There are numerous reasons why the Bible’s account of sin is one of the greatest overlooked resources for cultural engagement.

First, there’s a general disdain towards the whole idea of sin in this world

And the reason for the disdain towards seen as defined in the Bible is caused by the perception of the concept of sin by our culture today. Because people today love to commit sins so to speak, because they don’t want to be controlled or feel constrained by the laws of God in the Bible, example to have sex before marriage. It’s a huge deterrent for cultural engagement today. People do not think biblical concept of sin is in line with today’s understanding of what life is about especially its so influenced and the polluted by the corruption of sin itself, and also by the liberation theology or theory from the Enlightenment. Enlightened philosophers have taught that we need to look into our souls to find our authentic self, and that can only be found from within us not from the outside. This is very much influenced by people like Russoue and Freud and the like who keep telling us that inside each of us is the pure beauty however when a person is only wrong when he is corrupted by the surrounding him. So this generation is misled to think that inherently we are good people, however its the world and society that corrupts us inside. And that’s why for cultural engagement, people stay far away from the bible’s account of sin.

Secondly the people’s perception and conception of sin from the Bible is wrong that they look at the Bible’s laws and sin as a legalistic way

They do not understand that when we sin, we do not sin against a set of contractual agreements or laws like the Moses laws etc. But the Bible’s concept of sin is really a personal relational person called God. People do not understand that God is grieved when we sin, that speaks of the love relationship between humans and God. How can God be grieved if he doesn’t love us when we have done wrong? That’s precisely just like us when our kids done wrong, our hearts grieved because we loved them. The whole concept of sin from the Bible is motivated and driven and originated from the love of God. If only people today understand God starting point is love, I think the cultural engagement today with the proper understanding from Bible’s view of sin will be much more widespread.

Thirdly they are running away from God

The whole definition of sin in today’s culture is very much warped according to the idolatry of cultural leadings. Cultural mood is defined by the fallen human nature, the least the greed the corruption that’s rampant in our culture today. So when people deal with culture they do not want to bring sin as defined in the Bible to deal with real life, precisely because they are running away from God. To not to utilize Biblical concept of sin is really running away from God. Just like the prodigal son, he ran away from his father because he wanted money and for his own usage and wanted to do whatever he wants with inheritance. He grieved his father and the father gave him the inheritance with much reluctance and sorrow. That young man left his father and went to squander all his money with prostitutes with women with drinking parties and whatever and he was totally broke. And the parable that Jesus talked about says that that young man hit the bottom of the pit when he was so broke and on top of that a famine came and hit the ground hit the land. He was so hungry he didn’t know what to do so he applied and got a job to feed pigs. And while he was trying to feed the pigs, a realization dawned on him that he was so hungry he could conceivably eat those pigs’ food, it is at that moment he woke up.

He said to himself in my father’s household his servants eat proper food and here I am even longing to eat pig’s food. He woke up and he said I’m going home to my father and I’m not worthy to be his son anymore, and I will serve him as a servant. And the story goes when he gets back to his father, his father saw him from a long distance coming home, he ran out all the way straight to his young son, and he hugged him tight. The prodigal son said, “ Father I’m not worthy to be your son. Take Me Home to be your servant”. The father said to his servants, “Kill the fattest cow tonight we have a big feast, bring the best robes and put it on to my son and let’s celebrate tonight because my son was lost but now he’s found.” This parable story told by Jesus is precisely humans are running away from God and that’s why they want to run away from their sins as define and as in the biblical account.

Conclusion: Redemption brings reconciliation with God

But they don’t realize God’s waiting for the prodigal son to return to him. God is waiting for us to return to him it’s our Father in heaven. They do not realize that there is a hope to be reconciled with God. And God has initiated the redemption act by sending his son to this world to die for us, and whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life John3:16.