Sin: Part 2

One of the most unique features of the Book of Romans is how Paul talks about sin. For Paul it doesn’t seem like sin is a passive thing, something that we see and identify, but rather, something that we interact with, and that also interacts with us. Here are some examples:

5:12 – sin enters and brings death
6:6-7 there is a “body of sin,” and it enslaves.
6:12 – sin reigns and has evil desires
6:23 – it brings death
7:8a – Sin causes someone to covet
7:8b-9 – sin springs to life
7:11 – sin deceives and puts to death, so it kills.
7:20 – sin sins, “it is not me, its my sin”.

In some of these passages, sin seems to have human characteristics. Sin has desires (6:12), and sin sins (7:20). These are things that people do, how can a spiritual and philosophical idea like sin have agency, how can it do anything at all?

Emergence Theory

In recent years, our understanding of the book of Romans has been turned on its head as new ways of understanding the context of the book have come to light, offering us new ways to read it. Pastor and Ph.D. research scholar at Yale, Matthew Croasmun, uses Emergence Theory to explain Paul’s fascinating view of sin. In his book, The Emergence of Sin: The Cosmic Tyrant of Romans, he argues that sin works the same way that sociologists and scientists talk about Emergence Theory. I’ll explain it using technical terms, and then follow it up with some examples to help you understand.*

There are two steps in Emergence Theory. The first has to do with how individual things come together to form new, more complex super-structures made up of all the small parts. This process is called Supervenience. It can be understood by imagining how individual letters become words, which are then strung together into sentences and, eventually, books. Books and letters are not the same thing, but books cannot exist without letters.

In the second step, these super-structures then affect and limit the things that they are formed by. This process is called Downward-Causation. Think of a social club of some kind that is made up of people who came together to build a community around some purpose. The people then form a culture, which, in turn, forms them. There are rules written, expectations made, and the life of the individual members is then changed by the super-organism (the club) they formed together.

When we look at Paul’s view of sin through the lens of Emergence, we can see what Paul is talking about come alive in a way that makes sense with the human experience.

Our individual sins come together (supervenience) to form a body of SIN, which then affects our future decisions, drawing us into even more sinful action, which makes the cycle spin faster and faster, causing us to sin more and thus become more and more controlled by SIN.

Ask anyone who has developed addictions to drugs, alcohol, food, or even sex. They will often explain things much in the same way; it was simply something they dabbled with, but it eventually became something that controlled and enslaved them.

So does Paul believe that sin is no fault of the person who commited it? No. The responsibility remains that of the one contributing to the systems that are bringing us to a place of sin and death in our lives and communities. The “Body of sin” (Ro 6:6) would not exist if there were no sinners. But instead of wallowing in shame and blame, Pauls call upon the in Rome is to repent, to stop contributing to the body of sin that they have been building by following the path of Adam (which I wrote about last week).

The two parties of Romans, the Weak and the Strong, have been following the path of Adam. Their lives are marked by actions of the flesh which seek to control others, to have power over them, and to sit in the seats of honor and lord themselves over other people. They have been trying to dominate through segregated table fellowship, to judge the faith of others based upon their external identity markers, and to draw the boundaries of the fellowship to cut others out.

Every time they turn their head away when the other is looking for a seat at the table, sin is injected into the culture. Every time they judge the lifestyle of a fellow Christian, sin is injected into the culture. Every time they cling to their priviledges over another, every time they exclude, every time they condemn the other, sin is added into the cycle. These individual sins comes together to form a body of sin, and this body of sin affects every single person who belongs to the community, as well as every person who enters in. Everyone will be made more sinful, more judgemental, more bigotted, more likely to hate and condemn.

But there is another body, the body of Christ. Paul is calling the church in Rome to repent of the body of sin, to be reborn through baptism, putting the old body to death, and to live into the body of Christ. A culture of Tov (the Hebrew word for goodness) can be formed in the same way that a body of Sin can be formed. As the Christian cultivates and displays the fruits of the Spirit, as they serve and work for the good and goodness of others in the community, the body of Christ is cultivated.

We are, at every moment, forming a body that will then form us. Toxic churches make people toxic. Judgemental churches make people judgemental. But good churches contribute to the formation of good people. Generous churches make people generous, and loving churches make people more loving.

If you want a church that cultivates Christlikeness and the fruits of the Spirit, then it begins with your own personal acts of repentance, of turning away from the body of sin and contributing to form a body of Christ. As the people build it, it will, in turn, build them.

Discussion Questions

1. How does Paul's unique perspective on sin in the Book of Romans challenge traditional views of sin as a passive concept? What implications does this have for our understanding of sin and responsibility?

2. In Romans 5-8, SIN is described as a super-structure that emerges from individual sins and, in turn, influences and limits the individuals. How can the concepts of "supervenience" and "downward-causation" help us understand the progression of sin and its impact on individuals and communities?

3. The text mentions the responsibility of individuals in contributing to the "body of sin." How can individuals recognize their role in perpetuating sin/evil/disturbing shalom, and what steps can they take to break this cycle?

4. The distinction is made between the "body of sin" and the "body of Christ." How can individuals and communities actively cultivate a culture of goodness and Christlikeness within their church or group? What practical steps can be taken to contribute to the formation of a positive, loving, and Christ-centered community?

5. The suggestion is that the type of church we have depends on the personal contributions of its members. How can individuals actively participate in building a church that reflects the values of Christ, and what role does personal transformation play in this process?

*Special thanks to Jonathan Hurshman and Scot McKnight for awakening me to Emergence theory in 2017.