If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.
Genesis 4:7
Dear members and friends,
Sin was a big obstacle when I was a young Christian. I accepted the accountability for my own actions without any problem. But sin was explained to me as something darker and more permanent like eternal punishment by God. Yet, when I read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, I found the message from God illustrating sin not as a permanent punishment of God, rather as a human mistake or error. Along with that one other message is very clear in the entire Old Testament: God is merciful and forgives easily.
The very first place we find the word sin in the Bible is Genesis 4:7. Interestingly, the word is mentioned by God. However, here we find a condition mentioned by God, which requires sin to be present, “if you do not do well.” The Hebrew word for “well” could also be translated as “be good” or “be pleasing,” meaning when we are being good or living a life that is pleasing to God, sin is not present. Yet, even when sin happens to be present, it is merely “lurking at the door!” The Hebrew word for “lurking” could be translated as “laying down” or “crouching.” The emphasis here is “at the door.” Sin is still outside, not inside.
What causes sin to enter inside? According to Genesis, sin enters inside when we fail to “master it.” In other words, the Bible emphasizes that sin is something that humans could master and thus keep it outside. Further, even if it breaks in from time to time, there is a way to push it outside, which is emphasized in the book of Leviticus in many different rituals of atonement. Thus, the message in the Bible is never about God punishing humans eternally for any wrong they do, but rather about God understanding the fact that it is inevitable for humans to make mistakes and errors, thus God reminds humans of the way back to the right track, which is to be well and to live a life of goodness.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment of prayer. Let us pray for our own darkness as well as our brightness. Let us also pray for all our neighbors who are not doing well, and thus struggling with the sin entering inside.
Blessings,
Rev. Junchol Lee