For a long time I’ve held to my conclusion that ALL sin… not just some, but ALL sin can be traced back to one common factor. A selfish desire.
Lies, Greed, Lust, Hatred, Jealousy, Murder, etc… pick one. They all go back to a fundamental belief that you have something I want, aren’t something I like, get in my way, annoy me, tempt me, or please me in such a way that I am willing to discard any guidelines I may have (be it social or moral) to get what I want.
It stands to reason then that when Christ sums up the commandments to the inquiring Pharisees trying to test Jesus…
Matthew 22:36-40:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Love God, Love others as you would yourself. If you do these two things, you have “arrived.”
It’s pretty easy to see the direct opposite of this isn’t it? “Love self, Use others to meet your desires.” Acknowledge God is there, sure, and say you love him… but don’t really. Instead, make your decisions, take actions based on, and think about what’s best for YOU. What is comfortable? What is easy? Go ahead, love YOU… and as for others, they are pawns that can be manipulated and used to get what you want so YOU feel good.
Sin.
Christ died for us. The ultimate act of “I’m putting you first.” He stepped out of his comfort zone as Christ, Lord, God, King, Creator, Alpha and Omega, and became a ragged body pierced and hanging on a cross for a people who couldn’t possibly ever be worthy of such a sacrifice let alone such love.
So if the NATURE OF GOD is to be giving, self-less, loving, and other-centered… it just makes sense that all sin would be the opposite of that, selfishness. Sin is what happens when we “miss the mark” and act out of character from what God would have us be. Sin isn’t sin because God said, “hmm.. what could we outlaw… how about lying?” No! Sin is sin because it goes against WHO GOD IS! We are created to be CHRIST-LIKE. Not doing so = sin.
I’ve thought about this before and have had some of the “tough questions” spring up like, “Is it ever OK to lie?” I think so…
Exodus 1:15-21
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”
“The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”
So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
God BLESSES the women for lying to the Pharaoh! Why would he do this? Because the lie wasn’t selfish! It wasn’t for their own benefit. Sure, you could argue that they didn’t want to die for insubordination to Pharaoh, but God knows our hearts and I would argue that He knew they were loyal to Him and were willing to risk their own necks for others (being selfless) so he blessed them. Now, could they have stood up to Pharaoh and said, “You’re wrong. God won’t allow it. We won’t obey you.” Sure… but they’d likely have been killed on the spot. And who knows… God may have wanted them to maintain their integrity there and not lie, but then again he may have had better intents (such as them living longer to deliver more Hebrew children from death).
I’m not God. I don’t know. But I do know that it all comes down to the root of sin still being selfishness.
So what about you? Do you strive to be Christ-like in all you do? Do you put your love of God and others as paramount in your life? Or are you just paying God lip-service and finding it easier to kick back and watch more TV instead of getting on the ground and moving in ways that can make a real difference for others?
Haiti’s earthquake, hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami, Latin America and Africa’s AIDS epidemics… Destroyed local families… single parent homes… low income/no income situations in a bad economy who can’t afford groceries… THESE ARE THE PEOPLE GOD WOULD HAVE YOU SERVING! Are you?
We ran this video at this past weekend’s service and it seems very fitting here. Check it out: