Sin and Christian Psychology: Sin as Pervasive

Posted on May 16, 2008

Mike McGuire
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

The saying “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” appears to apply not only to groups, but to individuals, for sin has been observed to be pervasive. To combine this with the idea of sin as pollution (see my last blog) is to realize that the corrupting influence of sin pervades all that we are individually and socially. Now, how might this pervasiveness of pollution provide potential insights for a Christian view of human dysfunction?
First, we might consider what we learn about humans from the Bible and think about what these aspects might be as they were fully functional in a pre-fallen state. If we observe humans as they are described in the Bible, we find they are physical, spiritual, moral, thinking, feeling, language using, sexual, familial, and social creatures, and we find they were placed in the perfect environment for such creatures to thrive. Thus each aspect functioned properly individually and one would reasonably expect that they functioned together in an integrated fashion. We also discover from the Bible that humans were created this way in order to exercise dominion over the earth and in order to fill the earth and subdue it for God.

Second, with this done, we might want to think through what it might mean for each of these aspects to be polluted by sin and thus for each aspect to dysfunction (assuming a pervasive sinfulness produces a pervasive dysfunction). Thus we humans become dysfunctional physically, spiritually, morally, cognitively, emotionally, linguistically, sexually, familially, and socially. Our God given ability to have dominion becomes dysfunctional. Sex and reproduction become dysfunctional. The integrity of the original humans becomes a bit disintegrated. Our thinking doesn’t quite line up with our feelings and our intentions don’t quite line up with our behaviors.

Now, if this brief analysis is correct, then sin is far more complex that we usually think of it. First, sin is not merely a moral fault: it pollutes that which was well designed, it corrupts it, and it causes it to dysfunction. Thus, moral reformation is thus not sufficient to cure all human dysfunction. Adding less pollution may prove helpful, but it doesn’t necessarily return the organism to a functional state. Second, this analysis describes the types of problems that people bring to counselors. Just reread the list and compare it to your counselees. Third, one does not have to be very creative to see the similarity of this list of dysfunctional aspects of humans and the history of counseling theories. Consider behavioral theories, developmental theories, cognitive theories, moral theories, cognitive-behavioral theories, family theories, postmodern (linguistic) theories, and biological theories. These theoreticians are not blind to the dysfunction; they are only blind to the divinely revealed, spiritual aspects of the dysfunction. They do not understand its ultimate cause and its true context. Fourth, the ultimate cleansing has been prepared, and we groan together with the creation waiting for that time. Fifth, until that time people need others who understand the cause and the context and who are willing to wade into the pollution found in this present world in order to help.

Sin and Christian Psychology: Sin as Pollution

Posted on May 9, 2008

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