Sick in Sin
‘Tis the season for the head-cold… fa la la la la, la la la la (or the stomach flu).
This is the time of year when it seems like virtually everyone is either sick, about to get sick, or recovering from being sick. This permafrost of stuffy noses, plugged sinuses and gurgling tummies has made me think a lot about sin.
In the West (most Christians we know), we often talk about sin in legal terms. A simplified version goes like this: We are guilty and stand before the Judgment seat of God the Father Almighty. Jesus Christ, God the Son, steps into our place and not only takes our punishment but shares his righteousness with us.
With all due process–er, respect–to the attorneys out there, I think we have been far too enthralled by this model for understanding Christ’s work of redemption for us. But before I begin to take it apart, let me tell you what I do like about this model: It it squarely focused on Christ and his redemptive work on our behalf. Christ is the one who saves. Christ deals fully with the sin of the world (past, present and future) on the Cross. We have no chance apart from him. There is no question who stands “in our place.”
What I think this model fails to answer is how Christ’s work is “for us,” that is, how Christ’s redemptive and saving works becomes real in our lives here and now. I mean, if it is just that we are “pronounced” free/innocent, the question that remains for me is something like: “OK, but what do I do when I get out of jail?”
In the Eastern part of the Church, legal language for sin is replaced largely by the language of sin and sickness. We are literally sick with sin. It infects every facet of our lives. And more than simply being declared righteousness, we need healing, we need to be cured. I find this understanding of sin as sickness incredibly important in reflecting on what exactly sin does to us, what it is that Jesus saves us from, and what being “saved” really means.
First, a caveat: There is no “neat” relationship between sickness and sin. I write this against those who would make a necessary link always between one who is sick and their sin. Being sick does not prove a specific act of sin. Rather, I think, it speaks to the whole human condition under sin: that it is literally poisoning the whole of who we are: body, soul, mind and spirit.
If we are sick with sin, then what we need is not an announcement, but healing, a cure. Sin is literally eating away at us, making us lethargic and draining the lifeblood from us. Sin is slowly killing us. Enter Jesus, who seems to be healing all the time. As I read through the gospels I am struck by how often Jesus’ ministry is a ministry of healing: the blind see; the deaf hear; the lame and crippled walk; the dumb speak! And all of this is not separate from Jesus’ work of redemption but an intrinsic part of it. The word used in the New Testament for “healing” also means “salvation” (sozo).
In this understanding, Jesus takes all of our sickness (sin) upon himself on the cross, even sickness (sin) to the point of death and then literally swallows it all up into himself, bearing our sin. Then comes the empty tomb. Then comes the Resurrected Christ in the Body, restoring our sick human flesh to wholeness, to newness, to new life.
Therefore our ministry on this side of the Second Coming is like hospital work: one sick person caring for another with the healing gifts that come only through Jesus, the Great Physician.
Lord Jesus, we are literally sick with sin. We’re dying here. Save us from our sin; heal us and make us whole. Amen.
Advent
Advent is now underway. I too get caught up in the busy-ness of the pre-Christmas season. I think that is why I look forward to the Season of Advent. For this is serious business, preparing ourselves for our Lord’s return. If you would like to read more about it as we journey through Hebrews, see this blog.
Upcoming Events
Today is World AIDS day. I encourage you today to take time to pray for all who afflicted by this disease, as well as their families and friends
If you have the chance, I highly recommend checking out all or part of the Lutheran Revival that is happening Friday evening and all day Saturday in Bowling Green.