PALESTINE — QUESTION: I have attended several different kinds of churches and have heard conflicting views on sin. Some people seem to indicate that even if I'm a Christian, I'll never stop sinning; I might as well not even try to not sin. Other people say that if I sin, I'll go straight to hell on the spot — even if I have accepted Christ. I'm confused. I teeter between the terror of messing up and just not caring and not trying because the Bible says I'm supposed to be perfect, and that's not happening, no matter how I try!

ANSWER: First, when the Bible mentions that we are to be perfect (Matthew 5:48) the Greek word for perfect means “complete” or “mature,” not without flaw. For instance, it's used in the same way we would use perfect when referring to a young married couple, “They're perfect together!” When we say this, we don't mean they are without flaw, but that they are a good pair, a complete fit. What Scripture is saying, then, is that the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives completes us and makes us able to effectively do what He has called us to do. In this sense, when you can successfully write with an old, chewed up pencil, then the pencil is perfect-not because it is without flaw, but because it fully completes the task it was created for. Human beings all have flaws and shortcomings, but when they commit their lives to Christ and allow him to equip them for service, then they become complete (perfect) for service- and ultimately for what they were created for, a relationship with God. So, don't worry about trying to be flawless! Just do the best you can, and God will be pleased!

As for the questions about sin, around the church, we have all adopted a variety of phrases that we repeat so many times we all start believing they're true. One of those goes something like this, “Sin is sin. All sin is the same.” But the truth is, the Bible presents numerous definitions and varieties of sin, and we lose the nuances in the translation from the original languages into English. For instance, Psalm 51 offers four definitions of sin. However, I will only be referencing two types of sin for the purpose of this article: missing the mark, and willful, known sin. Missing the mark means you didn't want or plan to do wrong, but you messed up due to issues God is still in the process of resolving in your life. Willful, known sin means you know you are doing wrong and plan to continue the sinful behavior with no plans for change.

Unfortunately, the issue of how we address sin has divided many denominations. However, I have worked in scores of different denominations for nearly 15 years. In every denomination, I have found that there is a core group of solid believers who strive to please God, live in intimacy with Him, and don't support a lifestyle of sin.

But my major concern involves the observation that too many times people carve the Word of God into the shape of their issues, rather than allowing the Word of God to carve them into the image of Christ. In other words, when people with specific beliefs and actions encounter the Word of God, sometimes they create concepts that support those issues rather than permitting the Word of God to impact and change their views. For instance, people have used God's Word to support racial, economic, denominational, and gender prejudices of varying degrees-and still do, for that matter.

Any theology can be shaped to support issues. When people are emotionally insecure sometimes they focus on Scriptures that also imply an insecure relationship with God. Instead of a loving heavenly Father who wants to empower them to live victorious lives, God becomes an ogre eagerly awaiting Christians to blink wrong so He can gleefully watch them fry in hell. This view creates a god of very little grace and mercy with no tolerance for a struggling Christian who is trying but may be still missing the mark on his or her road to recovery and deliverance. It's a perfect fit for emotionally insecure Christians who may have had a horrific parent who created the emotional insecurity. In their mind, God becomes as terrifying and capricious as the unstable parent.

On the other hand, when people have problems with self-control, they can create a theology that says it's okay to willfully and knowingly choose to sin all you want. Their motto? “Just go ahead and sin your brains out. You don't have to think about righteousness or living a holy life. God doesn't care! That's what grace is for!” In this theology, God is like a big, heavenly granddaddy that sets no boundaries, has no standards, and asks nothing from His children. This view can be rooted in a character disorder that causes people not to want to take responsibility for their own actions or acknowledge the negative fallout their bad choices have on others.

Neither of these extremes is healthy. Both views are carved out of the Word of God because the people who created them use the Word to support their preexisting issues, whether they realize it or not. Then folks with these same issues flock to whichever churches or teachers support their warped views. They believe they've embraced “absolute truth” because the unbalanced teaching “feels so right” and “makes perfect sense.” In reality, it “feels right” and “makes perfect sense,” not because it's based on theology that practically and logically consults the whole Word of God but because the teaching supports their dysfunctions and ignores Scriptures that contradict them.

The truth is, God is a loving heavenly Father who will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). However, Micah 6:8 and numerous other verses state that God does have requirements of us: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” According to Psalm 92:15 nkjv, “He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Since God doesn't walk in willful sin, walking humbly with God means we strive to fulfill Paul's command to “avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). In short, we aren't saved by what we do, but what we do does matter! (Ephesians 2:8-10) Purposefully and knowingly embracing sin and saying God expects this is just as destructive as believing God's grace doesn't cover our human weaknesses when we do miss the mark. While there's no Christian on the planet who doesn't at times miss the mark and doesn't need God's forgiveness, that doesn't mean we should purposefully embrace sin or a sinful lifestyle.

Remember, a healthy view of our relationship with God isn't driven by issues, but by a careful, unbiased interpretation of Scripture. The most balanced biblical interpretation happens when we first, let Scripture interpret Scripture and second, gather all references the Bible makes to a particular subject and then arrive at a balanced conclusion based on everything the Bible says about that subject. Third, we don't create any concepts that violate the teachings of Christ. In the process, we dig deep, consult original word meanings in the Hebrew or Greek, and even delve into the cultural and historical background of the passage. This kind of scholarship takes more time, is more thought provoking, and requires us to engage with the Holy Spirit in arriving at conclusions that are in total alignment with the entire Word of God. Unfortunately, some people really don't want to take the time to engage with the Bible in this way. It's way easier to strip mine the Bible to support a pre-conceived idea, prejudices, or issues and run with it, rather than meditating over all instruction or evidence the Bible offers on any particular subject.

In conclusion, the truth about sin is that you will never get to a place in your life where you don't at times miss the mark, but nowhere does the Bible say it's okay to knowingly and willfully plan or embrace a sinful lifestyle. A lifestyle of sin is rooted in rebellion. Sometimes emotional issues, coping mechanisms, and generational behavioral patterns can drive people to unknowingly miss the mark. My experience has been that God's grace is all over that as He lovingly guides us to unravel these areas one at a time in a lifelong process. However, He also expects us to allow His spirit to cleanse us from rebellion and empower us to live a lifestyle void of purposeful sin, also known as the attitude of sin. In this position, we can rest in His mercy and love and trust that we are secure in the hands of a loving heavenly Father (Psalm 103).

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The author of 53 books, Debra White Smith has over a million books in print worldwide and is the featured relationship specialist on the Fox News Radio Show, “Plain Jane Wisdom.” www.debrawhitesmith.com. Got a problem? E-mail Debra at askdebra@live.com