Many have taken issue with my essay on universalist Carlton
Pearson and his denunciation of Christian “sin consciousness.” According to
Pearson:
·
"Sin consciousness,
something Jesus never taught or encouraged, both prohibits and prevents
self-love, something we must learn and re-learn to do, especially when we're
brought up in a kind of "hate yourself" religious
climate as many were and continue to be, whether, Christian, Jewish or Islamic."
Oddly, many agreed with Pearson, equating “sin consciousness”
– the preoccupation with sin – with mental illness. However, this preoccupation
is thoroughly biblical. Jesus stated: “Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew
5:48), proving that He is very preoccupied with sin. Why? Here’s my response:
It seems that we have
left behind what Pearson meant by “sin consciousness” and are now pursuing the
question of whether scrupulosity regarding sin is a form of OCD or some other mental
disturbance. Okay!
Clearly, the Bible
never gives us a pass for only doing 99% percent of the law. Perfection is
always the standard. Here is an example:
·
But just
as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be
holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 15-16)
While, to you, this
seems obsessive and a prescription for mental problems, it reflects the wisdom
of the Bible. Let me try to explain.
Our natural default
position is self-righteousness. We love to think that we are worthy, superior
and deserving – the very thing that God abhors. Instead, He wants us to be
grateful and humble. Therefore, His law not only reflects His own
righteousness, it also presents us with a standard of goodness that we cannot
obtain on our own – a standard that should humble us and lead us to seek His
mercy and be grateful when we receive it.
Interestingly, perfect
adherence to goodness is something that we do and should expect from others.
When I don’t treat my wife in a loving manner, she has every reason in the
world to expect an apology. It just wouldn’t cut it if I responded, “I don’t
want to be overly scrupulous about sin. I think you should just chill!”
Likewise, if I lied to you, you would be down my throat. If I responded, “You’re just uptight about sin,” you wouldn’t receive it.
Likewise, if I lied to you, you would be down my throat. If I responded, “You’re just uptight about sin,” you wouldn’t receive it.
Maturity is a matter
of taking full responsibility for our garbage. God expects this from us, and we
expect this from others. However, this is where mercy and healing kicks in.
When we confess our sins to God, He forgives. There is nothing more healing
when my wife and I confess our sins to one another and receive forgiveness from
the other. However, all of this depends upon us taking full responsibility for
our sins – call it a “sin consciousness” if you want.
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