Thank You, My Dear Watson

To round up our discussion of sin, I would like to bring in a long-silenced voice from across the Pond. Thomas Watson (born 1620) was a Puritan who studied at Cambridge and went on to pastor St. Stephen's in Walbrook, London from 1646 until 1662 when he was ousted due to the Act of Uniformity. Undeterred, he went on to preach privately and then publicly until 1680, when he retired on account of poor health. Husband to Abigail, father of at least seven (four of whom died young), Watson died in 1686 while he was praying.

He wrote a number of books, one of which is "A Body of Divinity." In this book Watson gives a chilling description of sin:

"It is a defiling thing. Sin is not only a defection, but a pollution. It is to the soul as rust is to gold, as a stain to beauty. It makes the soul red with guilt, and black with filth" (pg. 133).

He goes on to expose the heart of sin: "Sin strikes at the very Deity.... Sin is God's would-be murderer. Sin would not only unthrone God, but un-God him. If the sinner could help it, God would no longer be God" (pp. 133-4).

Sin is horrendous. What unspeakable mercy that God would condemn this murderous pollution in the flesh of his Son for all who will trust him (Romans 8:3-4).

Sin Requires Relationship

Being as Monday and Tuesday's posts were on the subject of sin, I figured it would be good to maintain that theme for the time being. Not for the sake of being dour, but for the sake of loving the gospel more. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).

A couple days ago I found this post on Doug Wilson's blog. Wilson is the pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and the author of a number of books, including "The Case for Classical Christian Education" and "Reforming Marriage."

Wilson's post is titled "In Relationship." His main argument? "All sin, every sin, is always a sin in relationship to others."

Listen to him explain what he means:

"If you could be alone, truly alone, you could not sin. Moreover, you could not be you if you were genuinely, completely alone. In the world God made, relationship with others is as necessary as contending with height, breadth and depth. Even if you were to go off into the mountains to live alone, every moment of every day, you will still be living in relationship with the triune God in whom we all live, move and have our being."

I would highly encourage you to read the whole thing. It's a quick read, and I found it to be fascinating.

Sin as Stealing? Part Two

Here are three observations I have in thinking about Baba's definition of sin from yesterday ("There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft"):

1. Baba's definition works....for a while.

Baba's definition of sin is not logically inconsistent. At least not on the surface. It actually makes a good deal of sense. If a man kills, he steals a wife's right to a husband. If a woman lies, she steals another person's right to the truth. Fair enough. But all this talk about rights raises the question, What happens when perceived rights conflict? A thief may believe it is his right to do what he pleases. What then? Does Baba's explanation leave room for the possibility that I may not be an impartial judge when it comes to determining what I'm entitled to?

2. Baba leaves God out of the picture.

Amir's father is not a believer. Therefore, it is fitting that his understanding of sin does not include God. Fitting, but tragic. The question of sin becomes clear when we understand that God created us. We owe our existence to him. It would follow, then, that God's rights ought to determine our notions of morality. This is the testimony of the Bible: "Has the potter no right over the clay....?" (Romans 9:21). "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). The fact that we are deeply resistant to this possibility may indicate more about our hearts than it does about reality.

3. Sin is stealing......from God.

What is God entitled to? What is the Right that trumps all our creaturely notions? In a word, it is glory. God, as our Creator, is entitled to all honor and praise. He says, "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols" (Isaiah 42:8). When I do anything that attempts to exalt myself as supreme, I steal glory from God. This is the heart of all sin.

Murder is sin, not ultimately because it steals a wife's right to a husband, but because it steals God's right to determine the length of a man's days. Lying is sin, not mainly because it steals another person's right to the truth, but because it exalts me as supreme over another person's mind. Cheating is sin, not finally because it steals a man's right to fairness, but because it places my desires on the throne of the universe.

The reason Baba's definition won't work isn't because it's implausible. It won't work because it's idolatrous. It never leaves the swamp of man-centered reasoning. In fact, rather than defining sin, Baba's definition compounds it by insisting that the creature's rights are divine. If only his idea was as fictional as his character......

Sin as Stealing?

I said I would post some thoughts about issues raised in "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. Here is one hot off the Bunsen burner.

It has to do topic of sin. Amir, the main character, tells his father (Baba) what he has been learning in school from the mullah (an instructor). Amir's report concerns the mullah's statement that Islam considers drinking a horrible sin. Baba, who likes to drink, sits Amir on his lap and begins to explain to him what he thinks about sin. Here is what Baba says:

"Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that?"

Amir is clueless, so Baba attempts another go at it:

"'When you kill a man, you steal a life,' Baba said. 'You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?'"

The lights go on for Amir. He gets it.

I'll let you chew on Baba's definition of sin for a bit. More to come tomorrow.....