Modernity and Problem of Sin

There are three hinges that are so central in Christian faith. First, all man are fallen short from the glory of God. Second, Christ is the only savior for sinner. Third, saved people need to work out their salvation. However, in our world today people many try to deny the first because by doing that, the second and third point are losing their significance. If there is no sin, the very core of Gospel that "Christ bore our sins" (Summary of Gospel by James Danney in his work Death of Christ: "The simplest truth of the gospel and the profoundest truth of Theology must be put un the same words-He bore our sins.") then "why Christ came for? What to bore then?" As the result, either Christ did not come or He came for something else than to save us from the power and grip of deadly sin. 

It is clear, the preliminary book of Genesis Chapter 3 mentioned on how the first human was fell into sin so consequently, John Calvin says, "For as Adam at his first creation had received for His posterity as well as for himself the gifts of divine grace (divinae gratiae dotes), so by failing from the Lord, in himself he corrupted, vitiated, depraved, and ruined our nature-having lost the image of God (Abdicates a Dei Similitudine)." Because of sin, all humanities imbued with inner wickedness in their nature.

Today, in our modern world, the concept of sin is questioned. Thinker like Julia Shaw in her writing have a tendency to downplay the reality of sin in human to which she conclude that perhaps we are all evil, or perhaps "none of us are." Why so? For Shaw, evil things that we committed are probably relative in degree. What we think normal perhaps are evil in other people sight, and also true the other way round. Just like Nietzche who argued that evil is only a subjective experience. Can we say all are saint in perspective as well? However, to say something is greater evil does not mean that the lesser evil as good. Sin also does not mean self-intrest. Because not all self-intrest are bad. Wayne Grudem mention on how to desire salvation is not bad nor sinful rather something good.

Furthermore, materialist deny there is such thing as sin. Sin is quite an abstract concept and thus, not real. Because of this, some thinkers try to revive again the concept of ignorance rather than sin. In other words, when someone break the order, rules and against the moral framework of the society, they need to be educated as soon as possible. For the real problem is not of sin but of lack of moral education. 

If someone know what the best things to do rationally, then they will walk morally, according to Aristotle. In this case we actually can asked a deeper questions, what is the standard of the "best rational?" whose rule? Whose best? Whose law? How about leaders that kills millions souls and still think that they have a rational explanations to justify their terrible actions? In reality, many educated man became the master mind behind the great evil of our world. So, can we say lack of moral education is the core issue? 

Interestingly, with the similar ignorance-theses flavor, philosopher like Martin Heidegger neutralized the notion "sin" with the notion of lack of clarity in meaning of life or lack of meaningfulness to do in life. As the result of it, it makes someone commit many devastating actions in life. Perhaps, this view will be soon popular among youngsters. The discussion of sin is no longer relevant in their worldview, what matter today  is the idea of passion driven life. Human is seen not as in Christ or out of Christ, sinner or saved by grace but either they have passion or no passion. Without passion detaining the meaning in life, we are can be said as the true "sinner" for we are living without any directions. Sin in this regard is to life without meaning and direction to which the value is not necessary of or based from religion. May I suggest that church, need to really deal with this foundational issue deeply and repetitively. To remind the children of our generation that sin is real, and we are all fallen short from the Glory of God and by this, we really need Jesus Christ as our ultimate savior in life. Sin is not about imperfection, sin also not about guilt, sin is also not about act of sinning but primarily a state of depraved humanity and a constant rebellious posture toward God and His objective moral standard. 

How then we can give an explanation that we are actually are by nature sinners besides pointing the Bible and say, the Bible tells us so which probably won't work for those who are very skeptical. A long argument of Bible as Word of God need to be established first. But at least, we can argue from the experience and empirical evidence in the history of mankind, we should ask boldly this question. If there is no sin, would not we expect there is a perfect man ever existed or at least, a "almost" perfect society that is great in its moral values and attitude ever existed. We might ask and try to find, is there a place like Atlantis for instance, the ideal society and island similar to what was mentioned in Plato writing? 

Actually, we have never found this kind of place in history rather, humanity are having war with each others and every place and society were corrupted. History of the world is the history of warfare! We can even divide history through wars that had happened in the past.Contrary to Atlantis, Plato story through brother Glaucon about the invisible ring of Gyges was best describe the condition of human. When human are invisible, they will do only evil, a natural inclination of all man, we could say.

The best and simplest explanation of this reality is that we are sinner by nature and not born tabula-rasa. In fact, the modern study has disqualified this doctrine of The blank State Theory that was famously promoted by John Locke. The modern data show how actually the concept of heredity was clear of humanity. We are inherited something by our ancestors, physically and psychological speaking. Here, doctrine of original sins that put forth the idea of "inheritance" in spiritual sense can also align with with the logic of inheritance that is grounded in scientific founding and hence, is not an irrational thought to think in those lines as Psalms 51:5 stated this fact clearly that in sin, we are conceived by our mother. The reason why the doctrine of sin is really important to be proclaimed again is because the doctrine of sin is really closely related with the notion of God. If crimes by definition is actually a violation against human law we can broadly says that sin is a violation to God's law. If there is no sin there are only two possibilities either we human are never violate God's law or God and His law does not exists. To deny the reality of sin is to open the door of rejecting God.