More on Sin, and God's Response

Yesterday I spent a bit of time looking at John's first letter, and thinking about sin and its effects, and the amazing good news of God's plan for our salvation and relationship and forgiveness.  I was thinking about what I wrote the last couple of days and thinking that it seems like a pretty minimal perspective on sin, almost too easy, and God's forgiveness so complete.  I was thinking it seemed too good to be true.

Could sin really be about relationship?  Could the reason that God is so against sin be that it means that the sinner is embracing life outside of His perfect will, and that by definition means we are experiencing less than He desires for us?  If we go back to the story of Adam and Eve, their choosing to disobey God cost them a loss of intimacy with God.  Prior to their sin they were able to walk in the garden with God in the cool of the day, afterwards they were cast out, away from His presence (Gen. 3) and lost that intimacy with God. Prior to their sin, they didn't have to work for food or provision, for everything was available to them.  Afterwards they had to work and toil, experience pain and difficulty.  They were clearly no longer experiencing the joys and benefits of God's perfect will for them - symbolized by their life in the Garden.

If I look at this from a loving Father's perspective I imagine the sadness over the poor choice, the perfect provision that is not enjoyed, and the choosing of something less then had been provided for your child.  Putting it in a modern context - imagine a father who purchases a brand new Maserati for his child's 21st birthday, and instead the child chooses to keep riding their old broken down bicycle, rejecting the father's extravagant gift.  Now imagine that in the choosing the child had believed that the gift of the Maserati was really just a means for the father to control the child from that point forward.  So not only was the child choosing to reject the father's gift but was also believing wrongly about the father's character.  Now think about the father's reaction to this, in his heart.  If I were the father, I would be quite angry with the source of the lie about my character, and greatly saddened that my child so clearly misunderstood me and my intentions.

I believe that Jesus described the Father's heart towards us sinners, those who chose poorly, in His story of the wayward son (Luke 15:11-32).  The Father is clearly saddened by his son's choices, and every day is waiting for him to come home, and when he does, restores him to rightful relationship and his status as a son.  In the story, it does not matter to the father what the son did, only that he is home, and restored to relationship and intimacy with the Father - for the first thing the Father does is embrace him.  There is no call for restitution, penance, or anything other than love and acceptance.  Again, in my mind, this just doesn't seem like a hard enough line for the Father to take, but it is exactly what Jesus describes.

In summary, I am encouraged that the Father loves us and has made a way for us to walk in relationship, through the forgiveness of our sins bu=y the Blood of Jesus.  I am so amazed that this offer is even available!   Thank You Lord!