»REKNEMO LI DA NISMO ZGRIJEŠILI, PRAVIMO GA LAŠCEM I RIJEČI NJEGOVE NEMA U NAMA.« (1 IV 1, 10)
»IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SINNED, WE MAKE HIM A LIAR AND HIS WORD IS NOT IN US.« (1 JOHN 1:10) - ON THE DIGNITY OF MAN THE SINNER

Summary/Abstract: The article reflects on the reality of sin, approaching it from the opposite side of today’s attitude toward sin, which prevails outside, but often within the Church as well. The first part provides an overview of the state of modern discourse on sin. It is primarily marked by what the author terms the excuse culture, in which man does not want to face the fact of sin and, consequently, does not want forgiveness. There are three reasons for this state: the crisis of Christian faith in God who is different from man and demands something from him, the crisis of the contents of faith that causes relativization of sin, and the weakness of the Church, stemming from this relativization, which puts it in danger through mitigating and frivolous gestures of mercy to confirm its weakness, that is, to fail to take itself seriously. In such a climate, people are no longer asking for forgiveness, which makes them seriously confront and recognize their own sin, but instead they seek excuses. Excuses do not take sin seriously, as if it never happened. True forgiveness and mercy, however, demand recognition and serious confrontation with sin. The second part analyzes the notion of sin in the Old Testament. Many places in the Bible affirm a completely opposite approach to sin to that of the excuse culture. The history of sin begins in the chosen people precisely because of the fact they were chosen, and in them congregates the sinfulness of mankind. The people of Israel have a strong awareness of sin, without making excuses and relativizing sin.

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