Sin and salvation: An intriguing formula

Dr. John Mohan Razu, Professor of Social Ethics, CTC, Mokokchung [dropcap]S[/dropcap]in and salvation are two-sides of a coin posing existential questions. Hence, these two terms are dynamically and dialectically webbed with each other. These two doctrines are to be understood by delving deep into the biblical and theological sources. SIN AS ALIENATION AND SINS OF ALIENATION “Over the past decades, biblical scholars have warned us time and again that we cannot understand the biblical message about sin and conversion unless we consider each individual writer and each book of the Old and New Testaments in its historical context … It is never abstract and timeless but is always integrated into the concrete message of salvation … at a certain historical moment.” It clearly reminds and informs us that we should never ignore the historical context of the biblical teachings on sin. With our unflinching fidelity to the Bible and infallibility of the Scripture, we can speak of sin only with our yearnings on the salvation in which we are called to enter into saving-activity of God.Due to ambivalent nature of our understanding of the world in which we live we come across Jesus interceding: “I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn 17: 15-16). So, the concept of alienation both from God and one’s neighbour is the key for a theology of sin. It is a call to individual and collective salvation from the world of pulls and pushes, dubious distinctions, acquisitions, avarice and greed, self-interests and self-aggrandizements, and from the polarizations fostered by human systems, structures, divides and divisiveness. We believe in God who is the Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. In this context our faith is an intense and dynamic relation between the believer and the One to whom the belief is attributed. So, “A person’s decisive moral and religious choice lies in whether or not he wants to know God more and more, and honor him who is the origin, centre and goal of our life. Today we not are interested in theoretical discussions and assertions about the existence or non-existence of God as ‘a higher being’ or ‘prime cause’ or whatever, if this has nothing to do with the ordering of man’s life.” In conjunction to the above, Paul, in his letter to the Romans, sheds much light on this theme. He emphatically asserts that those who negate the existence of God or refuse to know God are alienated. In view of this fact they are alienated from their God and neighbors and thus from integral human life. “For we see divine retribution revealed from heaven and falling upon all the godless … they are stifling the truth … Thus, because they have not seen fit to acknowledge God, he has given them up to their own depraved reason. This leads them to break all rules of God. They are filled with every kind of injustice, mischief, rapacity, and malice … They show no loyalty to parents, no conscience, no fidelity to their plighted word … Not only so, they actually applaud such practices” (Rom 1: 18-32). Manipulation of fellow human beings manifests that alienation which begins with a refusal to honor God and to honor others who have the image and likeness of God. Sin, therefore, has ripped open the fragility and vulnerability of humans resulting in the alienation of him/her from neighbors, fellow human beings and the world around him/her. Hence, humans per se fall into the slavery and alienation of sinfulness. It is therefore, a common Christian teaching that God created humans in His image (imago dei). But the human nature filled with all sort of instincts and desires distorting that image that was given to us (Rom. 6:1-4, 11:1-9). The Bible depicts this feature as sin which means failing in, falling short of, one’s intention, the missing of the mark. In this sense, human beings failed because of their pride that prevented from establishing the communion with God and one another to which they are originally called. Sin could also be defined as the destruction of the totality, the break of positive relations -- indeed, of the human community – revolt against and violation of covenant, alienation between God and humankind. The New Testament continues this line of thought stressing the failure to exercise love towards one’s neighbor as sinful. In the final analysis, “the Bible as a whole condemns any human approach and any mentality directed against God and humankind as sinful transgression of the boundaries and limits inherent in divine creation and human createdness.” Out of a maze of definitions and theological articulations: “This sin (singular) against God becomes concrete in the sins (plural) against his creatures. The alienation between God and God’s creation is, however, part of the human condition, from which we cannot escape (Rom 3:23). Humankind does not just act sinfully; it is sinful.” We need to arrive at a satisfactory understanding of the doctrine of original sin. “This doctrine expresses the conviction that sin, though universal, is not necessary, holding human beings, who have committed the breach of solidarity with their Creator and one another, paradoxically responsible in united solidarity of sin and guilt.” In view of our callousness, total decadence and arrogance totally depending on our intellect, free-will, uncanny discernment and erratic behavior seem to be drifting away from our Creator. It in this context the Gospel calls us back to be in communion with God promising redemption and forgiveness of sin. This offer is made possible because Jesus Christ who took upon himself the guilt of humankind and punished although he was innocent. Despite our fallings, failures and frailties, “Christ did what human beings ought to have done – bore the divine condemnation merited by human sin – and thus through dying in their place, he won the righteousness required from them … Through faith in Jesus Christ humankind now participates in his justice … from having been instruments of and slaves to sinfulness into becoming instruments of and slaves to righteousness (Rom 6: 12-13).” AMIDST A MAZE OF UNDERSTANDINGS Sin is natural for man in the sense that it is universal but Not in the sense that it is necessary. ----Reinhold Niebuhr Sin is a much broader concept. Sin cannot be zeroed down to a particular aspect such as psychological or physical or disease-prone or something else. Sin has always