📖 The side effects of sin

Sin as illness of the soul

March 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

Our goal at Theophilus is to make Jesus’ teaching accessible and relevant for all in the 21st century. Do you want to join that mission? Share the Theophilus Newsletter on social media or with friends and family and help others dive deeper into what it means to follow Jesus.

Ps. To share on Whatsapp, copy and paste this link: https://theophilus.beehiiv.com/

The side effects of sin

La Mort from Odilon Redon’s Temptation of St. Anthony (1896)

The word “sin” has often been weaponized to propel others deeper in shame, guilt, and trauma.

And while Jesus confronted sin He certainly never did so in a derogatory or manipulative way.

He took an approach that is all too forgotten these days and, yet, so important for a full understanding of both sin and the Cross.

Sin as Illness

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

(Luke 5v31-32)

Here, Jesus is responding to some Pharisees who were questioning Him for spending so much time around sinners.

Take notice of how Jesus refers to sin here. He compares it to a sickness and Himself to a doctor and, by extension, humans to patients in need of healing.

Jesus doesn’t see sinners as depraved reprobates.

No!

He sees us as sick people in need of healing.

Because, believe me, this illness is a big one.

Jesus came to heal.

Symptoms of Sin

After sinning, Adam and Eve, who once experienced a deep intimacy with God, are ejected from the Garden of Eden.

It can be easy to view their expulsion as the act of a strict, domineering God but I don’t think that paints an accurate picture at all.

God is the model of the perfect peace we talked about yesterday.

Sin is a deviation from this peace meaning, by nature, the two cannot exist together.

So Adam and Eve’s expulsion was more a natural consequence of their actions, like pouring water on fire, than the workings of a controlling, authoritarian God.

And, sadly, Adam and Eve’s condition carries over to the rest of us.

Sin naturally separates us from God, from the One who leads us to the fullness of life.

This is a separation from the purpose of our existence and the central, guiding love of the universe.

It sucks.

And this is how humanity lived for centuries.

The most severe side effect of sin is death of the soul.

The Apostle Paul once wrote “For the wages of sin is death” and he was right.

A life separated from the giver of life is, really, a pale imitation of what could be.

Thankfully, Paul didn’t stop there:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 6v23)

Jesus saw sinners as sick and Himself as their doctor.

Meaning, healing is possible.

And how did Jesus go about this healing?

By the Cross.

Enjoyed Today’s Newsletter?

Consider sharing on social media, or with friends and family! Just copy and paste this link: https://theophilus.beehiiv.com/