Sin as rule-breaking, defines sin primarily as disobedience to God’s laws or commandments. The focus is placed on violating prescribed rules rather than on the deeper condition of the human heart and humanity’s relationship with God. In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly challenges this way of understanding sin.
In Mark 3:1–6, Jesus is criticized for healing a man on the Sabbath, an act seen by religious leaders as a violation of sacred law. In Luke 11:37–41, Jesus and His disciples are condemned for not washing their hands before a meal—not a matter of hygiene as understood today, but a failure to observe ceremonial purity regulations. In John 8:3–11, religious authorities bring before Jesus a woman caught in adultery, testing whether He will uphold the law’s demand that she be stoned. Jesus refuses to reduce justice to rule enforcement and instead exposes the shared sinfulness of all present, declaring that only one without sin may cast the first stone.
When sin is viewed primarily as rule-breaking, God is often perceived chiefly as a lawgiver and judge. The emphasis shifts to authority, obedience, and punishment, with holiness expressed through enforcement rather than compassion and mercy. This way of thinking has caused deep pastoral harm. For example, a young couple returned to church after the stillbirth of their child and were asked, “What sin did you commit to cause this?” In that same church, on Mother’s Day, roses were distributed to every mother except the woman who had given birth to a stillborn child. In another congregation, a woman was removed from the choir because she had borne a child out of wedlock many years earlier. In yet another case, a deacon opposed offering financial assistance to a family member because she did not attend church and was not living as a Christian “should.” Sadly, these are not isolated stories.
Scripture consistently warns against interpreting suffering as direct punishment for personal sin. Jesus explicitly rejects this logic in John 9:1–3, when He says that a man’s blindness was not caused by his sin or that of his parents. In Luke 13:1–5, Jesus denies that those who suffered tragic deaths were worse sinners than others. The book of Job stands as a powerful witness against the assumption that suffering can be explained by moral failure (Job 1–2; 42:7).
Sin understood solely as rule-breaking sees humanity primarily as lawbreakers and emphasizes individual actions. Moral failure is cataloged according to what is permitted and what is forbidden. In contrast, the broader witness of Christian theology understands sin as a condition of alienation from God, a distortion of God’s good creation, and a brokenness that affects individuals, communities, and systems (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23; Romans 8:20–22). From this perspective, sinful actions are symptoms of a deeper disorder rather than the root problem itself.
When sin is reduced to rule-breaking, faith can devolve into moral policing—monitoring behavior rather than nurturing repentance, healing, and transformation. This mindset appears in cultural slogans such as “Keep Christ in Christmas,” in efforts to impose religious symbols through law, and in claims that natural disasters—such as hurricanes striking New Orleans—are acts of divine judgment for perceived moral failings. Such interpretations ignore the biblical call to humility, compassion, and lament (Micah 6:8; Matthew 9:13; James 2:13).
The gospel calls the church not to enforce holiness through condemnation, but to participate in God’s work of reconciliation, restoration, and love (2 Corinthians 5:18–19; Colossians 1:19–20).
The Curious Pilgrims 