In the previous post, we discussed what Scripture says about the Nature of Sin, and our being in a state of sin.
Having said all of this, we
come to the burning question: From whence do we derive our knowledge of sin?
How do we know how sin is defined, and, more importantly, how do we know that
we are sinful? These are questions of unfathomable importance, and being some of
the most important questions we could ever ask, we are quite likely to
undervalue both the question and the answer – a result of our sinful nature.
The first way most of us have
ever had any knowledge, or at least, sense of sin, is by our conscience. Scripture
certainly acknowledges the conscience as a feature of our constitution as
humans. But we cannot stress enough that because of sin, our consciences are
anything but reliable. Moreover, we can quite simply kill our conscience by
ignoring its warnings through repeated exposure to sin, or by creating a
rationalization which justifies to our corrupt minds, the act we wish to
commit. This explains the horrors of the Holocaust, as well as the societal
evils of abortion and sodomy. Our natures are so sinful, that the least
justification will do. In fact, in most cases, we don’t even need a
justification, per se. We simply need to be distracted with shiny objects. I
inadvertently caught a few moments of a home renovation show the other day. The
“couple” who wanted work done on their house was homosexual. There is no
question, but that there is an agenda represented in that fact. There is no
doubt in my mind that someone wishes to promote the homosexual agenda by making
them seem as normal as possible: They have the same frustrations we have with
small kitchens and not enough storage space. Normalizing that which God has
defined as sin only changes its intrinsic sinfulness in the minds of those who
wish to live in rebellion against God. But this shows us the inherent weakness
of the conscience. I can ignore it, or reprogram it and it will eventually shut
up.
The ultimate and only reliable
way to gain a knowledge of sin is by the Law of God. I have listed here what
are commonly referred to as the “Three Uses of the Law.”
- First, there is the ‘pedagogical use’ of the Law. Scripture speaks of God’s Law as a schoolmaster leading us to Christ. Anyone who looks at the Law and says, “I can do this,” either has no concept of his own sinfulness, or is, in the words of Buddy Guy, “stone crazy.” The purpose for which God gave His law was to show us our absolute inability to conform to His holy will, thus driving us to seek the provisions for mercy and righteousness which He has supplied in the mediatorial work of His Son.
- Secondly, there is the ‘civil use’ of the Law wherein we acknowledge that only in conformity to God’s holy law can evil be restrained. Now, we must not confuse ourselves and imagine that an enforcement of “Christian values” somehow saves society and makes people Christian, but it does make the world a safer place to live than it would be it we jettisoned every restraint God’s word puts on human evil.
- Thirdly, there is what we might call the ‘moral use’ or ‘normative use.’ By this we mean that we view God’s law as the standard of living to which He calls us as those who are in covenant with Him. This is the standard for what can be defined as “holy living.” Again, we must be careful not to run into self-righteousness. The only safeguard against self-righteousness is an adequate view of our own, personal sinfulness. You will never be grateful for the gracious provisions of the Atonement if you don’t see or you lose sight of what you needed atoning for. Let the fact that Scripture (God’s word to His people) contains warnings against the grossest iniquity imaginable be a reminder to you that God is aware that that you are personally capable of those sins: That’s why you needed the warning.
We now need to ask a question:
How does the Law work? As Romans 7 describes it, it does
three things: It tells us what Sin is. It says, “Don’t do that,” which only
makes us want to do what it forbade, and then it condemns us for having done
it.
This leads to a consideration
of the Deceitfulness of Sin.
One of the reasons why we
minimize sin is because so much of the sin which we individually commit is
perfectly suited to our own temperament. James 1:14 points this out. No one is
going to be tempted by something he/she finds repulsive.
Another reason that sin is so
deceptive is its noetic effects. By “noetic” I mean ‘of or relating to mental
activity or the intellect.’ Sin has corrupted our minds to such a degree that
they are utterly unable to form a correct view of anything apart from the
direction of God’s Word. This has huge implications for us as Christians when
it comes to our assessments of disciplines such as science, politics, justice,
morality, and indeed, any and all fields of human knowledge. We must always
take into account the noetic effects of sin. No study of human nature can be
theologically accurate if it fails to take sin and its effects into account.
Furthermore, we must
constantly remind ourselves that “objectivity” is a myth. There is no such
thing as a completely objective observer. We approach everything we do with
presuppositions and these presuppositions are sinful in their very core because
we are sinful in our very core. This has profound effects on how we think about
everything,
or at least it should.
Let me illustrate: There is a
qualitative difference between someone who was born blind and someone who lost
their sight, at say, the age of 10. The person who lost their sight of the age
of 10 will still retain many visual memories. Although they will no longer be able
to see a sunset, a forest or a prairie, they will still be able to remember or imagine
what one looks like – provided they had seen one before. The person who was
born blind however, will not only have no visual memories of anything, they
will not be able to form any visual mental images of anything. You will not be
able to explain color, shade, proportion, or any other visual data which must
be seen to be understood, because this person possesses neither the organ of
sight, nor the capacity to process this data. This hypothetical person who was
born blind may be able to amass a great deal of theoretical knowledge about the
world around him through assiduous study. Notwithstanding, he will still have
not seen the world in which he lives and will not be the best source of
information – for that reason.
This is an accurate, albeit
grossly inadequate description of the case of mankind due to sin. Because of
sin’s damaging effects on the mind, the unregenerate, being as Scripture says
“blind,” “having their understanding darkened,” “alienated from the life of
God,” they have never rightly seen the world in which they live. And this is
where the analogy of the person who was born blind falls short. The one fact
which gives meaning to everything, which explains the existence of everything,
and against which everything must be understood, i.e., the existence of God –
this is the one thing our sinful nature obscures. And therefore it is not an
overstatement to say that the unregenerate person has never seen the world rightly.
He will never be capable or desirous of doing so. This is why I said earlier
that this should have a profound effect on the way we think.
“Grant, Almighty God, that as
the corruption of our flesh ever leads us to pride and vain confidence, we may
be illuminated by thy word, so as to understand how great and how grievous is
our poverty, and be thus taught wholly to deny ourselves, and so to present
ourselves naked before thee, that we may not hope for righteousness or for
salvation from any other source than from thy mercy alone, nor seek any rest
but only in Christ; and may we cleave to
thee by the sacred and inviolable bond of faith, that we may boldly
despise all those empty boastings by which the ungodly exult over us, and that
we may also so cast ourselves down in true humility, that thereby we may be
carried upward above all heavens, and become partakers of that eternal life
which thine only begotten Son has purchased for us by his own blood. Amen.” – John Calvin, Prayer on Habakkuk 2:4
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