What is the appeal of Jesus?
Part 9: An afterthought to clear up a possible misconception
Secular minded people sometimes get cross and frustrated with Christians for continually harping on about sin. They see this as a negative, oppressive thing, something that needs to be left behind in order to embrace life. And we can see how sin has played a central role in this defence of, and promotion of, Christianity. It has used the impulse of guilt for sin as a key reason why Jesus became so helpful to so many people, and Jesus’ role as a sacrifice for sin is central to understanding why he is important.
The important point to emphasise is: Freedom from sin is freedom to live life.
So, a focus on sin is not negative and oppressive, but liberating. Any secular tendency to downplay the effect of sin is, in fact, keeping the person trapped by its limiting effects. By promoting the view that human moral failure is not such a big thing really, that “it’s only human” and so to be expected, that we shouldn’t get caught up in worrying about it too much – provided we are keeping the law and not doing anything “too bad”, secularism is robbing people of the transcendent joy and fullness of life that giving yourself to living in tune with God, and so combatting sin, provides. Christianity has a much deeper and truer understanding of human nature and of the dilemma we find ourselves in, of being caught between our most positive possibilities and our most negative temptations. Christians have realised that it is only by finding some means of negating the destructive effects of sin that we can be truly free to live life to the full. This is what Jesus has given us, and is why the acclamation: “Christ is risen!” expresses the joyful liberation of the soul from sin, evil and death. All that is selfish – either in a mundane, grasping, uncaring way, or in more sinister forms of hatred of others – is overcome by the love that Christ embodies and is declared triumphant through belief in his resurrection.
Spiritual Devotion 