Does our understanding of sin shape our understanding of racism and responsibility?

What is sin? How do you understand sin?

Many of us have been taught that sin has to do with our individual human condition and personal actions that miss the mark. First, we have learned that all humans are born into sin as a result of the fall in Genesis 2 - 3. Second, we have often learned that sin is a violation of God’s will and desire for creation most often manifest in personal actions, words, deeds, and thoughts that violate God’s law and will. Sin is understood as rebellion, violating God’s laws, and that all people sin.

This understanding of sin is incomplete as it only focuses on our one on one relationship with God and does not address our corporate relationships and practices that also violate God’s desire for the wellbeing of all creation (Shalom). An expanded view of sin understands that sin also includes societal structures and practices that do not allow for the full flourishing of all creation, and when persons participate in systems and practices that harm others or do not work to change those systems, or keep silent in the face of oppressive practices, then that is also sin.

This is closely related to how we view racism and white supremacy. If we continue to see it as personal actions rather than looking at structures (economic, political, cultural, religious) that explicitly and implicitly value one race, gender, sexuality, or identity over another or set one race as normative through its practices - we fail to recognize our own complicity and sin.

Our confessional tradition also illuminates this broadened understanding of sin.

The Heidelberg Catechism when it interprets the Ten Commandments in light of the call to love God, self, and neighbor takes the commandments that could be about personal actions to focus on corporate responsibility. This is seen in the exposition of the commandment, “do not kill.”

105 Q. What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment?
A. I am not to belittle, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor –
not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds –
and I am not to be party to this in others. . .

107 Q. Is it enough then that we do not murder our neighbor in any such way?
A. No.
By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God wants us
to love our neighbors as ourselves,
to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly toward them,
to protect them from harm as much as we can,
and to do good even to our enemies.

While Heidelberg speaks to specific actions, it also makes it clear that we are called to not be a party to harming others. Sin, then, is when we participate in systems that do harm persons by denying them full access to resources, leadership, and participation.

Also, the Confession of Belhar addresses this broadened understanding:
that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity, and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted . . .

Therefore, we reject any doctrine
• which, in such a situation sanctions in the name of the gospel or of the will of God the forced separation of people on the grounds of race and color and thereby in advance obstructs and weakens the ministry and experience of reconciliation in Christ.

Finally, this also impacts how we see reconciliation. Reconciliation in Christ is not only about cleansing us of our personal unrighteousness and sinful nature, but also about transforming structures that do not allow for all persons to thrive. Reconciliation comes with responsibility, responsibility to work for the shalom of all creation and to dismantle structures that continue to keep all creation from thriving. This responsibility is seen in the call of the Spirit in the Brief Statement of Faith. Not only are we to witness to Christ as Lord and Savior, but also we are to witness with our actions to Christ’s power by listening to those who have been ignored and working to to name and end the idolatry such as that of race:

In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.