Sin is a word that carries a lot of baggage for many of us—wounds, shame, and even trauma from the ways it has been weaponized, especially against those on the margins. Yet, to avoid the topic altogether is not to find healing, but to let harmful ideas about sin run quietly in the background of our lives. Instead, we are invited to reclaim and re-examine what sin truly means, not as a tool for shame or control, but as a language for naming harm, seeking accountability, and pursuing repair and justice. When we look at the world—at systems of oppression, at broken relationships, at the ways we hurt each other and ourselves—we see the need for a framework that helps us understand and heal these ruptures. The gospel offers us such a framework, rooted in the concepts of confession, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Our culture often equates sin with crime, imagining God as a punisher and grace as acquittal. But this model, shaped by a deeply flawed justice system, strips away the relational aspect of harm and healing. True justice, as restorative and transformative justice advocates remind us, is about mending relationships, owning harm, and creating real change. Similarly, theologies that focus on honor and shame, or that imagine God as a feudal lord demanding satisfaction, may have made sense in their original contexts but can be deeply damaging in ours—especially for those who have been shamed simply for being who they are.
The many metaphors and theories of atonement—crime and punishment, honor and shame, ransom, Christus Victor—are all attempts to make sense of how we become “at one” with God again. At its core, sin is about separation: from God, from one another, and even from ourselves. The fabric of the cosmos is meant to be woven together in love, and every act of harm is a tear in that fabric. Some tears are personal, some are communal, and some are so vast that only God can mend them. Jesus, in facing the deepest ruptures, draws us back together, offering healing and wholeness.
We are called to be part of this mending work: to name the tears, to seek repair, and to trust that being a sinner is not a source of shame, but a call to healing and transformation. Together, we journey toward a radical, liberating understanding of sin—one that empowers us to heal ourselves, our relationships, and the world, with Jesus leading us in the work of at-one-ment.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Sin as Harm and Separation, Not Shame: Sin is best understood not as a crime to be punished or a source of shame, but as harm that causes separation—from God, from others, and from ourselves. This reframing allows us to move away from cycles of guilt and toward honest acknowledgment and healing. When we see sin as a tear in the fabric of relationship, we are invited to participate in mending, not in self-condemnation. [45:23]
- 2. Theologies Are Tools, Not Chains: The various metaphors and theories about sin and atonement—crime, honor, ransom, victory—are tools to help us understand God’s work in the world. When a theology no longer brings us closer to God or serves our healing, we are free to seek new metaphors that do. Our obligation is to find understandings that foster liberation, justice, and connection, rather than perpetuate harm. [39:48]
- 3. Restorative Justice Reflects God’s Heart: Unlike punitive models that focus on punishment and exclusion, restorative and transformative justice seek to repair relationships and restore community. This approach mirrors the gospel’s call to confession, repentance, and reconciliation, emphasizing accountability and change over retribution. God’s justice is fundamentally relational, always seeking to draw us back into wholeness. [31:54]
- 4. Sin Is Both Personal and Communal: The tears in the fabric of creation are not only individual but also collective—manifesting in systems, institutions, and cultures. Some wounds are so deep and widespread that no single person or community can repair them alone. This is why we need God’s help, and why the work of healing is both a personal and communal calling. [46:35]
- 5. At-One-Ment as the Goal: The heart of God’s work in Christ is to bring us back into unity—at-one-ment—with God, each other, and ourselves. The cross is not about satisfying a punitive or honor-based demand, but about Jesus entering into the deepest places of separation to mend and restore. Our calling is to join in this work, naming the ruptures and participating in the healing of the universe. [42:33]
** [42:33]
Youtube Chapters
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:45] - Why Talk About Sin?
- [03:30] - Sin, Harm, and Justice
- [07:10] - The Baggage of Sin Language
- [10:25] - Sin in Public and Private Life
- [13:50] - The Need for Accountability and Repair
- [16:40] - Background Theologies of Sin
- [27:46] - Examining Our Operating Theology
- [29:10] - Sin as Crime: Problems with the Punishment Model
- [31:54] - Restorative Justice and Confession
- [33:07] - Honor, Shame, and Cultural Contexts
- [35:17] - Substitutionary Atonement and Its Limits
- [38:35] - Theories of the Cross: Ransom and Christus Victor
- [41:13] - Finding New Metaphors for Sin
- [42:33] - At-One-Ment: The Heart of Healing
- [45:23] - Sin as Separation and the Call to Mend
- [46:35] - Personal and Communal Sin
- [47:15] - Communion Invitation
- [56:48] - The Table of Welcome
- [59:39] - Closing Prayer and Blessing
