Of Sreesanth, Phaneesh Murthy and sin!

2578

sreesanth-phaneesh-comboBy Robin Sam

TWO Indians hit international headlines sometime ago for all the wrong reasons. Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth and former outsourcing industry highflier and iGate chief executive Phaneesh Murthy were in the news for their alleged wrongdoings. Their offenses were not peccadilloes, every media outlet worth its news byte reminded us. They were grave crimes, sins if you will.

Of course, the secular media does not use the word ‘sin’ when it comes to murders, economic offences or sexual crimes, leave alone use it for spot fixing and dalliances that Sreesanth and Phaneesh Murthy were blamed for respectively. Armchair analysts and TV commentators who take a sympathetic view of these acts often term them as ‘indiscretions.’ The dictionary defines an indiscretion as a behavior or speech that displays a lack of good judgment.

Sin in God’s perspective is falling short of the mark that He set for each one of us. Sin is defined in dictionaries as an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. The Bible defines sin as the breaking of God’s law. The law is a reflection of the character of God and so it does not change. It is wrong to lie or steal because God cannot lie or steal. The moral law given to us through the Scriptures is not arbitrary because it is based on God’s holiness. God laid out the law to His people Israelites and to the whole of mankind through Moses. Failing to keep the law was considered sin in the Old Testament. When we sin we offend God and this offense against God has to result in judgment because our God is a just God. Sin separates us from God.

Isaiah 59:2 says: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. So when a person sins, he offends God and brings condemnation on himself. This condemnation comes out of God’s judgment. Why cannot God wink at sin and let it pass? If He did that He would not be a holy and just God. The Bible calls us to be holy because He who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:15). Deuteronomy 32:4 says: “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.” (See also Isaiah 45:21 and Isaiah 30:18)

When the media goes after a fall guy, it usually goes for his jugular. In these days of 24/7 news bulletins, the news anchors and media pundits have the onerous task of being the reporter, prosecutor and the magistrate all rolled into one. Today’s newsman reports a crime, puts the accused on trial and delivers instant albeit flawed judgment instantaneously. The common man (that includes you and I) is no different. We also sit in judgment and would to like pass expert comments on all things under the sun.

The Scriptures forbids us from judging others. In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus Christ said: ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Jesus did not merely say it, He demonstrated it in His life on earth. When a woman was caught in adultery, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law brought her before Him and asked Him what He would do with her. His reaction beat the daylights out of the Pharisees. He told them: ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” When the crowd of accusers and spectators left without saying a word, Jesus turned to the woman and said: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Sreesanth and Phaneesh Murthy may or may not be guilty of what they are accused of – but there’s another reason why we cannot sit in judgment over others while we are still on earth. When God looks down from His holy realm, He sees all of us as sinners. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24).

Robin Sam is the editor of The Christian Messenger magazine. He can be reached at editor [at] christianmessenger [dot] in

Your Comments