Question: Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent
and return to the Lord?
Response: I will, with God’s help.
Our theology in the Episcopal Church emphasizes that humanity was created in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). However, we humans also have free will to choose how we will act. And sometimes those choices, or our choices not to act, hurt our relationships with God and with each other and all creation.
So right here, in the midst of our commitments in our Baptismal Covenant, we get reminded that for all our resolve, we all also fall short of full commitment to our love of God and love of each other. We are made for relationship—and sometimes we fall short in our relationships. Sin is about damaged relationships. Evil is about refusing to acknowledge relationships at all.
Sin is seeking our own will rather than God’s. God’s will, revealed to us in scripture, in history, and in our prayer life, asks us to open to healthy, loving relationship with God and with all of creation. Sin is when we act in ways that separate ourselves from loving God, loving each other, and loving creation.
Evil is something deeper, and in some ways de-personalized. Evil is, at its most basic, the absence of good. Evil is depraved and disordered, a system where cruelty is the point. And often, evil works by convincing others to go along with courses of action that lead to these things.
That’s why we are asked to stop and take engage in perspective and self-awareness. When we feel the temptation to sin, or worse to give way to or engage in evil, we are called to acknowledge that, to stop and turn around, and make amends for any harm we have caused. That’s what repentance is. “Repent” literally means “turn around.” And for as often as we fall short, we have the option to turn around and return to “walking in the way of God.” With God’s help.
Going Deeper:
Sometimes, we neglect our relationship with God or each other accidentally, when we are tired, or ill. Sometimes, we can even sin against ourselves by not remembering that we are beloved children of God, no matter how imperfect. Perhaps we ourselves have been harmed by others, and made to feel alone and worthless. None of us are perfect. But we are responsible for our actions and their consequences, whether for good or for bad.
It is often said that “Hurt people hurt people.” But if we realize that the injuries we ourselves have suffered are causing us to hurt others, we need to seek help to break the cycle so that we do not perpetuate the pain visited upon us onto those around us.
But other times, our actions are the result of choices—choices to act, and choices not to act. In other words, we sometimes choose to do what we shouldn’t, and sometimes we don’t act when we should. Sometimes we stay silent when we see something wrong going on around us. Sometimes we don’t consider the consequences of our actions on others (and in this case others can include creation itself). Actions or inactions we take that harm our relationships with God and others are called sins. Actions that harm our relationships are called “sins of commission.” Failures to act or speak out in the face of harm to others or the world around us are called “sins of omission.”
Nearly all opportunities for worship, or liturgies, in the Episcopal Church include a shared confession, especially before Holy Communion. There are several varieties but a common one is this, which helpfully lists seven broad sources of common sinfulness
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 360)
Evil is broader, and more devious. Evil acts without conscience. Evil delights in destruction, havoc, warfare, envy, exploitation, cruelty, and hatred. Evil inflames grievance and grudge, and refuses to forgive any slight, no matter how minor. Evil literally disorients us, usually systematically. It seeks to numb us against caring for others, and then moves to actively encouraging us to delight in pain and suffering. Evil convinces us that we are unaccountable for anything but our own benefit, comfort, and pleasure.
The good news is, as long as we are sincere in our desire to no longer damage our relationships with God, each other, and creation, God forgives. And as we know we ourselves have been forgiven numerous times, so we too are called to seek reconciliation and forgive when someone acknowledges that they have hurt us and they actively work to stop that cycle.