Victim of Sin or Criminal Sinning?

[Ryan&Amber2013]

So, when practically dealing with people, how do you all balance viewing them as victims of sin, and or those who are the criminals wanting to sin? Do you generally view people with sympathy and compassion, knowing they were born into their sin and can do nothing but be overcome by it, or do you generally see others as those who want to be criminals against God, which would lead more towards feelings of anger against others?

Do you see unbelievers more as the victims or the criminals?

 

[jwithnell]

Fellow travelors?

 

[Pergamum]

All sinners are both victims and perpetrators.

 

[Bill Duncan]

If you define victim as those who harmed due to a crime or accident, then no man is a victim of his own sin because of his own accountability to that sin. Some believers might even view man's imputed guilt of Adam's sin as victimhood, such as age of accountability proponents. That would be saying God was criminal for the concept representative headship. The same people would gladly welcome Christ's representative headship. Can't have it both ways.

In answer to your question we should view the unbeliever with sympathy and compassion in a common grace since. We should also view them as enemies of the Kingdom of which we have been made priests and vicegerents to protect. Delicate balance for which we may only do through the function of the church.

 

[Pergamum]

Anxiety and doubt and worry are all sins. We are fallen and subject to our sin nature. We also have sins that are addictions as well, where our bodies crave the sin physically and we have withdrawals as a result of not sinning. The devil and his demons also attack us.

For these reasons, I believe we should not view the sinner as perpetrator only, but also as victim.

Some sins are outright rebellions against nature, but most sins are weaknesses that we slip into quite easily even though we don't want to.

 

[py3ak]

Do you see unbelievers more as the victims or the criminals?

How you engage might tend more to one side or another, depending on what you are hearing from them. But one of the worst features of their situation is that they are in bondage to sin, a superlatively cruel taskmaster. Their criminality does not warrant a lack of compassion; but nor does their bondage eliminate their own responsibility. In terms of how we view them I am inclined to think "victim/criminal" may be something of a false dichotomy, because we should see them as both.

 

[OPC'n]

I don't see them as victims, but neither do I see them as a hated enemy. It's not my job to judge them it's God job. My job is to portray Christ and give them the Gospel in word and deed. I'm to love my neighbor as myself, and remember in humility that I too was once lost, very sinful and without forgiveness. The only thing that separates me from them is Christ.