Sin: Modern Proverbs

Sin is looking for the right thing in the wrong place.
- St. Augustine

Sin
Modern Proverbs

Sadly sin's a bumper crop for mankind. Likely numbering in the quintillions, seen from God's perspective sinful thoughts and attitudes, words and deeds abound to the point of literally defining humanity. Like thistles rampant among wheat, it's weeds are as resilient and quick to spread as they are painful and dangerous. Though evil can be loud and boisterous, it's in sin's subtlety that it flourishes with overwhelming success.

No one's born hoping to grow up, be imprisoned and/or die an alcoholic or drug addict. Yet by the minutia of our own many and varied choices interacting and exacerbated by those of others, billions find themselves in a downward spiral that if not reversed the Bible warns will end in the depths of hell.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

- Colossians 3:5-6 NIV

Sin
Modern Proverbs
by Robert R. Pennington

James warns Christians that the tongue is set on fire by Hell itself. Jesus explains from where that fire is stoked, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

All sin is a variant of lusting eyes, flesh or ego, which in opposition to love is never satisfied. As with dark and light, one is always present.

Regarding original Sin, a vital aspect of How is What. Consider the following:
• How did perfect holiness produce chaos?
• How did ultimate wisdom produce insanity?
• How did imminent light produce aggressive darkness?
• How did Heaven's unity produce Hell's isolation?

Though a difficult study, investigating "the fall" might ascertain from and to where we have fallen.

The word "sin" in many Bible passages is an archery term literally translated meaning "to miss the mark" as in an arrow falling short, being overshot or veering to the left or right. Such being the case, could well meaning prayer be "sin?” Given our current state of apathy to apostasy, could the majority of Western Christianity's prayers be sin-full?

Sin is the alchemy of attempting to turn fantasy into reality. Though gold will be New Jerusalem's asphalt and “at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” who can wait? Promised, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" we still falter before the triune lust of flesh, eye and ego.

All sin seems rooted in one or more of our lusts feeding the unholy trinity of me, myself and I. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Unbelief is sin and more, sin is unbelief. Since the gospel of God makes ample provision for far more than our petty lusts could ever demand, one might consider sin defeated and finished. Unfortunately, as there were more casualties in WW2 from D-day to V-day, so too sin's toll has increased since Jesus' declaration. Truly sin is finished, yet even we the church appear far from being finished sinning. Why? In a word, Unbelief.

As Christians, sin's variety of lust's cannot hold us. Rather we grasp sin. Weakened by toying with temptation we risk sin's leading to death. Nevertheless, like monkeys reaching through the hole of a trap, we clutch at luscious fruit that in our present reality we cannot have. More damming than our touching is our refusal to let go. Disregarding God's commands and ignoring His Son's example we scream on, banging against the Trapper's cage. Irregardless of the Gospel's promise of worlds of abundance for any willing to believe, nearly all fall prey, trapped by the Enemy's cunning and our undisciplined appetites.

So what is our present state? Are we foolish, wicked, Christianized yet cannibal monkeys, caked in the blood of half our offspring, laying claim to heaven while clutching forbidden fruit? Consummating the evil of Babel, Sodom and Laodicean our sins cast a global shadow. Still, doesn't even such an ominous silhouette requires there yet be Light from Heaven?

To find our way we must retrace our steps. Since all sin can be traced to lust of the flesh, eye or ego; since lust is unfulfilled desire yet God has promised presently to drown our wanting in having, our problem is clear... unbelief. What are we saying to these things? What has mankind always said? "I want More, NOW!"

Echoing Lucifer's refrain, "More" is a favorite American pastime. Mercifully, even for a culture gone mad with desire, "more" is not the heart of the problem. Our "more" is much "less" than God's prodigal plan. "Now" is our problem. And it's proving to be a damning one. Timing is everything. What's more, when the timing is wrong, "more,” even freely offered may cause more problems than it solves. Gehezi, a type of the church, as the servant of Elisha, a type of Christ, learned this costly lesson the hard way.

So, if sin is lust, lust is the desire for more and the problem with more is "now" then we've uncovered the horns of humanities dilemma. Time.

Sin seems a matter of perspective, it's existence and magnitude attributed to cognizant judgment. Is evil, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder? If so, which beholder and when?

Emphasizing only a crucified Christ and our future resurrection is telling in light of the Biblical mandate of Our daily crucifixion and relationship to the resurrected Lord of Glory. Is it the simplicity of the Christ's Cross we seek, or simply to deny ours?

Odd that Fornicators, Homosexuals and Aborters clamor for the right to choose only to exercise it by choosing Death.

