I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I have been pondering this in my heart and mind for many years and have come to the decision that it is impossible to sin without being selfish.
Some may read this and think “Duh, no kidding Captain Obvious!” and others may disagree and attempt to cite a sin that would not include being selfish. Which ever camp you count yourself, it really has opened a lot of “windows” for me in regards to my own sin and the sins of others. In counseling, this truth is a great clarifier and helps to get to the root of their problems.
The Westminster Larger Catechism defines sin in this way:
Q 24: What is sin?
A 24: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature. (1 John 3:4, Gal. 3:10,12)
And this is helpful in explaining what sin is, but what brings about sin? What is the root of our sin? John Piper spoke at a conference on this subject and did a great job of helping us find the root of sin. (https://youtu.be/5a_j32BAxU4?si=Cqy3ZkFKfAMEDc2Z) and while watching this video, throughout all of his teaching I kept thinking, YES! Because we are selfish!.
This is a tough subject to blog about because blog posts should always be concise and focused and never too long. Dealing with the topic of sin could take years! What I am attempting to share is that regardless of the definition we use to say what sin is, I think it is very easy to see the motive of every sin, committed by every person, in every age, is selfishness.
The question then arises, how do I overcome my bent towards selfishness. Which really is worth blogging about. (Hint: See the Bible verse at the top of this post)