Why sin matters

Lewis how it wreaks havoc in our passions "in our pride we love and hate the wrong things," writes McMinn and also in our minds "pride taints our thinking as well as our affections". McMinn then spends a chapter acknowledging that we are not sinful trash but rather "noble ruins" made in the image of God. Part 3, "Homeward Bound," draws us toward God and the grace he offers through himself and through people working on his behalf notably as we admit our sinfulness and sins.

The best lines in the book may be those under the heading "Repentance and Forgiveness": "Time does not heal all wounds. Time heals clean wounds. Soiled wounds fester and infect, leading to bitterness and cynicism, to terrorism and war, to divided marriages and wounded children It's hard to categorize this book.

It is not self-help or how-to. Nor is it heavy theology for all the talk of sin and grace, there isn't much technical talk of the Atonement. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list ». Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4.

Rating details. Sort order. Nov 07, Diane Bateman rated it it was amazing. I love how this book goes through life with sin and the people are not scared to admit it and teaches us how to live our lives to the best we can and to always ask for forgiveness..

Jun 09, Jason Kanz rated it it was amazing Shelves: I'm facing a conundrum. I had forgotten it on my shelf for a while, but then I heard Larry Crabb mention it during a lecture he was giving and I took it down to read it. The conundrum is that even though this is a borrowed book, it was so good I am going to have to buy my own copy and I wonder if that is a good use of resources. McMinn is a board certified clinical psychologist who is currently on faculty at George Fox University, I'm facing a conundrum.

McMinn is a board certified clinical psychologist who is currently on faculty at George Fox University, though in this book he worked to integrate psychology, theology, and spirituality and in my opinion, he did so admirably.

From the front cover, one might imagine this is a book about sin. It is that, but to me, it was much more a book about grace. Through the book, McMinn explores the relationship between sin and grace.

He I believe rightly made the point that "understanding grace cannot be done without understanding sin. One concept that he explored is that humans are "noble ruins". We are God's image bearers, but we are infected by our sin.

I suspect this is an idea that will continue to influence my thinking about personhood for some time to come. This is just one example of many wonderful things in this book. It is not too much for me to say that I loved this book. I look forward to getting my own copy so that I can mark it up and think through sin and grace in more depth. If you are a pastor, a counselor, or a psychologist, this may be a good book for you.

If you are weary and downtrodden, this may be a great book for you too. To treat it as such cheapens grace and lacks trust in the atonement Christ provided for us. At the very same time, Paul reminds us that not only has Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin, but the power of sin - we are supposed to live differently if we truly have been saved by grace. Romans - "What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?

Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Not only does it cheapen grace to believe that our sins aren't fully paid for, it also cheapens grace to live as though sin still has power over us. Forgiveness and grace don't offer us the freedom to live in sin, they give us the freedom to live in the Spirit.

Remember that Christ's death and resurrection didn't just wipe the slate clean, they gave us a new heart with new desires and longings. I believe that one of the most confusing and mis-interpreted passages in Scripture helps shed light on this for us:.

This is because, to their own harm, they are re-crucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt. For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God.

But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned. It's not possible to have truly experienced grace and not produce the fruit of righteousness.