Most people will agree that there is something wrong with life as we experience it. Few would doubt that life could be better or that there is a problem with the way things are. A persistent danger of our age is to think too superficially about sin and the impact of our rebellion against the reign of God over us. Right thinking about what is wrong with life is essential to following Christ appropriately, and to free us from the dual dangers of cynicism and romanticism. There is a tendency to reduce sin to a series of named activities (which may be loosely based on the Scriptures but which vary from culture to culture). This leads to inadequate and unsatisfying responses to the problem of our radical separation from God and its impact on us. In reducing the gap between the holiness of God and the rebellious heart of human beings we limit our understanding of the gracious character of God in His redemptive work in history. This reduces our sense of wonder, humility, gratitude and worship.

Separation from God touches every area of human life. When the Reformers talked about total or radical depravity they meant that all parts of what makes us human, our emotions, conscience, will, creativity and reason are damaged or corrupted and in rebellion against God. The good we do is not completely pure, even as our evil acts, thoughts and intention are not always as bad as they could be. Faith is a gift from God and our coming to faith requires an act of regeneration from Him. Thus we are not born again through an act of our own will. In the process of sanctification, Christians are too often left unarmed and unmotivated by weak concepts of the active power of sin, emotive responses to authority and law, a lukewarm commitment to the perfection of God and an impotent sense of hope.

The fruit of a life confronted by and freed from the power and guilt of sin should be gratitude and profound humility, replacing legalism, quick fix “how tos” and behaviour management that leave people feeling purposeless, powerless, guilty, hopeless and cheapened. Weak views of sin result in disappointment in relationships when the expectations and demands we place on others are not met. We are surprised at their (and our) failing. Sin, in the 21st Century, has been marginalized by psychology, genetics and philosophy. Personal responsibility for actions taken has been diminished and blame shifted to government, educational deficiency or parental failure. The problem of evil is the greatest problem facing human beings on many levels. The roots of sin are deep. In the area of apologetics the problem of evil raises large emotional and intellectual barriers to faith and faithfulness. Sin is radical, all pervasive, an active force. Its corrupting power affects our personal lives, our close relationships and the operations of society. It is simply not the way things are supposed to be.