I was preaching this past Sunday morning [September 27, 2009] from the passage in Mark's gospel where Jesus says things like: "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!" That's pretty strong. Pretty forceful and radical...even gruesome. One of the ideas that I tried to convey was about the seriousness with which Jesus understands sin. It's not something "tame" and "controllable" and "easily managed." The book has been around for decades...but I still love it's title...because it only become more and more profound...it's Karl Menninger's "Whatever Became of Sin?"
The "good news" is that God in Christ has provided the answer for sin. It was a terribly costly answer because it meant the death of Jesus...but it's also a wonderful answer because it makes our forgiveness and transformation possible.