Unlike sex, in our culture today, sin is not something you mention in public. Since tolerance is the essential virtue in our democratic secularized society, Alan Bloom in his book, The Closing of the American Mind noted that the only sin left today is to say that there is sin. Can you imagine anything more rude than to call someone a sinner? It’s worse than burping in public!
Even in the church today sin is not a particularly welcome subject. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. in his book on sin, one of the few books published in recent years addressing the subject, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, observes that while preachers of the past used to thunder about sin, today we hardly mumble about it.
What happened? Somehow the 1500 year teaching of Christendom authoritatively articulated by Augustine in the 5th century concerning the flawed and sinful character of the human race was displaced in a matter of 200 years by Rousseau’s teaching on the basic goodness of humanity.
The Heidelberg Catechism, written in the 16th century, a period of Christian history in which sin was taken seriously, provides helpful corrective instruction for a 21st century church that needs to rediscover the reality of sin.
After a brilliantly concise overview of the Christian doctrine in the second question, the Heidelberg Catechism addresses the issue of sin in a brief span of 9 questions. After having worked through those nine questions we will know:
“how great our sin and misery are”
so that we will be eagerly ready to learn
“how we are set free from all our sins and misery.” (Question 2)
What is Sin?
The first two questions in this section on the human condition, questions 3 and 4, set sin in the context of both law and relationship.
In earlier ages the church was tempted to understand sin as the breaking of rules required by God. In a post modern culture that places priority on relationships, we can be tempted to see sin as merely a failure to love. Observe how the Heidelberg addresses the issue of sin:
Question 3. How do you know your misery? A. The law of God tells me.
Question 4. What does God’s law require of us? A. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22—Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
These two questions taken together avoid a polarization of law and relationship, bringing together both love and obedience.
Character and Conduct
Sin is never merely a matter of conduct but of character, as God is not merely concerned with our sins, but our sin. Questions 5-11, explore the questions of character that sin raises with an eye both to the character of God and the character of the human race.
- Question 5 “Can you live up to all this perfectly?” addresses our human innate inclination to sin
- Questions 6 “Did God create people so wicked and perverse?” addresses our human innate twisting from the original condition of righteousness
- Question 7 “Then where does this corrupt human nature come from?” lodges the original human corruption with our first parents, Adam and Eve.
- Question 8 “But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil?” articulates our human inability to change without the help of God
- Question 9 “But doesn’t God do us an injustice by requiring in his law what we are unable to do?” speaks to the character of God as a just God for judging us
- Question 10 “Will God permit such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished?” and Question 11 “But isn’t God also merciful?” together articulate the necessity of God to judge us for sin even in the light of his mercy.
Reflection on the Catechism
As you read over the questions and the issues they address what responses do you have?
- What do you like about the way the Heidelberg addresses sin?
- What make you uncomfortable about the way the Heidelberg addresses sin?
- What questions or concerns do you have about sin that are not addressed?
Reflection of Scripture
- In Romans 3:9-20 Paul provides a penetrating analysis of sin. Observe the number of times Paul uses the phrase, “no one.” How does Paul’s concept of the universality of sin relate to the Heidelberg?
- Notice the different body parts that are mentioned: how is Paul’s understanding of the pervasiveness of sin reflected in the Heidelberg?
- How is the role of the “law” in this passage similar or different from the use of the law in the Heidelberg? How does Paul’s use of the law compare to the way you think of the law of God?
- Given the influence of our culture to discount sin, how conscious are you of sin in your life?
- How conscious are you of sin in the world?
- How would you say your consciousness or lack of consciousness of sin impacts your experience of your life in Christ?
- What might have to change in your thoughts and actions to appropriately “give sin its due”?
Conclusion
It is worth noting that these 9 questions on sin together comprise the entire content of section I. The remaining two sections will take 119 questions!
The Heidelberg Catechism portrays sin as an essential strand in the web of the Christian faith. Take sin away and the whole matrix of beliefs which comprise Christian doctrine unravels. Give sin its due and the majestic redemption of the world achieved by Christ opens up to us.
This study first appeared in Theology Matters, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Mar/Apr 2004).
