Something from ... Norman Nagel on sins against God

Our world does not deny that sins are real.  But the world does limit our sins only to what offends another person.  The world would reduce the Ten Commandments to "Do no harm."  That's fine as far as it goes.  I do not want to hurt or harm my neighbor.  But that commandment, "Do not harm," also allows my to have no concern for my neighbor.  I can ignore him.  And although I have done him no harm, neither have I done him any good.

The Bible does not begin with, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  This is the second commandment.  The first and greatest commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30).  The world ignores any accountability or responsibility to God.  What I do in the privacy of my house or when no one is watching will not harm my neighbor.  The world responds: "No witnesses?  No sins!"  But God sees and knows.  He knows all my secrets thoughts and motives.  And he holds my accountable for them.  

Rev. Norman Nagel discusses this accountability in a sermon on the Festival of the Holy Innocents.  The whole sermon is worthy of reading, but these paragraphs nicely summarize why my accountability to God as his creature matters.  (He does get to the Gospel promises later, so his sermon does not disappoint.)  Here is something from Norman Nagel:

            “We do not grow in stature by merely looking at Herod and saying what a wicked man he was.  For growth, first comes repentance, the recognition of our sins of putting ourselves first and the various ways we have of putting others second.  However, we have not yet seen the true horror of sin so long as we have only looked at the damage that sin causes between us.  The full and hideous enormity of sin is seen only when we recognize the damage that it does between us and God.  If sin is only what hurts my neighbor, it is not such a problem.  I, then, can do whatever I like, so long as I don’t injure others.  This is the level of morality of many with whom we associate.  This is, however, rank rebellion against God, for it excludes God, denies that He is Lord, dethrones God, and has us take over the role of God.  You can’t push almighty God around like that and get away with it.  When we try to overthrow God, it is not God who comes to grief.

            “The first fact about us is that we are creatures of God.  This is what God made us to be, and if we insist on being something else, we are not what God wants.  Therefore, we have coming to us the wrath and rejection of God.  This direct insult and exclusion of God is not unrelated to our sins against others; rather, it is the cause.  If I refuse to recognize myself as a creature of God, then, naturally, I also fail to recognize my neighbor as a creature of God.  Then I do not value and deal with my neighbor according to his or her connection with God but only according to the connection with me.  If my neighbor is not understood in connection with God, then he or she has value to me only as he or she is useful to me and I feel free to push him or her around to suit my convenience.

            “Facts, however, are not changed by denying them.  No matter how much I may deny it and act contrary to it, I cannot ever change the fact that I am my father’s son.  It is the same with the fact that I am God’s creature and that my neighbors are God’s creatures also.  If I damage someone in his or her health, welfare, or fulfillment, I am damaging a piece of God’s workmanship, God’s creature.  God meant that person for something, and if I injure him or her, I am working against God.” (pp 326-327.  Norman Nagel.  Selected Sermons of Normal Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis.  Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, MO. © 2004)