By Rev. Rob Roy McGregor
n order to follow Jesus’ instruc- tions on how to be a Christian, we need to look at what makes a sin sin or why a sin is sin. While sin mani- fests itself universally in many ways in human life, there is one thing that characterizes every sin! And that is that it breaks peace between individu- als and God and between individuals. - esis is that of God at peace with the - selves at peace with one another and with God. The peace is broken and the remaining story of Holy Scripture is the restoration of that perfect peace between humans and between hu- mans and God.
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Sin, then, is any word, thought, or deed that breaks peace between indi- viduals or groups, whether members of a family, a community, or a nation- al or international community.
resulting from broken peace must ex- justly, equitably, and without preju- dice, the father of discrimination, for discrimination by its very nature breaks peace and is sin.
Our conclusion must be, then, that the unrecognized and unnamed sin in all human relationships is dis- crimination! We further conclude that the res- toration of peace arrived at by deter- mining, without discrimination, what is fair and just, what is right in the view of all concerned, to the extent - thew 6:33).
Jesus understood that the sum- mary nature of sin was anything that broke peace between individu- als, anything that interrupted the harmony that existed between them, anything that set them at variance with one another. In other words, he understood that something had gone wrong between individuals and
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or before standing before the adjudicating magistrate without the restoration of that they are indeed blessed if they hunger and thirst to do the right thing, for Jesus, also understanding that the disciples would have questions about how to attack the problem of doing the right thing, tells them that they will have to 5:44), without distinction, great and small, irrespective of tribe, tongue, people human dignity. Just as God does not discriminate by depriving the just and the them of what is right, equitable, fair, and just when dealing with them accord- ing to their deeds that break peace or make peace.
Since it might be discouraging to have to be like God when dealing with oth- ers by doing what is right, Jesus informs his hearers that it is easier than they think. They do not have to have a knowledge of the law and the prophets. They have but to put themselves in the other person’s shoes and hunger and thirst for the right thing to be done to and for themselves. That is all it takes to engage — every individual who draws breath — is too self-assertive, too personally ag- gressive, too self-willed to employ that simple technique. He does not say that disciple depends upon the disciple’s personal character and that he is indeed blessed to that end if he is poor in spirit and suffers with those who sorrow, suffer, and grieve, if he is meek, hungry and thirsty for what is right, and is merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and strong enough to endure persecution as he tells them the kind of people they will have to be if they are to exercise righteousness the way the Triune God does.
Inasmuch as the beatitudes do not describe the disciples, the disciples need a character and that matches Jesus’s, a new character, and Jesus tells them they First of all, Jesus recommends that Christians “get in character,” that they marshal their beatitudes, their blessedness, those feelings belonging to their new spiritual life, and then proceed to do unto others as they would have oth- ers do unto them. It is not likely, then, that Christians will make others feel bad or less human about something they have no control over, like the color of their skin, the gender of their body, the natural dispositions they are born with, their language or national origin. Christians will not likely be prejudiced and discriminate against others and deprive them of privileges of service and op- portunities based on the same personal features. They are, as Jesus points out, the recipients of God’s equitable rain and sunshine. Jesus’s point is clear! It needs only to be expanded and brought into stricter focus. For example, it would be unbecoming of Christians to disadvantage an- other person by standing in the way of or working against his rights, dignity, integrity, or worth — that is, anything associated with another person’s God- given humanity. That, then, according to Jesus, is how Christians are to be Christian.
The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
Devotion
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