Sin and the Image of God

I haven't written in my blog for a while, what with summer vacation, kids sports, work and church I have found it hard to get time. But since I just registered for classes this fall I started brushing up on my reading and preparation again and I came across this paper that I wrote on "Sin and the Image of God". Interesting stuff!! I am including an excerpt below. What do you think? Enjoy:


According to Hoekma, sin is a perverse way of using God given gifts and powers. (Hoekma, 113-132). This is a way of looking at sin as the taking of God’s good creation and disrupting that image. Much like what we see happen prior to and then after Gen 3:15; pre curse and post curse creation. Nothing is the same afterwards. Plantinga also has an interesting definition of sin; the willful breaking of shalom. (Plantinga, 10) Shalom in the Bible means “universal flourishing, wholeness and delight- a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are fruitfully employed.” (Plantinga, 10) In other words, shalom is the way things are supposed to be. Sin is then the breaking of shalom willfully, which is a result of the stain of the image of God in men to begin with. Plantinga goes on to say that, “sin outstrips other human troubles by perverting special human excellences.” (Plantinga, 3) I think that last statement gets to the heart of the affect on our imago Deo; our excellences in God’s image are perverted. Still present, but perverted. This is much like a giant Maple tree that has grown crooked, still a Maple but not as useful for shade as it otherwise would have been. We still reflect our God image, but is has been stained.

But sin does not have to defeat us, we know what sin is. And our gracious and loving God sent His son to save us from ourselves. 1 John 4:10 states, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son to be a propitiation for our sins.” God does not want us to be defeated, although we are stained from birth through original sin. God not only sent his son, but we are also able through scripture and study to assess sin and assign it characteristics that allow us to comprehend and avoid it. Hoekema lists the multiple facets of the nature of Sin in chapter 9. I feel that an understanding of sin’s nature is valuable in learning how to deal with it. First, sin does not have an independent existence. This stresses that sin in actuality is the perversion of something which was good, a defect. Augustine called it the deprivation of that which is good. The reason that sin cannot be independent is evident in that it can be conquered. If sin were actually a substance, an actual part of the essence of man, then how would we be able to conquer it? It is this understanding that allows man, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ to break free from sin and to change course. Sin is not a physical aspect of man, it is a perversion of the direction of man.(Hoekma, 169)

Secondly, sin is an essence that is related to God and the will of God. If there is no God, there is no sin. As we see all through scripture, it is the law (the Law of God) that brings consciousness to sin. Rom 3:20 declares that “…through the law we become conscious of sin.” Rom 7:7 states it as follows, “Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what it was to covet if the law had not said ‘Do not covet’”. (Hoekma, 171) The law gives us understanding, knowledge that at the end of the day, all is sin acted out by us and is against God.

Third, sin has at its source in the heart. (Hoekma, 171) I understand the implication here. Sin is essence, not physical. What is the heart? It is the emotion of man. The spring of both the good and evil that man is capable of. Mat 15:19 states. “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.” This also leads to the 4th and most interrelated point on sin, sin includes actions and thoughts. The “lust of the flesh” that it spoken of in Galatians 5:16 encapsulates in the word ‘flesh” the entire human nature. (Hoekma, 172) It is our innermost being that is marred, that is perverted. Plantinga reinforces sinful thoughts as sin by delineating further that just assuming that you are offending God in some way is evidence of sin. (Plantinga, 22)

Lastly, at the root of all sin is pride. In some fashion we want to be like God. (Hoekma, 173) That was the overriding impulse in Gen 3:5 with the fall of man. Augustine sums it up in this manner:
And what is the origin of our evil will but pride? For “pride is the beginning of sin.”(Eccl 10:13) And what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation? And this undue exaltation, when the soul abandons Him to whom it ought to cleave as its end, and becomes a kind of end to itself.” (Hoekma, 173)

Plantinga sums it up very nicely, going on to paraphrase Niebuhr and the idea of security. This also is a version of pride as we (man) are looking to gain what we want when we want it:

In the end, says Reinhold Niebuhr, we human beings want security. We feel restless and anxious in the world because we are both finite and free, both limited and unlimited. We are persons of seemingly endless possibilities and of immense power, but we are also creatures utterly dependent on the good offices of our Creator. So we live on the edge of finitude and freedom, anxious lest we miss opportunities and anxious anew when we have exploited them…but our anxiety as Niebuhr observes, is only the context for sin, not its cause. Out base problem is unbelief. Failing to trust in the infinite God, we live anxiously, restlessly, always trying to secure and extend ourselves with finite goods that can’t take the weight we put on them…Unbelief says Niebuhr, yields anxiety, which yields alternating pride and sensuality. (Plantinga, 61)

This is the base and I agree with this assessment. We, man, want to secure for ourselves with a degree of certainty, what we can gain for ourselves. While God wants us to live dependent on him for all things, like the Israelites as they wandered the dessert getting food only daily, or the sparrow which neither reaps nor sows, God wants us to rely on him for life and our daily needs. We, however, sin marred as we are and prideful, want to usurp that power from God to ourselves. In essence, that is what I believe is the issue....

Thoughts?

How quickly things change!

"Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come." Eccl 8:7

Solomon's words have sounded so true in my ears today, and actually the last several days as I've pondered on and thought about all of the events in my life: old and new.