1st century Jews, in emphasizing Holiness and God's hatred of sin and sinners, pierced and crowned with thorns the Lord of Love whom they crucified. 21st century Christians, in emphasizing Grace and God's forgiveness of sin and sinners, grieve and insult with abominations the Holy Spirit whom we reject.

Who can tally the Time Wasted by Sin; of acts, of our wrestling against it, our entertaining it or worse?

Is Sin, particularly forgiveness, like Quantum Particle Physics theory of Waves and Pops? Quiffs only popped if an Observer chooses to Observe.

Some have suggested that God lives Deeper within us than our own self-awareness. Incredible thought, all the more so considering His possible roommates, seeing "the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it."
How many 21st century Christians are dying from, paralyzed by, or largely incapacitated and gone into, "Spiritual Shock"" from contact with a modern world gone, "Morally Mad?" Our condition often worsened by malpractice as in apathy, Churchianity dispenses Band-Aids and aspirin for Cancers, STD's and Germ Warfare.

Is the Key to abounding in mercy living above reproach and Judgment? Well may the theologically astute argue it a mute point and semantics, as none is above judgment, yet the question remains. Scripturally, God's covenant of mercy is with the upright but on a practical level who has not felt tempted to quit the course when confronted by repeated and even willful sins? What of the promise that mercy abounds towards the merciful! Might this be the splint provided for the broken of character among us?

Should sins keep us from prayers or prayers keep us from sins? Progressive perfection, Biblically argued for, argues for the latter.

From the publican in the temple I derive the 1st law of intercession, namely that hypocrisy is the seed of every man's sin within me.

Though a believer in the scientific method, prayer, verifiably successful or not, is the only enlightened response to the darkness of Sin above, about and within.

Some reckon Christians who die by overdose or suicide etc. as casualties of war. So they are, but not from opposing the Enemy but rather themselves. Unlike the conquering armies of O.T. Israel, who at times won victories without loss of a single soldier, Western Christianity's armies have been decimated by our own sin. More like Israel’s evil foes who at times destroyed themselves before even facing their enemy, than victorious, 'Christian soldiers marching on to war'.

How often we, like modern Corinthians, are proud of and aid liberal agendas that we ought to mourn over and overturn, providing as it were "IM-Moral support."

Sin is so rampant and prevalent in 21st Century America godliness in any from is miraculous. Faith surely is divine Favor, Believing a Blessing, Obedience an Epiphany and Brokenness Glory.

For all my wrestling with sin I've yet to toy with but the rattle of the snake.
Can disobedience in revealed sins, even small ones, freeze our Christianity like viruses and multitasking freeze our computers?

Since, "He that is forgiven much loves much" then is it equally true, "He that loves much is forgiven much?"

How will we survive Sin's land side? Slipping on pebbles of temptation, stones of sin loose rocks of rebellion, sending boulders, creating an Avalanche of Death

True spiritual warfare may have more to do with pulling down strongholds in our hard hearts than in the Heavenlies.

As noted by Pascal, given our temporal and eternal circumstance "man is a thinking reed." Unfortunately we are soulish ones, prone to swelling emotions and continuous outbreaks of all seven deadly sins. Easily deceived, our passions burn through our roots igniting a fire swamp consuming us from here into eternity. Worse still, the great mass of us seem largely, if not completely, cut off from our Planter/Gardener in the face of unfriendly elements and a fearful future.

During the 70's Christian teens in the 1st World experienced some culture shock, the Faith already largely irrelevant outside of a church service for an hour or two a week. The winds and rain of temptation, even then a troubling storm, have grown into a relentless class 5 hurricane covering half the globe.

Todays temptations are energized by cable TV and DVD, Ipod and cell phone, computer and sexy advertisements. Powerless to resist, much less overcome such ubiquitous deception youthful Christian innocence and hope are shipwrecked on rocks of sin adding to the Great Barrier Reef separating the generations from safe harbor.

A residue of God's glory remains on all He has willed and made. Humanity desperately reaches for authority, wealth, prestige, fame, beauty, intelligence and happiness. Yet like the monkey caught grasping the date, it in our inordinate pursuit it is they that most often grasp us.

Sin and the decent into cultural bondage is a process composed of many events. It is likely that repentance and revival work in a similar manner.

Truly the devil and men have grounds to accuse us. Yet it takes neither saint or prophet to recognize our great sin against and peril while separated from or at odds with Him. So having judged so poorly do we stop trying or try harder and humbler?

The white keys are only for the faithful.

"Dust in the Wind" by the group Kansas nearly hits the nail on the head though their last verse might better have been rendered, "Nothing lasts forever "not" the earth "or" sky..." The question is are we tempted dust tossed into torments by angry Winds?

