God can help us not hurt others

Rob Martin, pastor, Vineyard Church, 1141 Mass. (South Park Recreation Center):

In order to compare the differences, we need to define the terms. What is a sin? A sin is breaking God’s law. What is God’s law; rather, what is the basis of all God’s laws? The greatest commandment that encompasses all laws is to love God with every fiber of who we are – our spirit, our intellect and our body – and to love others as well as we love ourselves.

What, then, is a wrongdoing? It is wronging somebody. Either wronging God, another person or ourselves. Is it possible to wrong somebody (God, you or me) from a motive of love? I don’t think so. To wrong another implies hurting them. To hurt somebody is to not demonstrate love for them because it is devaluing them.

Sometimes we may need to do something that causes pain or discomfort, but it is not with the intention of hurting, but of helping. As wrongdoing and sin are hurting, they do not have a positive outcome.

If we love God fully, love others fully and love the creation that God made that is us fully, we will not wrong any or all of these three. When we wrong (sin against) one of these three, it shows an area that we do not truly love fully.

This shows us areas of our lives in which we have a sin issue that need to be resolved. Because everybody has harmed or inflicted hurt to one and all of the three (God, others and ourselves), we see that all of us have sinned. Now comes the pivotal question: How do we resolve sin issues? That is what Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is all about.

– Send e-mail to Rob Martin at robmartin@lawrencevineyard.org.

Sinners’ tendency is to downplay actions

The Rev. Bill Woodard, pastor, West Side Presbyterian Church, 1024 Kasold Drive:

How many of us, when confronted with doing something wrong, have said, “I’m only human”?

We like to think of things we do wrong in terms of size and importance – little lies vs. big lies; going five miles over the speed limit vs. 20; buying illegal drugs for personal use instead of being a dealer.

We do this to minimize, in our minds, the wrongfulness of the act. Little is not so bad, therefore we are not so bad. Keeping it very simple, the Apostle Paul says we are all in a state of sin. Or if you prefer, we are human. And, Paul says, we commit sins or wrongdoings.

We have no choice in the matter. We will commit sins or wrongdoings. That’s who we are – in a state of sin. Christians believe that sins are the breaking of God’s laws, and this includes the health, safety and welfare of all of God’s creation.

Any wrongdoing against creation also is against God. The result of committing sins is our death. But we do have a choice. We can become mired in the muck of sin – helpless, lonely in pain. We basically become a slave to this muck, as Paul says.

But we can choose Christ, the one who died, not because he was sinful, but because he was the one who could overcome our sinfulness for us. We have hope in Christ. We are still in a state of sin, but we aren’t a slave to it.

– Send e-mail to Bill Woodard at revwood2000@hotmail.com.