[asa] Revisiting sin and corruption

Hello again, Murray et al...

At the risk of doing a disservice to Bernie's quest and way, there has
passed this way the language of free-will as contrasted with enslaved
will, along with a fleeting question as to a definition of sin. Those
seem to be pretty interwoven.

I struggle with this free-will vs enslaved will characterization and
wonder - a la Bernie - if one would venture a crisp definition of sin
and how that works out in fair specifics as enslavement vs free-will. I
expect that "enslavement" is probably hyperbole, but I also think it is
...well ...damaging. Isn't there some validity to the idea of thinking
our way into an attitude of enslavement, rather than freedom? And isn't
that freedom more the theme of Jesus' teaching? That would seem to
affirm the free-will characterization.

I am well acquainted with the comfortable free-flowing nature of
references to the corrupt nature of man in mainstream life, but I
(obviously) question that characterization. I just don't see a devotion
in most people to making an endless concatenated string of suboptimal -
sinful - decisions. Rather I see those potentially relationship-damaging
choices as episodic and relatively rare along a timeline of real life
and living (again, for most folks). The corruption notion seems
unnecessary, and however subtle or civilized, even perhaps akin to
uncomplimentary-to-the-Creator self-flagellation. Again, I pose the
question as to what other part of Creation we would dare to characterize
as "corrupt". Who in the light of God's demonstrated creative capacity
is presumed to have sufficient power to do that to His Creation and its
elements? Me?

In some ways, it seems to me that the idea that we are intrinsically
enslaved serves only to deflect, to some extent, attention away from our
own immaturity, and perhaps accountability, with respect to
moment-by-moment choosing (isn't that what we do?) the "non-sin " path
(assuming I have a decent working definition of what that might be in
the workings of daily life). [I do recognize the distinction between sin
and sins].

So I guess in short, my question is: what might be those
actions/activities (in Bernie specifics) that dominate a typical daily
timeline of life to such an extent as to validate total corruption of
the "liver"? To "love God" might not be specific enough here.
In fair disclosure, perhaps, I am biased by both the content and the
order of Micah 6:8 and its counterparts in other portions of scripture,
newer and older.

Again, if this seems to be leaning toward off-theme for this list, where
else would you suggest one would go in search of such thoughtful,
articulate and temperate conversation with folks having an active left
brain?

This is such a large and cool living room!!

JimA

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Received on Sun Oct 4 16:24:48 2009