If we go back to the beginning to our first creation story in Genesis, when God was doing all this creating, we hear that God created the heavens and the earth. There was two-tiers, two levels, two planes of existence: Heaven and Earth! In this second creation story, the Garden of Eden we get the introduction of sin. This story tried to answer the question, if God is love and God is good, why are there bad things happening, or if God is perfect, how come God's creation isn't and those who are made God's image? If God is not to blame, then it must be us, humans. This creation story predates the first creation story by quite a bit. Whereas the first Creation story is about God speaking, creation, and the goodness of all that God created, the second Creation story is about God creating all, forming creation with hands, and how sin and death came into the world. After Adam and Eve sinned and were sentenced to a harder life that ends with death, they were also given clothes and a fresh start. There is no mention of Hell or what happens after they die, because there is no Hell in Genesis. Sin is not listening to God and the punishment is being expelled to find another place.
We jump forward to the end of the Pentateuch to Deuteronomy to where Moses is bringing the people to the Promised Land. The Hebrew people have been given the 10 Commandments and the rules by which they will now live. If you listened to the blessings that are given, they are concerned with the town, the field, children, crops, livestock, your cooking instruments, and your life. There are also curses that follow, but again, they follow the day to day living of families and towns, the land and the animals. Again, there is not mention of Hell or what happens after they die, just how to live an abundant life for yourself and your children's children. Sin is not following the Commandments and breaking the covenant with God and punishment is decline, scarcity, and no grandchildren.
Throughout the first 49 books of the Bible, there is no Hell and there is no living eternally in heaven. On the last days, God will resurrect the bodies, breathe into them and they will live with God in a new Earth, a new Jerusalem when heaven comes down. There is Sheol, but that is the great nothingness we descend into when God's Spirit, Breath, Ruach leaves our body. God breathed into Adam and created humans, when we die, that breath goes back to God, and we live on our progeny and in our decaying bones. Sin is breaking covenant with God, acting unjustly to neighbors and to strangers, and being clean/kosher so one may participate in the Temple as a worshipper.
Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BCE conquered the Middle East and much of the world and brought the concept of the soul that lives beyond the body and the mythology of Hades that all humans go there after they die. Not because they are sinful, but because they are not gods! They are too weak to live on the mountaintops or in heaven. So now the world has three levels, three tiers, Heaven, Earth (probably flat), and Hell. And ha-Satan the angel from the Hebrew stories became the ruler of that underworld and had claim over all human souls. So for the first thousand years of Christianity, Jesus died not to satisfy God's anger, but to ransom his life to the Devil for all humans. It wasn't until St. Anselm in 1024 realized that Jesus didn't need to die, sacrifice himself to Satan because God was too powerful to have to make a 'deal with the devil.' St. Anselm thus concluded that humans were born in sin, carrying the curse of Adam and Eve, and deserved to go to Hell except those who accepted Jesus as their Savior. Thus sin became about honor and perfection and being able to repay God for any and every time we disobeyed and did not, could not fully honor God the way God deserved to be.
Then came the the Pilgrims and Puritans in the 16th century who believed in John Calvin's view that all humans were utterly depraved and without any good, any redeeming value except those who God has predestined to live in heaven, not on grace, forgiveness, or righteous acts. And we in America have become full of ourselves believing we are God's chosen, God's children, and we are destined for greatness here on earth and eternity in heaven. Sin is not believing that to be saved, you have to acknowledge your wretchedness and ask for forgiveness. And though all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, here in America, some are worse sinners than others, mainly those who don't believe in American, the traditional family, and power.
The Jews, for the most part, in the Biblical times and today center their religion on orthopraxy. Orthopraxy means right practice, doing the right thing. To be a Jew, you must practice the laws, rituals, and commands as the best you can. You don't have to do it perfectly and when you mess up, there are ways to make things right. Much of Christianity, not in Biblical and early times, but in Western Civilization, believe in orthodoxy. Orthodoxy means right belief. If you believe the right things about the Bible, the Creeds, and whatever your church/pastor says, then you are saved, you are going to heaven, you are better than those who remain unbelievers and unrepentant sinners.
Except, there are passages like this in 1st Corinthians that talk not about sin or honor or power or heaven or hell, but of love. Sin is doing something without love. Sin is being irritable, resentful, rejoicing in wrongdoing, boastful, arrogant, rude, and insisting on its own way. Being a Christian, being a part of God's kingdom is patience, kindness, rejoices in the truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things. Greatest is love and love never ends.
As I have said, there are over 2,000 different denominations in our country alone, each have their version of what sin is and how to be saved and what salvation means. The UCC, while not ignoring personal sin, lifts up the prophets and proclaims there is justice and the sin of countries, companies, and communities of greed, violence, apathy, and hatred are against God's kingdom. So while some churches proclaim that women sin when they do not know their place as a helper or LGBTQA+ sin because they are going against God's design, the United Church of Christ proclaims that the sin here is denying that each person, each human is created in God's image, beautiful and wonderful and has the right to fully be themself, participate fully in society and in church, and love who they want. Anything else is a sin.
The greatest commandment is to Love .... God... with all our Heart... Mind... Soul... and Strength.. and Love our... Neighbor... AS.. Ourselves! We begin that we are created in love and we are born in love and we are loved no matter what. We can continue the discussion and seek wisdom why bad things happen, why the world seems to be falling apart, at times, but we do not give one inch that love will not win out! We will not spread the rumor that some aren't worthy or some cannot be loved or that God gives up on us or anything! There is sin. There is evil, but it does not separate us from God for nothing can separate us from the love of God. Why? Because God's steadfast love endures forever, God's steadfast love endures forever. God's STeadfast Love ENDUREs ForEVER!!
Today's sermon may have been a little boring. But I want us to understand and to realize that the definition of sin, salvation, heaven, and hell has never been static, never been an eternal concept, and never has meant by God or by Jesus to keep you or anyone away from God. Very few parents would turn their back on their children for something they did, no matter how heinous, and I believe that God's love, mercy, and grace exceeds ours and never turns us away. And I believe that if we look to Matthew's final judgment, we can see sin is not about belief or personal salvation, but about whether or not we feed the hungry, visit the sick and in prison, and help those in need, in other words, if we love our neighbors, our enemies, those who are strangers or foreigners. Amen.
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