Our guilt does not just lie in our lusts, our pride, our lying tongues, our exchanging of God’s glory, but in Adam’s. Our champion bent the knee without drawing enemy blood, and because of that first delicious bite, we his children still taste the curse. We have ourselves, in our own unregenerate lives, affirmed our allegiances with the devil hour by hour and in countless ways. The tree of our race is poisoned at the root.

Sin has fallen on hard times. Not, of course, in the sense that we no longer sin. Rather, our society no longer stomachs naming certain attitudes and behaviors as “sins.” The word sounds too old fashion. Images come to mind of red-faced preachers wagging their fingers condescendingly at a demoralized audience. We don’t want to be associated with that.

But when we lose a grasp of what sin is, we lose the biblical understanding of who Christ is, and what the cross means. D.A. Carson ties the two together, as all faithful Christians must:

There can be no agreement as to what salvation is unless there is agreement as to that from which salvation rescues us. It is impossible to gain a deep grasp of what the cross achieves without plunging into a deep grasp of what sin is. (Fallen: A Theology of Sin, 22)

Shallow thoughts of sin lead to shallow thoughts of God and salvation. Ignorance to the depths of our sin leads to ignorance to the depths of the beauty of Jesus Christ.

Counterfeit Christs

Built upon insufficient views of sin, cheap views of Christ are on display all around us — each staking its messianic claims.

Life-Coach Jesus. When we see sin as a nonstarter and humans as inherently good, we move away from talk of death, judgment, and hell, and focus instead on a Christ who can help us towards our improbable goals and wildest dreams. He helps good people become great. He died so we can reach our full potential.

Housekeeper Jesus. When we see sin as inevitable, as “just being human,” as something ordinary and trivial, rather than lamentable, we mistake sin as mere slipups. We’re not perfect, we confess that much, but we’re not “evil.” Jesus, then, follows us around with a mop and bucket, tidying up after our little messes. He died to pay the cleaning fee.

Humanitarian Jesus. When we see sin as mainly between one man and another (and not one man before a holy God), we make good causes into ultimate ones. We fit Jesus neatly into our movement and usually define sin in terms of the haves and the have-nots. Jesus, then, is the one who came to right the very injustice we’re most passionate about.

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