Christ and What Sin Is

The other day, a good friend of mine stopped by, Old Man Tom. Old Man Tom, that’s what everybody calls him. Though, I genuinely don't know why that is. Whether that is because he’s a wise old soul or, simply put, he’s just older than dirt. I like to think it’s because he’s older than dirt. But whatever the reason, he is a very sage individual, having more common sense than a drug store has pills.

Anyway, he came by and said, “Good morning, Charles.”

“Morning, Tom.”

“Charles, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What do you think sin is? I’ll wager that there is more to it than you are thinking.”

I said, “Tom, you do know how early it is, right?”

“I suppose so, and I guess that would make it more than just a bit random. But this is what I’ve been thinking about recently. Anyway, how about a cup of coffee to help you ease into this?

I said, “Yes, yes, indeed. That would certainly help. Well, come on in, Tom. I’ll put some on.”

Now, as Old Tom is waiting for the coffee to brew, my name is indeed Charles, and this here is the Coffee-side Chat series on the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. This podcast is for those who want a deeper faith, not an aggressively mediocre one. This series is a collection of stories conveying real things about the Christian faith and loving God. And communicating real things about the Christian faith does mean that Scripture will be referenced in these stories. Honestly, how could it not mean that? But rather than breaking up the flow of the story with chapter and verse listings, I will list them where they occur in a transcript of this story, which will be posted in the show notes for this episode. So you can check out all the references for yourself and make sure I did indeed have enough coffee before putting it together. Also, and this, my friend, is of utmost importance; it should be noted that these stories are being enjoyed while I’m nursing this here cup of coffee sitting on the table right beside me. This is, after all, a coffee-side chat.

Also, before delving into this, I do want to mention our sponsor; yes, I am sponsored. This podcast is sponsored; by our book: Psalms 1-72, A Simple Not Shallow Presentation. It is a presentation of the first 72 Psalms, one that is true to the Psalms and allows the poetry to be poetry. It is beautiful and easy to read, and it does reveal the profound prayerfulness of the Psalms. Now, don’t worry. I like you so very much that I’ve provided a couple of links for you in the show notes for this episode, just for your convenience. You’re welcome. So, go ahead, tell our sponsor that you like this podcast, and collect your copy today.

And for now, grab yourself some coffee, and let’s begin with this story, this conversation with Old Man Tom.

Once the coffee was in hand, Tom said to me, “So, last time we spoke, we talked about how God’s thoughts are different from ours (Isaiah 55:8, 9). Did we not?”

“Yeah, I remember. Is that the source of your question today?”

“Well, this is fairly interesting as this relates to sin, don’t you think?”

“Tom, I’ve not really thought about it before, to be completely truthful about it.”

“Well, then, a good place to begin, then, is what we think sin is. So, what do you think sin is?”

Tom is nothing if not persistent; I’ll give him that. I said, “Ok, well, I know it is about breaking one of the ten commandments or doing one of the things on those lists in the New Testament (Romans 1:22-32;1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 12:20, 21; Colossians 3:5-10; Titus 3:3), right? You know. Don’t murder, lie, steal, slander, cheat, or that type of thing.”

He said, “That is a good start. But what else is there?”

“What else? Tom, that’s all I know.”

He said, “Come on, see if you can come up with anything else.”

“Ok, what else? I don’t know. Doing bad things… in general?”

He smiled bigger, shook his head, and said something… a little strange. He said, “We’ve been talking about the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27), have we not?”

Ok, that wasn’t the strange part; here is what was a little weird; he said, “What do they tell us sin is?” And with that, he was smiling ear to ear.

Now, I tend to think that I’m a pretty sharp guy, one who has at least three or four of his ducks in a row, but right then, I was, coming up short. So I asked him to hold on while I looked up the passages about those commands (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27). I turned to Matthew and began reading. It said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. But I didn’t see anything about sin there, so I examined two other passages where these commands are mentioned—the first in Mark and the second in Luke. Except for adding the words “with all your strength” to how we are to love God, I didn’t find much of a difference. I didn’t see anything about sin. So I said, “Tom, I don’t see nothing?”

“You don’t see nothing? Charles, I’m so disappointed in you.”

“I’m sorry, Tom. But…”

He then stopped me before I could say anything else, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, “Charles. That, sir, is the worst grammar I’ve heard in a long, long time.”

He then laughed at his own joke. And I, what could I say, he was right. Not my most eloquent moment.

