December 1, 2025 -- Romans 3:10b-18 -- Sin is the dislocation of the soul

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
 Romans 3:10b-18 ESV
 
Crazy question. “What is sin?” If someone asked you to give a definition of sin, how would you explain it? What image would you use to help someone gain a deeper understanding of what sin does. The late Tim Keller used to quote Annie Dillard (Pulitzer Prize winning American Author, born in 1945) for one of his explanations of sin. He quoted Dillard this way:: “sin is the dislocation of the soul”.
 
Think of it. When you dislocate your hip, you might be able to walk, but it is painful. If you limp along and every action of your body is compromised by the effort. You spend time mentally sorting out how to accomplish tasks which, if your hip were in good working order, would never require a second thought.
 
Now apply that to the believer’s relationship with the Living God. Men and women were created to be in joyful, sustained relationship with their Creator. Sin however has dislocated that Creator-creature relationship in every single person who ever lived. The corruption of the mind by sin’s dislocation means that people can not even form an accurate picture of Who God, the Glorious  One, truly Is. Mouths, created to praise the Majestic LORD of Splendor and encourage fellow humans, now are filled with the filth of curses and slander. Life is dislocated and limping.
 
Praise God for the gift of Jesus Christ. At Christmas we celebrate the incarnation: Jesus’ conception spoken into existence by the Holy Spirit so that what is conceived in Mary’s womb is not tainted by sin. His soul was not dislocated by any wrong doing, nor did it ever limp in sin. Therefore, He is the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God’s just anger against the wickedness of all humanity. His Spirit is poured out so that the formerly dislocated are now made whole, and by the Spirit wholly able to walk with God.

O God, Healer of Your people, re-create us in Christ Jesus, so that my soul's dislocation is re-set and empowered by Your Holy Spirit I will follow Jesus in newness of life. Amen.

https://youtu.be/xQP0JsxEdPo?si=vIeJNbTX8Z8Gse01

O Come O Come Emmanuel