"Legalism is the attempt to be more God than God." Stanley Hauerwas, commenting on the lectionary reading of Gen 3:1-7 when Eve added to God's command, "...and you must not touch it..." (Gen 3:3). [Legalism is the original sin]
Each of the temptations is an attempt for Jesus to be the kind of God that overcomes death in a manner that seems assured. Top of the temple: End war, have peace, you can't do it with the devil's means. The NT has to be read Christologically, just as the OT has to be. How to overcome our temptations loses the Christological focus.
"Our first sin is our assumption that we know what sin is." Hauerwas quoting Barth. "Barth's language is an ontological impossibility."
"Our first sin is our assumption that we know what sin is." Hauerwas quoting Barth. "Barth's language is an ontological impossibility."
If you think that sin is because on the whole we are pretty shitty people, you got it wrong. Sin is not "I've done something I'm ashamed of." Sin really is the refusal of God. Sin is the naming of alienation from God. It's very hard to remember that. We prefer sin to be just another name for being a bad person.
No comments:
Post a Comment