This week, we had the sobering opportunity to delve deeper into understanding humanity’s fall into sin based on Genesis 3. Our discussion in class focused on discovering some of the reasons sin often goes unseen. Some of the most compelling reasons included generational indoctrination. One of our classmates reminded us that racism is something children often learn from their parents. This was a concept not at all foreign to Platinga’s book, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, where he talks about children repeating the sins of their parents through generations. “…so sin tends both to kill and to reproduce. Indeed, like cancer, sin kills because it reproduces… Apples do not usually fall far from the tree.” (Platinga, page 55)
It also felt compelling to me to bring the words of Luther to life by sharing that, sadly, our human nature or desire is to appear good and just. Dr Jason said, “We can become absorbed in trying to justify ourselves.” We were reminded of the “radio thief” in Platinga’s writings- the little boy who steals a radio and creates lies to cover up his original lie. Sin is easy to minimise, the serpent is so cunning, and darkness makes it difficult to see arose as possible theories based on our readings. Luther said it best on page 264 of his writing: “Even when caught and held fast, they yet endeavour to slip away that they may not be confounded but may still appear good and just. This portion of poison also has been infused into our very nature…” (Luther, page 264)
More importantly and worthy of our utmost focus, we rightly divided the Word of God to focus on solutions for escaping such wretchedness. Accountability came to mind, based on my own experience as a sinner saved by grace- as a gold standard for overcoming sin. (Michelle Gold’s gold standard…No pun intended). My life, dead to sin, abuse, shame, and disgrace, was completely turned upside down by wisdom and grace shown to me in the 12-step co-dependency and small church groups over the years. Scripture shows time and again that we sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)
This sobering reminder in Luke 22:32 never ceases to move my spirit so deeply in that it displays our reliance upon the Lord and upon one another: "But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32, ESV) Regarding the ways out from under “sin’s dread sway” (a phrase from the Hymn, I’d Rather Have Jesus) Landon mentioned Platinga’s reminder to sow in the Spirit according to the Biblical mandate. It occurred to me that this concept alone calls for a much longer in-depth Bible study later. If sowing in the Spirit is a solution to sin, then essentially, we spiritually are what we spiritually eat. My dearly loved pastor in New York City urged us with a similar warning: “Watch your ear gates and watch eye gates… garbage in, garbage out.” (Pastor Alex Rivera)
There is not enough time to fully applaud the great work of Platinga in this synopsis; however, it appears to be a pivotal, truthful, and stunningly stated account on the corruption of the world. The psychological and theological breakdowns on intergenerational theory and malfunction, combined with his real-life analogies, were outstanding. Descriptions of evil were depicted by Platinga in ways that I could vividly see a boy stealing a radio, a seemingly godly father molesting his child, an Israeli hating a Palestinian, and violence that never stops. The ways in which he unravels the possible reasons for sin are wildly true.
We just touched upon solutions when the chapter ended. At one point, the author suggested genuine repentance and support. He also discussed how a child taking on a parental role of nurturing could greatly disrupt the family. (Platinga, 66) One suggestion is made in combatting violence was to consider and try to repair the peoples’ grievances through statecraft. Platinga’s assertion for man to begin to take responsibility for his actions challenged my thinking. In a world where sin is often blamed on a lack of social justice, it occurred to me that blaming sin on the system could be more dangerous than I had originally considered.
Like refreshing showers on a dry land, we were left with random yet passionate exhortations from other classmates and from the professor. Dr. Jason warned us about our guilty conscious and the temptation to ruminate. I imagined the opposite of rumination could be to fall at the feet of our redeemer and confess, to surround ourselves and soak our souls in the Word of God as Luther might have suggested if he could speak today. Dr. Jason reminded us to trust in the Messiah.
Josiah Northcutt reminded us that our motive in being moulded into the image of God need not be for the promise of moral dessert but instead for the joy of being a branch or representative. As I listened to the wisdom which surrounded me, it also occurred to me that the temptation to not seek accountability could be our demise. “Isolation is the devil’s playground,” I suggested. Dr. Jason reminded us to listen to (consider as a warning but do not follow) the critics of Christianity to see our blind spots and walk more closely with the Lord. Inspired by the Favale chapter we read last week, as class came to an end, I recalled the great opportunity to influence we have been given as believers in Yeshua. I was reminded again of my specific calling and opportunity to be an image bearer. And I walked away from my classmates more inspired to draw closer to my King than I had been the day before.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Luther, Martin. Luther on the Creation: Excerpts from Genesis 3:1-7. Translated by John Nicholas Lenker. Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 2013.
Plantinga, Cornelius, Jr. Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995.