understood particularly traditionally perceived as a universal category, and not something which only a particular segment of the population experiences. Therefore, “Sin has to do with a more generally shared human inclination.” Sin is a theological category. In this context the Gospel clearly reiterates that nobody is perfect and everyone has sinned in one way or other. So, bashing people based upon certain habits and branding them as sinners lead to blatant reductionism. So, “Sin has a way of blinding us to our own complicity. Victimization, on the other hand, is capable of insight and greater self-understanding. Hunsinger argue that while salvation is an eternal issue, healing our psychological dysfunctions is a this-worldly activity.” In our society sin has been understood in many ways. Therefore, sin as a Christian doctrine, needs deeper probing, greater self-understanding and appropriate definition. In recent times a great deal of attention is given to the dynamics of addiction to electronic gadgets, alcohol, gambling, Internet, face book, shopping spree, pornography, profit-maximization, accumulation of wealth through dubious means, acquisition of unlimited wants, consumerism, power-mongering and others. People are addicted to alcohol, tobacco products and host of other things. As Christians how do we look and treat those who are addicted? How does the Church view addiction and treat the addicts? Prior to inferring any derogatory statement we need to know the meaning and content of addiction. “While the term addiction was originally employed to describe a perpetual dependency on a mood-altering substance, it is now also used to describe an attachment to any mood-altering experience which has negative, damaging consequences for one’s life… The question becomes: Are we pushing the term addiction so hard that it takes away our sense of personal responsibility? Some think that what is so easily labeled “addiction” should actually be called a bad habit. In such behavior, there is not a loss of willpower and control as there is in chemical dependency. Others argue that chemical dependencies reveal a tragic, but a far more general, problem than we had previously thought.” As observed, sin has many facets: personal/individual/familial, communitarian/corporate, societal and structural. Each facet is mutually connected and hangs on maintaining a delicate balance with each other. Therefore, we will have to balance all aspects and thus respond and treat them with apt care and diligence. Focusing and acting upon exclusively on individuals disfigures and distorts the larger picture of sin. It is important to bear in mind that we are individuals as well as social beings, and so, whenever one aspect is maximized and the other facet gets minimized, and in the process we end up in lopsided understanding of sin. SALVIFIC ACTIVITY OF GOD (SALVATION)—A CONTINUOUS PROCESS ‘Salvation’ should never be construed as exclusively a supernatural concept. The Old Testament view of salvation appears in passages which recount events of deliverance and liberation. And it also condones the blessings granted and promised, of peace and life. Further, salvation is not only deliverance and peace for the individual, but for the whole people of God. The fundamental paradigm is found in the exodus where the Israelites tasted their freedom from captivity as promised by Yahweh. The liberation process from Egypt and the entry to Promised Land portrays that the Israelites live and lead life without hindrance in the service of Yahweh. It includes spiritual, physical and social well-being of the total community. I am surprised that many who talk of salvation fail to concretize the issues that the people face in social, economic or even political spheres. By and large the interpretations that we hear and read are either spiritualized or personalized formulations that do not take the real world seriously. On the contrary salvation in the Bible is a multi-dimensional gift of God that is experienced all the time here and now. It is relational and thus acquires fuller meaning when it is applied in relation to the context-specificities. So, salvation is very much horizontally-geared towards humanity. And in that God becoming human taking human form posits horizontal relationship and opens up the possibility of immanent-transcendent dynamic. Further, “That justification by faith is the major expression of biblical salvation … in Romans 1: 16-17. Here the apostle calls attention to the Gospel. God’s good news to guilty sinned. He unequivocally affirms that God’s righteousness has been revealed, and it has been revealed to the whole world in the Gospel which is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The doctrine of salvation is crucial and far-reaching importance for all people everywhere. If the meaning and means of salvation is wrongly interpreted and understood, it would lead to alarming and dangerous consequences. Paul centers his understanding of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. Likewise M.M. Thomas emphasizes that Christ-centered life is to be lived out in our concrete situation that fosters true humanization. M.M, Thomas in a nutshell defines “Salvation is the spiritual inwardness of true humanization and humanization is inherent in the message of salvation in Christ.” M.M. Thomas was fully convinced that for a multi-religious and plural country like India humanization plays an important part concerning salvation. For instance, M.M. Thomas reiterates that “… it is the theme of humanization which provides the most relevant point of entry for any Christian dialogue on Salvation in Christ at both spiritual and theological depths.” We should not all the time bang on Fall-Crucifixion axis, rather move towards Creation-Resurrection dynamic. Salvation is a historical reality, the salvific history of God should be presented appropriately so that we may perceive and interpret history in proper manner. Salvation is an ongoing continuum that shows the present in line with God’s all-embracing design and purpose. God’s redeeming activity never ceases. Salvation history is a faith-filled history that opens up the vast expanse of human existential trajectory. Salvation history has the most cherishing and celebrative meaning. It presents God’s creative and redemptive presence in this world. The challenges are enormous while explicating sin and salvation.