He then said, “But, honestly? After all our conversations, you don’t see anything?”

I said, “Tom, I may not be the brightest bulb in the shed, but I’m also not the dimmest, I don’t think. But I do have to say that I’m not hearing anything God may be saying about sin.”

“Fair enough. Let me take you on a little journey and see if that doesn’t help to brighten things up for you.”

Brighten things up for me…. All I could say was, “Gee. Thanks.”

Anyway. He says, “What did Jesus come to do, abolish or fulfill the Law and the Prophets?”

I said, “To fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). But I don’t see how that question helps reveal what God may be saying about sin.”

“I understand, but follow me for a second. So, Jesus did not come to cancel the Bible. Nor to change or throw out some parts while adding in others. Rather, he came to bring a fullness, a depth of revealed meaning to the Bible. To show the underlying, deeper connection that runs throughout it. With this in mind, read the account in Matthew once more; this time, including the very next verse.”

“All right,” says I, and I read, “love God with all heart, mind, and soul, and the second, love your neighbor as yourself. And the next verse says, all the law and prophets are based on these two commands (Matthew 22:37-40). Having read this, I looked up and Tom and said, “And…?”

He replied, “And… all the law and prophets, all teaching in Scripture, is based on them. You still don’t see it? Well, if all the commands and teachings, including those which teach us what sin is, the Ten Commandments, and all the others, are indeed based on the two greatest commands, then sin is that which does not come from loving God and our neighbor. Isn’t that profoundly interesting?”

I may have looked befuddled at this point, so he continued. “Would it surprise you that Scripture tells us why all other teachings are based on the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:40; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14)? Oh, it does. Let me share with you what one of those passages is and have you look it up and read it for me. It is Romans 13:8-10.”

I said, “All right.” Here is what I read, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false witness, you shall not covet, and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”

When I looked up from reading, Tom said, “We know that Jesus came to fulfill the law, and we just heard that love fulfills the law… isn’t that intriguing? But, more to the point, have you begun to see what God includes in his understanding of sin? Ahhh, the light is beginning to dawn.”

People have always said that I have a very expressive face. Anyway, he was right. At least, I thought I was beginning to understand. I offered up this thought, “To not love is a sin.”

And the most genuine smile began to spread across his face, “Yes. Yes indeed. And here are a couple more things for you to consider as you work through this. Jesus speaks of this right after saying he came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. For, just after that, he says that if we stay angry with a brother, we are as guilty of sin as if we killed him (Matthew 5: 21, 22), and if we look lustfully at another person, we are as guilty of the sin as if we had done the deed (Matthew 5:27). Staying angry, nursing a grudge, and entertaining lustful thoughts about someone are not things done from love. Oh, and wait until you hear what’s next. This is really going to blow your mind.

“John tells us that the one who does not love his neighbor does not even know God (1 John 2:4-11; 4:7, 8; 12-21). Now, here’s a question. How can we have faith in a God we do not know? We can’t. How does this tie in? Well, God, speaking through Paul in Romans (14:23), says something that ties this all together. Here, we are told that everything that does not come from faith is a sin. Since we must love to have faith in God, if we do not love, then everything we do is a sin.”

Once again, my eloquence overtook me, and I sat quietly, simply nodding my head as I stared into my coffee cup, thinking about all that had just been said. This was going to take more than a moment or two to process. And thankfully, as I’ve mentioned before, Old Tom, among many things, is an astute observer of the human condition. And seeing that I was going to need more than a moment or two to process all this, he graciously and gently smiled and asked if I wouldn’t mind if we continued this at a later date. For at the moment, he was almost late for a dinner date with his daughter, and that would not do. I said, “Yes, yes, of course. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great dinner. Tell your daughter I said hello.”

He said, “Thank you, I will.”

And with that, he headed out the door and off to dinner. And I… I headed back to the stove to put more water on for another French Press. The French Press makes the best pot of coffee.

Anyway. What do you think about all this? If you don’t mind, let me know all about it in the comments section for this episode. Click on the link provided in the show notes for this episode. Copy and paste it if you need to. And once on this episode’s home page, scroll down, and you will find that comment box and can share away. Thank you for listening and for sharing. Also, please rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through the podcast service of your choice. Stitcher, Spotify, Apple podcasts Well, until next time then, may you grow brighter in your relationship with Christ, and may your wits never grow dimmer.

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