Through a self-improvement lens, an exploration of the deadly sins becomes an exercise of surveying areas in our lives we hope to overcome. We summon our willpower and set out to put our sinful nature to death. Have you ever tried to conquer lust? Conquer anger? Conquer pride? How has it gone for you so far? As the apostle Paul conveys in Romans 7, our common human experience is that our best efforts to conquer sin are often futile. We desire to do good, but can’t. And we keep doing the very evil that we desperately don’t want to do! No wonder we feel such guilt and shame at times, which makes us vulnerable to the devil’s accusations and the voice of condemnation. Sadly this is often further reinforced by church discipleship cultures which dole out rewards for good behaviors and punishment for bad behavior, shaping an image of God that He is watching over us, arms crossed, evaluatively watching whether we will be good or bad today.

Conversely, through a spiritual formation lens, conviction or sin which leads to repentance is an incredibly intimate exchange between a gracious loving God and his beloved children. Confession is not simply fessing up for messing up, but what flows from a relationship that is so safe that complete honesty about sin is possible. Shame and condemnation evokes an urge to hide from God, but genuine repentance from the Spirit stokes motivation to turn around and to approach God’s presence with renewed desires to abide.