Today I celebrate 12 years of marriage with my wonderful wife Laurie. 12 years, absolutely unreal. Feels like they went by in the blink of an eye. I met Laurie at Kent State in 1992. We were married in 1998. What's happened in 10 years:

• A little house on North Hill
• Trips to Aruba, Vegas, Niagara Falls, Florida, Roscoe Village, York and Reading PA, and others.
• For me, jobs at Smucker's, Sterling, Shearer's and GOJO
• For Laurie, jobs at Mr. Coffee, Sunbeam, Camelot, Bear-Pelland, and the hardest one at home!
• A Sentra, Protege, Focus, Taurus, Sable, Grand Caravan, and Town and Country
• Our house in Rootstown
• Sally in 2000
• CJ in 2002
• Dale in 2005
• Luci in 2008
• Soccer, Softball, T-Ball, Baseball, Cub Scouts, VBS, and yatta, yatta, yatta
• Most importantly, 7 years ago after much praying and praying, and praying by Laurie, I was saved and turned my life over to Jesus Christ.
• And now, Seminary and church

A lot has changed in the last 12 years. Laurie has been a Saint, and I sometimes have not. The Lord could not have given me a better wife, mother, or friend.

Today on our Anniversary, we also celebrated our first service as a part of LifePointe Church, where I was introduced as the new Associate Pastor. A wonderful service where we met a lot of wonderful people as we were totally surrounded by God's love and our new family in Christ.

But looking back, it is unreal what has occurred over the last 12 years. Solomon was correct, no man knows the future and know man knows what is to come. But I know this, the Lord has blessed me richly with my wife, my kids, and our ministry.

I pray my focus remains on Christ, and am open and ready to see what changes lie ahead over the next 12 years!!

A change is a coming!

I’m writing this blog entry from a rather interesting place in my life. Many changes are in store for my ministry, and the sense of excitement and anticipation, along with a little anxiety are almost impossible to contain.

It is true that as the Lord closes some doors He opens others. We have recently announced that within a few days Turning Point Christian Ministry of Northeast Ohio will be joining LifePointe Church (formerly Atwater Baptist Church). We will then no longer be a separate ministry, but form one body as LifePointe Church. This means a new family with brothers and sisters in Christ, a new home, new and exciting opportunities to impact our surrounding communities, and new roles and responsibilities for myself and our current Sr. Pastor Ron.

As we join LifePointe, Pastor Lee who is the current Pastor of LifePointe Church will remain in the role of Lead Pastor. I am just getting to really know Lee and his family. He is a dynamic and spiritual man with a wonderful enthusiasm for the Lord and a heart for the ministry. He has a great young family and is doing much already to grow LifePointe Church and impact the community. He truly shares the vision that Ron and I had at Turning Point to be a voice for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an impactful and integral part of the community. I am looking forward to a long future and deep friendship with Lee.

Our current Sr. Pastor Ron will be moving into the role of Life Development Pastor. In this role Ron will be leading Discipleship classes, continue to grow the Pulpit Fill ministry we had started, develop a counseling ministry, and also serve as a voice of advice and counsel with his many years of experience in starting, growing and leading a congregation. I have been tremendously blessed to have had Ron come into my life. His mentorship, friendship, and leadership have been an invaluable source of comfort and growth for me and my family. Ron and his family are now a part my family and I look forward to working and growing with him for many, many years.

I will move into the role of Student and Family Connection Pastor. In this role I’ll work closely and oversee the student and youth programs in the areas of Sunday School, VBS, Bible Studies and other activities. The potential here is HUGE!! This is an area of particular excitement for me as 1) I have always had a passion for teaching and evangelism, 2) I have always had a desire to challenge and grow students to their potential for all ages: Elementary, Middle, High School and College, and 3) While I am still finishing my Seminary work this gives me an opportunity to quickly put into action some of the things I will be learning in school.

This is an exciting time and there will be a lot of combined growth for all of us since Lee, Ron and myself will all be in relatively new positions with new responsibilities. Some of us have little experience in the things we will be doing in the weeks, months and years to come. But think about it this way:

-When Abraham was enjoying his rich and plentiful life did he ever think he would be called to go to the Promised Land?

-When Moses was enjoying the splendors of Pharaoh’s court did he ever think he would be called to lead the Israelites -slaves- out of Egypt?

-When David was guarding his father’s sheep as a boy against lions and bears did he ever think he would have to fight Goliath?

-When a bunch of fisherman were working on their boats and nets did they ever think the Son of God would call them to spread the Gospel to a needy world?

-When Saul of Tarsus was trained under the best rabbinical teacher in the land and was zealously entrusted to eradicate the early Christians did he ever think he would become the Apostle Paul?

Obviously the answer to all of these is no. But then came God the Father, then came Jesus Christ, then came the Holy Spirit and made these men something other than what they were. What these men did possess was a sincere and humble heart that allowed them to submit to the Lord Almighty and be used as the “potter’s clay”…to be molded into what the Creator had in mind for them to be.

As we start on our journey as a part of LifePointe Church, it is well to remember that we must be humble enough to allow Jesus Christ to mold us into the image he wants us to be, and then to be bold and enthusiastic enough to spread the Gospel as strongly, and as joyously, and as effectively as we can!

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! May the Lord bless LifePointe Church, it’s leaders, and it’s members and may we always focus first and foremost on Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Let the adventure begin...- Amen.