Two Views On Sin

Wayne Grudem claimed in his work An Introduction to Systematic Theology that some people define sin as "selfishness". Grudem says this view is common and can be applied somewhat consistently to ethics and Bible interpretation, but it is not his view.

To me it seems like people will gladly take a sacrifice in their own lives ... as long as they are seen for doing it. Kierkegaard once said it is very hard to find a truly selfish person. Most people are so caught up in looking good to other people they will gladly give up a selfish pursuit for the many.

As an example of how these two interpretations work, I was reading in Micah today about how evil men wish to devour widows homes. Is this evil? Yes, definitely! To the person who thinks sin is selfishness this is an example of someone crossing the line as soon as he wanted good things for himself. (C.S. Lewis claimed the way to be righteous was to forget the self altogether.).

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us." Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble. Micah 3:11-12a

Micah says these people do terrible things then go to the temple and say to each other that God dwells among them. A selfish thing to say? No, it's a pious thing to say ... the problem comes when one isn't living in the way one talks. To describe the wicked in the passage as "selfish" is poor word choice. They are hypocrites.

My observation is that people who equate sin with selfishness often say the rules are whatever society says they are. For example, C.S. Lewis says it is fine for women to be totally covered or wear a bikini ... as long as they aren't making people "uncomfortable". It's okay for comedians to tell racial jokes as long as they get laughs. And so on ... What is so tragically overlooked is the view of the person making the decision.

To me it would be wrong to drive under the influence of alcohol. But does society care? I find it more likely that people usually say they oppose drunken driving because they want to deceive others (and their own selves) into thinking that they are really good people. Which sounds to me like people are trying to forget who they really are, which is also Lewis' ultimate solution.

Don't get me wrong, selfishness is bad. We are required to bring good to others as ourselves because God calls us to treat other people the way we want to be treated. The important thing is to love them (because everyone wants to be loved). But as Kierkegaard once said, "Don't forget to love yourself!"