky because we can never know the mind and heart of God completely.  And powerful because without the grace and forgiveness of God, we are lost.

“The church has the only cure for the ills of our world. 
It alone deals with the disease, sin, rather than with 
the symptoms.”   - Anonymous.

Have you ever noticed how anonymous sin can be and yet, so personal?  When we explore sin in our first class, we won’t be looking at ways to do it, rather, we will be exploring ways to deal with it and how God deals with it.  Watch for details in the coming Waves and join Michael Moorhead and me as we look for meaning and depth in our faith as we pursue the Lenten journey.
In Christ,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This piece originally appeared in The Wave on February 1, 2023.