QUESTION No. 18 - SUNDAY August 16, 2026
Q. Why don't we talk about sin?
Want to watch people squirm? Say the word “sin” or “that’s sinful” in a mixed crowd.
Strange to witness such behavior in a world that views religion as a quaint remnant sect of loonies clinging desperately to the second coming.
Why does the word “sin” make people uneasy?
“… sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.”
- Genesis 4:7
I hesitate to even bring up the word here. But if we wish to somehow find our way back to virtuous civility, let alone salvation, the subject of sin must be dragged forward, front and center.
What exactly is sin?
Do we all sin?
How many is too many?
.....
Not only do we all sin, we sin a lot. The world is filled with sin. We all know it. But no one points it out. We hate to even hear the word much less discuss it.
The concept of sin comes pre-loaded with heaviness. It has been referred to as cosmic treason, a disordering of the universe, a falsified existence. Sin is said to cause humanity to descend toward dissolution and non-being.
“Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”
- Romans 5:12
One sin begets another. Each instance a catalyst to forming a habit where the next sin is easier than the last.
So, what exactly is the consequence of sin?
The consequence of sin is death, and the wrath of God.
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."
- Ephesians 5:6
A WORD ON THE WORD: The Hebrew word avon (ah-VOHN) is "to bend, twist, make crooked." The noun does not name an abstract moral category; it suggests a bentness. The common biblical phrase is ‘nasa avon’: to lift/bear a burden, to suffer your own consequence. To shed sin, Leviticus puts the weight on a goat (scapegoat) and sends it into the wilderness. In Isaiah it’s put on a servant. In Exodus, it is God Himself who carries it. The implication: sin's consequence is not a penalty imposed from outside onto one who remains intact. It is a deformation of the person - the sinner comes out a different shape from when he went in.
Perhaps we ignore sin because it appears a moral illusion. When committed, nothing immediate occurs. And yet with the act of sin, much unseen is immediately put into motion.
Dissonant ripples move out from the source along invisible paths that alter the spiritual condition of shared human space.
Waves intersect with one another. Each impact disorders the universe further. Some waves sync up and rise higher, becoming even more destructive, ruining relationships, amplifying hostilities, shattering communities, destabilizing nations.
"For you have ordered it, and it is so, that every disordered soul is its own punishment."
- Augustine, Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 12
Every sin requires a human agent. And every sin carries a dual load – against the self, and against God.
With the right configuration, all is said to be forgiven.
Only one sin however, remains unforgivable – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. A deliberate, persistent, and hardened refusal to accept the truth of God's work. A sinner’s continued refusal to turn away from sin and seek repentance.
Not forgiveness, repentance - the willing transformation of one’s heart and mind.
“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
- Mark 3:28-29
When Jesus begins a sentence, “Truly I tell you…”, better listen and listen hard.
He knows, sin changes us. One at a time, and then altogether.
Sin carries the weight of forever.
What will be the last sin committed?
Who will commit it?
Who will be left?
“The earth is defiled by its people;
they have disobeyed the laws,
violated the statutes
and broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse consumes the earth.”
- Isaiah 24:5-6
BoBQ Vol. 8 pg. 63-64