Sin
The concept of sin plays a large role in a number of Easter-related observances. According to Christian doctrine Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross on Good Friday rescued his followers from the consequences of their sins. In the Eucharist, a ceremony that takes place every Sunday in some churches, Christians remember the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion and recommit themselves to the new covenant, or relationship, with God brought about through these events. Finally, the concepts of sin and repentance have shaped the way in which many Christians observe Lent, the approximately sixweek season that precedes Holy Week and Easter.
Today the word "sin" is commonly understood to refer to an immoral or unethical act. Frequently sin is seen as shameful. Biblical concepts of sin appear to have been broader and somewhat more subtle than this everyday understanding. The Hebrew scriptures, which Christians call the Old Testament, rely on several different words to describe human failings, all of which have been translated into modern English as "sin." For example, these texts often lament humanity's tendency towards 'awon, which means "wickedness" but which evokes the concept of bending or twisting. They also denounce what they see as paša, meaning rebellion or breaking of the law. A third common term for these kinds of errors, hata, signifies missing the mark or straying from the path. They also apply the words šagag, to err or to go astray, and ta'â, to err or to wander. Writing in ancient Greek, the authors of the New Testament, or Christian scriptures, usually describe these same human failings by invoking the concept of hamar- tía, a term used to describe an arrow that misses its target. They also speak of ponerós, evil, adikía, injustice or unrighteousness, parábasis, transgression, and anomía, lawlessness. These words, too, have been translated into English as "sin."
Some contemporary Christian theologians describe sins as those human actions not in accordance with God's loving purposes for Creation. Others understand sin as human failure or refusal to live the life intended for them by God. At the heart of these and other theological definitions of sin lies the notion of human withdrawal from God. Since sin separates people from God, it also distances them from the possibility of salvation. Biblical writers often describe sin in terms of slavery, debt, or death. The Bible repeatedly observes that in spite of its unpleasantness human beings tend to lapse into sin. Selfishness or lack of trust in God usually motivates these lapses. Because sin results in estrangement, or distance from God, the healing of sin requires a process of reconciliation, or restoration of one's relationship with God. Christians call this process redemption. They believe that this process, begun by God, centers around the life, teachings, and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. During his life Jesus taught his followers how to have a closer relationship with God (see also Repentance). Moreover, Jesus offered his own suffering and death by crucifixion as a sacrifice for the sins of his followers (for more on the concept of sacrifice, see Redemption). According to Christian theology, this sacrificial act reconciled humanity and the whole of Creation with God.
Further Reading
Efird, James M. "Sin." In Paul J. Achtemeier, ed. The HarperCollins Bible Dic- tionary. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Jefford, Clayton N. "Sin." In David Noel Freedman, ed. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000. Myers, Allen C., ed. "Sin." In The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1987. "Sin." In E. A. Livingstone, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third edition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1997. "Sin." In Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival, and Lent, 1st ed. © Omnigraphics, Inc. 2002