WHATEVER became of sin? Since 1973 when Karl Menninger's book raised this question, there has been a noticeable shift in emphasis of the role played by both clergymen and the church in the treatment of the mentally ill and the maintenance of mental health.
That Menninger should have spoken with such forthrightness and moved so specifically into the area of morality and the role of the clergy in his book Whatever Became of Sin? in itself demands attention. This is especially true of the very direct role he sees for the clergy in the prevention and treatment of the mentally ill, and in helping those who are facing the problems of strain, stress, and tension in this hectic world of today.
In the epilog, Menninger points out that popular learning is against notions of guilt and morality and that ". . . certainly no one talks about sin." 1 Yet, he sees in sin and the morality gap some of the greatest problems facing the human race, especially in the field of mental health. Menninger is sues a strong clarion call for the clergy to reassume spiritual leadership, which is so essential to the mental health of the community at large. "Some clergymen prefer pastoral counseling of individuals to the pulpit function," he asserts, "but the latter is a greater opportunity to both heal and prevent." 2
Since this call comes to us from one of the best-known psychiatrists of the present era, it must not be taken lightly. He points out that "clergymen have a golden opportunity to prevent some of the accumulated misapprehensions, guilt, aggressive actions, and other roots of later mental suffering and mental disease." 3 In discussing the way in which clergymen can best achieve this, he says "Preach! Tell it like it is. Say it from the pulpit. Cry it from the housetops. What shall we cry? Cry comfort, cry repentance, cry hope." 4
Could it be that many of the mental problems we face today result from the abdication of their role by those who are chosen of God to seek the spiritual regeneration of mankind? When so many of the clergy have begun to see their role in the light of counseling and caring for the social needs of the community, it may be that a challenge like Menninger's is necessary to reorientate the Christian ministry to its most important role, that of caring for the spiritual needs of the flock in a manner that in turn will have vital implications for the mental and emotional health of the community.
One of the most important areas of concentration on the part of psychologists in recent times has been in the area of guilt. For many years psychologists have inclined strongly away from the classical Christian view that guilt results from the breaking of God's moral law, which in turn results in separation from communication with God.
There have been many attempts to either ignore guilt, to rationalize it, or to encourage a view of guilt-inducing behavior that leads to a reduction, if not elimination, of guilt in the wrong way. It is therefore refreshing to read the kind of appeal that Menninger has made in which he rediscovers the rightful role of the church in the handling of guilt.
The Bible makes it clear that guilt has its source in the breaking of God's commandments. In fact, right in the third commandment we are told that the Lord will not hold us guiltless if we take His name in vain (Ex. 20:7). Leviticus 6:4 and James 2:10 also confirm that sin and the breaking of God's law result in guilt on the part of the lawbreaker.
Ignoring Will Not Eradicate
No amount of effort to ignore or to rationalize can in any way eradicate the experience of guilt. Many who have sought to do just this, have failed. Obviously, the Christian has access to the only valid way to eliminate guilt by the submission of his life to the love of Jesus. 1 John 1:9 provides the real answer to the eradication of guilt and sin from the life.
This is reaffirmed in the Old Testament where we have such assurances as the promise that "as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12). Coming to Jesus leads to a new relationship in which guilt no longer has dominion in the life. Paul, too, confirms that victory in Christ results in the elimination of guilt. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1).
It seems clear that the minister has a vital indeed, an indispensable role in leading his congregation to recognize that the only way in which guilt can be eradicated is through a right relation ship with Jesus.
Guilt Has Vital Role
Too often guilt has been viewed as counter-productive to sound human development. But there is a vital role for guilt in the experience of every human being. Guilt is the internalized reaction that results from doing that which separates from God. This kind of guilt should lead to God, the Source of true forgiveness, and the consequent elimination of such guilt feelings. Here alone is the real answer to the massive psychological problems faced by those whose lives are guilt ridden.
Clergymen, above all others, have the opportunity to provide a basis for their congregations to discriminate between guilt, which is the direct result of sin against the law of God, and those guilt-inducing behavior patterns that are home or societal based.
Inherent within the message of Christ is the basis of true mental health. Paul says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). It is certain that the religion of Christ is the firm foundation for emotional adjustment; for only as man comes into a meaningful relationship with God can he hope to develop his emotional and mental powers according to the divine purpose.
Guilt and Self-image
The problem of guilt is closely allied to problems with self-image.Many feel a lack of self-worth, a lack of identity and a lack of awareness of their specific role in life and, therefore, tend to suffer considerably from emotional conflict. Christ again has the answers to low self-esteem and low self-worth. While it is true that the Bible stresses that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23); that "there is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10); that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6); and that without Christ we "can do nothing" (John 15:5), yet the whole purpose of Christianity is to develop the self-worth of mankind.
When man was created he was created in the image of God, but when sin entered the world, the image of God was well-nigh obliterated. 5 The main purpose of the ministry of Christ and of the Holy Spirit is the restoration of God's image in man. 6 As we come to Christ there is developed a new concept of self-worth. As the penitent believer recognizes that all heaven was poured out in the sacrifice of Christ that he might have eternal life, he begins, at least in part, to recognize the great worth that God has placed upon him. The fact that we are called to be sons and daughters of God (2 Cor. 6:18) and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) leaves no place for low self-esteem in the thinking of the Christian.
A feeling of worthiness should not be confused with pride. For pride has its roots in human self-exaltation and achievements based upon the individual's own performance. The true worth of the Christian is a recognition, not of what the individual is, but of what Christ has done for him. Thus Christ is the center, and not self. It is essential that the emphasis of the clergy be upon the great worth that God has placed upon every soul.
The fact is that in every human being Jesus sees infinite possibilities. 7 This recognition will not bring complacency, but a challenge as men and women seek to reflect, in its totality, the beauty of the image of Jesus. Such an individual can no longer be persecuted with feelings of self-denial and self-uselessness; for his is a clear vision of the magnitude of that which Christ has wrought in his life, and that which can be further accomplished with God's help and direction.
Christ Brings Peace
The mature Christian has a peace that can be achieved only by a relationship with Christ. The Lord promised that He will "bless his people with peace" (Ps. 29:11).
This relationship comes to those who have surrendered and submitted their lives and their wills to the Lord. It comes as man realizes the freedom that is gained through obeying the law of God. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). This is the peace that all human beings seek for today.
It seems at this critical time in history, when there is a break down of both moral and emotional structure within the community, that the clergy is called upon to reassert its role in spiritual leadership. The pulpit must be used to provide the masses with a clear understanding of true spiritual, mental, and emotional strength, which comes only through the power of Jesus.
There has been a strong tendency for the preacher to move into the field of pastoral counseling. Basic to most techniques of counseling is an avoidance of any response that might impute wrong or moral judgment upon the individual being counseled. This has frequently been translated even into the pulpit presentation of the preacher. No longer are right and wrong clearly defined, and congregations are left to uncertainty and sin. While it is not the preacher's role to define sin merely as he sees it, it is his God-ordained responsibility to present the word of truth so clearly that none will be in doubt as to God's purpose and will. True repentance is effected only when wrong is recognized. It is the minister's role to set before the people "life and good, and death and evil" (Deut. 30:15).
FOOTNOTES
1. Karl Menninger, Whatever Became of Sin? (New York: Hawthorne Books, Inc., 1973), p. 228.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Education, p. 15.
6. Ibid., pp. 15, 16.
7. Ibid., p. 80.
