Christians and sin

Being a Christian, I cringe a lot throughout the year.  I cringe at the judgement.  I cringe at the headlines. I cringe at the self-righteousness.  I cringe because of the hypocrisy that so often occurs.  I cringe because of the stories I hear about what happens behind closed doors with church leadership. I cringe because many forget what being a Christian really is.

I have a favorite poem that sums it up perfectly.  "When I Say I am a Christian" says exactly what it means to claim Christianity.  If you have never read it, I encourage you to do so.

There is one other thing that makes me cringe. Talking about sin.  And not because I am afraid to talk about it, but because everyone else thinks they have the right to judge other people's sins.  I have a slightly different take on what sin is.  Honestly, this is a relatively new revelation.  It comes from knowing God is love.  Sin leads to separation/death (spiritually speaking). And God built a bridge to forgiveness through Jesus that we must make a choice to cross.  I see sin as an act of hurting God and/or a person.  When we sin, we do not act out of love but instead selfishness, jealousy, envy, pride, etc.  Our sin separates us from others because it hurts others.

Sin is not about doing wrong, it is about damaging relationships (think about everything listed as sin and see it through the hurt it may cause, not the wrong that it might be). God wants us to love and build relationships. Some sin causes more damage than others, but to God, it is all equal, so in order to heal THAT relationship, we have to own our own sins/hurts...not somebody else doing it for us...that does not mend fences, it only leads to judgement. 

We also cannot interpret the Bible based on today's language and meaning. Sometimes, the interpreters get it wrong, or we apply current meaning instead of the historical meanings and uses of words. And it is not our job to attack anyone who sins, but only to address those who sin specifically against ourselves in order to bring healing, not to tell them how wrong they are. (I am hardly innocent, but this is what I strive for). God is about love and relationships. The old law was to show us we could not bring ourselves close to God by our works because the standards were set VERY high. Only his loving sacrifice could build the bridge that we as individuals have to choose to cross. 

So, if homosexuality(only because this is the one currently in the headlines), for example, is truly seen as a sin in God's eyes, it is not our job as a Christian to make a person repent or change; it is between that person and God and whoever else was sinned against and hurt. We can't heal a person's relationship with God. People have to do it on their own. And God is so amazing that he helps us work on our own problem areas...which are often more than enough to keep us from worrying about other people's problem areas. But we don't like to look at ourselves, so it is easier not to listen and instead look at others and focus on their "wrongs" or shortcomings.  And we can hardly expect those who are not Christians to follow what God wants.  So trying to change them is not our jobs either.  We are only to spread the gospel and show our love through service and kindness and compassion.  So who have you judged lately?  Have you asked yourself if it was your place to do so?