Is it well meant presumption masquerading as faith to declare future victory when we are, as Paul said of the Corinthians, "already defeated completely" on so many levels?

Is confidently asserting in prayer an end to abortion in America when for decades we've had over a thousand abortuaries spread their roots throughout every major city reckless and irresponsible? Perhaps we should end abortion in a few states before self soothing.
With God the cup is always full and overflowing but unfortunately for more than half the people with wrath.

"The inability, for a variety of reasons, of Churchianity to distinguish the voice of God in meaningful ways explains much. Why so little Bible study and prayer. Why so little holiness and successful evangelism. Why there is so little salt and light to offer our culture. Why, if this trend is not soon reversed, "the night is coming when no man can work."

Churchianity's dirty reflection differs little from those our Gospel's meant to cleanse from sin. Have we run out of true soap and living water? With the stream stopped and the well dry maybe it's time to dig deeper and pray for rain.

Given the ever increasing gravity of this world, if we became the kind of Holy Ghost lightening rods that Peter, Stephen and Paul were might we be able to save some of our children and a few of their friends from becoming children of wrath?

How many hundreds of thousands of sins are being committed during the 3 hour Friday night prayer meeting in the mid size American city I regularly attend? How many more during the watch night prayer from 10pm to 6am?

Try doing the work of a surgeon with a feather, the modern equivalent of a politically correct scalpel.

If "love covers a multitude of sins" what does divorce do?

If Churchianity can't judge its blood guiltness while drowning in the blood of millions and even billions of our pre-born, will God appoint us as judges over angels or judge us before them, using them to carry out or sentence?

"Rend your hearts not your garments." When have you ever seen a 21st century Christian even rend a garment?

Sin takes such advantage of human frailty. Mentally, physically, socially and particularly spiritually. Sin is exceedingly sinful. The depth of its deception goes beyond words. Sin easily takes advantage of blessings, happy times, beauty, kindnesses and good intentions Yet the sun shines on the just and the unjust, at least until Judgment. Pity few, even within the Church or its leadership, recognize sin for the deceiver it is that they might heed one of God's first commands: "If you do right wont you feel better? But look out. Sin is at the door. It's desire is to rule over you but you should conquer it..."

Can sin be artistic or funny? Does this make sin less sinful or even more so?

James warns that worldliness is idolatry of self and spiritual adultery. Has the recent influence of a seeker friendly gospel been more destructive than that of the ancient and infamous Judaisers and Gnosticism? Let he that is without this sin cast the first stone.
As for politics and governance I suspect one or both of the following is true. When the citizenry of blessed nations are bent on evil they get the leadership they deserve. Ancient conspiracies appoint leaders who foster evil among their citizenry.

Many believers ignore and even deny their responsibility to educate themselves fully in the things of God that we may grow sensitive to the HOLY Spirit who James warns "yearns jealously." Most mistakenly hope ignorance will prove bliss, even when rejecting our duty to inform and inquire of our conscience.

This thought was developed briefly in a fundraising letter from one of the most brilliant old earth Christian cosmologist I know of:
The answer to the question “is God fair” often lies in context and history. Old Testament examples like Sodom's destruction reveal extraordinarily sinful people being excised by a benevolent Surgeon's scalpel. Such evil, and here he references a few example such as infanticide, has not existed since Christ because of the salt and light provided by the Church...
Such thinking and teaching leaves me speechless and breathless. How do such blessed and devoted intellects make a lifelong habit of constantly overlook 1-2 billion aborted pre-born, not to mention such great human atrocities against God and mankind that when their quantity and quality are taken together no tongue can tell the tale?
With few, if any, exceptions the 1st World Church is filled with idiots, or at best idiot savants. Knowing this, we do well to seek diligently to become a savant in discerning camels rather than gnats.

That humanity grows increasing comfortable and even bold in exposing its baser instincts for pleasure and/or spirituality is less evidence biblical Christianity is passé than it is of a continuing fall from grace. Remember, it wasn't until God's visitation that Adam and Eve found their fig leaves wanting an hid themselves in shame.

As for worship, clearly Churchianity loves to sing “some” of God’s words. Yet given unprecedented levels of apathy and sin within the Church one wonders if in god’s ears this sounds more the bleating of sheep or goats.

Extreme Democrats and Republicans both complain that the opposition party is ruining everything while the power brokers within their own party do next to nothing. Both may have a piece of the truth and so be right with the conservatives a little “righter.”

Through technology we who live in 1st Word nations enjoy the equivalent of hundreds if not thousands of personal servants. Even most of those numbered among the lower social economic class would likely place in the top 5%, if not higher, of the world’s wealthy now and/or throughout history. Add to this the enormity of our sins and of us it may truly be said that we are filthy rich...

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