Jesus Is ______: Find a New Way to Be Human

by Judah Smith

Is sin a big deal? It depends on how you look at it. Sin has three major components: guilt, power, and effect. First, the guilt of sin refers to my status of “guilty” when I sin or violate a law. For example, if I park illegally, I am guilty of breaking the law. I can be punished. And if I happen to be in downtown Kirkland, where I live, I will surely be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, because we have a parking-meter monitor who rivals the CIA in stealth and effectiveness. The government would have found Osama bin Laden years earlier if it had put her on the case. She has no grace whatsoever. Maybe I’ll give her a copy of this book. The power of sin is another matter. This refers to an inner drive to do what is wrong. It is often called temptation. Something internal pulls us toward something we know to be wrong. In the case of parking illegally, the power of sin is seen in my lack of patience to find a proper parking place and in my disregard for authority. Those are internal issues that, if unchecked, will lead me to do far worse things than park in a fire lane at the mall. Finally, the effect of sin refers to the consequences of what I do wrong. If I park illegally, the effect might be that traffic flow is hindered or a fire truck can’t get to a hydrant. Our sin always has an effect—on ourselves, on others, or both. Sometimes the effect is delayed, but sooner or later it will show up. In the case of some sins, the effect is horrific: the sexually ab...