Glory

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.-- Romans 3:23

I'm not a huge fan of John Shelby Spong, but I think he was onto something when he wrote that "sin is ontological, not moral." (This Hebrew Lord, p.65). I say he was onto something because he brought out a dimension of sin that we normally don't think about. Of course, his statement isn't completely correct. Sin is both ontological and moral. I don't like either/or proposals.

Sin is ontological in the sense that we live each day reaching for a target that we can't possibly reach. It is a description of our being, which is fallen and imperfect. Sin is moral in the sense that the ontological aspect manifests itself in our behaviors. The target we try to reach is the glory of God, and we'll do anything to get there. There's a real sense of alienation that we have when it comes to our thinking about God. He seems so distant, and that perceived distance is reflected in our behavior.

But... what if God has transformed the ontology altogether? And if so, how did He accomplish that? First, realize that Romans 3:23 isn't the end of Paul's statements on the matter. There's verse 24-- and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

In other words, God sent His glory to us so that our reaching would be brought to an end. But we keep reaching, don't we? Isn't it because we still perceive some alienation?

Look, there is no distance between us and God. Christ has bridged that gap. The suffering of Christ has ended, the tomb which held his body is empty, and the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. God broke free from the cloister! The Lord has left the building and has poured out his Spirit on all flesh!! Our being, our ontology, is not defined by who we are but by who God is. And in the face of Christ we see God.