Redefining Sin
For the next few chapters, Keller is going to encourage us to re-examine common concepts that relate to our walk of faith. Understanding sin, lostness, and hope are is the foundation for grasping the truth that Jesus was teaching. For the last two weeks of class, we have discussed the sinfulness of each brother. The majority of you would agree that both brothers were equally sinful towards the father. The discussion question for this week targets your own personal definition of sin.
“Most people think of sin as failing to keep God’s rules of conduct, but, while not less than that, Jesus’ definition of sin goes beyond it… Sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge just as each son sought to displace the authority of the father in his own life.”
- Do you believe Keller’s definition of sin is a Biblical summary of Jesus’ definition? Why or why not?
- Give a specific definition (as if you were discipling a younger Christian) of what you think sin is.
I would define sin as disobedience to God’s commands.
I don’t think that the problem is an overly narrow definition of sin; the problem is an overly narrow definition of God’s commands. This was the problem that Jesus addressed in Matthew 5:21: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;” (ESV) Obedience to God is not “following a list of rules”; it is “loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself” (from Matthew 22).
I agree with Keller’s definition and view it as a more detailed definition of disobedience. So in a nutshell, sin is disobedience to God, and disobedience is doing anything other than loving God, and (as part of that love) seeking with all your heart to do what He desires.
I agree. I believe putting yourself in the place of God IS breaking His rules of conduct. It depends how you define the rules of conduct.
I think Keller’s definition is helpful because it addresses the heart of the matter. To really be pleasing to God does not mean merely following rules of outward conduct; it involves the heart and attitudes as well. Therefore, sin could be defined as disobeying God, whether outwardly or in one’s heart.
I agree with Keller’s definition of sin. Sin is not just the outward action of breaking God’s rule, it also displays its ugly grip in the motives of the heart. If we act in a manner with the motive of anything less than wanting to bring glory to God, we sin. If our motives are to bring glory to another (usually ourselves), this puts something else on the thrown which violates the 1st commandment. Wrong motives violate a true believer’s call to exist, which is to act and think out of pure agape love as shown in 1 Corinthians 13. Sin is acting and thinking in a manner that displeases God. 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ… “. Seems like most “believers” do not take God seriously. Do we really strive to bring every thought captive to obey Christ?
Typed too fast, meant to say ‘throne’ not thrown