Seeing People as Sinners

"The word sinner is a theological designation. It is essential to insist on this. It is not a moralistic judgement. It is not a word that places humans somewhere along a continuum ranging from angel to ape, assessing them as relatively 'good' or 'bad.' It designates humans in relation to God and sees them as separated from God. Sinner means something is awry between humans and God. In that state people may be wicked, unhappy anxious, and poor. Or, they may be virtuous, happy and affluent. Those items are not part of the judgment. The theological fact is that humans are not close to God and are not serving God.

To see a person a sinner then, is not to see him or her as hypocritical, disgusting, or evil. Most sinners are very nice people. To call a man a sinner is not a blast at his manners or his morals. It is a theological belief that the thing that matters most to him is forgiveness and grace.

If a pastor finds himself resenting his people, getting petulant and haranguing them, that is a sign that he or she has quit thinking of them as sinners who bring "nothing in themselves of worth" and has secretly invested them with divine attributes of love, strength, compassion, and joy. They, of course, do not have these attributes in any mature measure and so will disappoint him or her every time. On the other hand, if the pastor rigorously defines people as fellow sinners, he or she will be prepared to share grief, shortcomings, pain, failure, and have plenty of time left over to watch for signs of God's grace operating in this wilderness, and then fill the air with praises for what he discovers. 

An understanding of people as sinners enables a pastoral ministry to function without anger. Accumulated resentment (a constant threat to pastors) is dissolved when unreal- that is, untheological- presuppositions are abandoned. If people are sinners then pastor's can concentrate on talking about God's action in Jesus Christ instead of lamenting how bad the people are. We already know they can't make it. We already have accepted their depravity. We didn't engage to be pastor to relax in their care or entrust ourselves to their saintly ways. 'Cursed be he that trusteth in man, even if he be a pious man, or perhaps, particularly if he be a pious man.' (Reinhold Niebuhr) We have come among the people to talk about Jesus Christ. Grace is the main subject of pastoral conversation and preaching."

- Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor

Comments

[Aj]

Reminds me of Watchman Nee in "The Normal Christian Life" describing us as factories that produce sin: you can be a nice factory that produces sin, or a mean factory that produces sin, but no matter what you do, you produce sin. I'm sure I'm butchering his analogy, but hopefully it matches up some with his intent.

Thanks for the clarity.

[Jimmy Harvey]

Interesting post. It makes me wonder how many pastors are like this? Reminds me of the discussion as to whether humans are innately 'good, neutral or bad.' Alot of my counseling training has left me thinkin 'good', while reformant styled theology has me thinkin 'bad.' I also think sin also extends into the philosophical as well.

I like the analogy Aj, I'll have to keep it in mind.

Jimmy