Caravaggio, "The Conversion of St. Paul"
There is something very hopeful about the life of a man who sins with enthusiasm. Unlike many people we encounter today, the enthusiastic sinner does not settle for being content. Rather he is always finding something else to do, seeking another zing to thrill him, until his heart is stuffed with whatever he desires.
Herein lies the difference between a headstrong, confident sinner and a typical post-modern man suffering from contentedness (we’ll call him Mr. Smith): the said sinner recognizes he needs more, whereas Mr. Smith believes he has found peace and happiness in being content with his mock-paradise he set up in his gated community. Ask Mr. Smith if he’s happy and at peace, and he will undoubtedly say “yes” without giving it much thought. Take his earthly paradise away, however, and you won’t get a yes out of Mr. Smith any more. Unfortunately, there are too many Mr. Smiths in our world. We would be better off with more headstrong sinners.
Let me explain.
I think the problem with Mr. Smith is his understanding of what it means to be content. Understandably, people strive for contentedness because they get it confused with happiness and peace. In reality, contentedness is more akin to lukewarmness, something that Christ adamantly condemns (see Revelations 3:16). Even the words “peace and happiness” have a connotation today that is very different from the “peace and happiness” that we should be striving towards. Peace goes beyond the mere absence of wars or other physical evils, and being happy isn’t measured by how much pleasure one can obtain.
The Greeks had a word for this happiness and peace; they called it “eudaimonia.” While this word is often translated as “happiness,” it is perhaps better understood as fulfillment, specifically in regards to one’s soul. When man acts according to virtue (that is to say, when his will is under the direction of his intellect), he obtains true happiness, and nothing can disturb him. Socrates hit the proverbial nail on the head when he said, “no evil can happen to a just man, neither in life nor after death.”
Seen here: Socrates at peace before his unjust death.
I think the headstrong sinner alluded to earlier understands this concept of eudaimonia better than Mr. Smith, for the consistent seeking and sinning of the sinner stands as a testament to the fact that fulfillment is not obtained through the material world. His seeking and devouring affirms Augustine’s philosophy of the human person - our hearts are indeed restless. The irony for the sinner, of course, is that the human heart will never find fulfillment until it rests in God. Thus in heavy sinning does this man continue to search, yet he will only find disappointment everywhere he turns until he comes to face the disturbing truth - nothing on earth can put to rest his restless heart. Nothing. If he’s a reasonable fellow, he will then appeal to the spiritual realm in order to to find the next zing. Consider it a process of elimination, and consider the hope for the sinner fulfilled.
If you’re still not convinced of the hope that lies within the most headstrong of sinners, consider the war that the sinner declares against God. If you asked him if he is a wicked person, he would laugh and probably say, “yes, I am wicked and I’m on my way to Hell,” recognizing that his murdering and conniving ways are indeed immoral. Ask the same question to Mr. Smith and he would most likely take offense and respond, “of course not!” (even though he is a liar in the workplace and lusts after his neighbor’s wife). While Mr. Smith is indifferent towards God, this isn’t the case for our treacherous sinner. No. The great sinner sees the Creator’s presence as an annoying, blinding light that must be eliminated if he wishes to continue down his path of sin. Of course the sinner’s quest is destined to end in defeat, for God is not known for losing battles. He reigns as the Eternal Victor.
Perhaps it is necessary that I add a disclaimer: I am not advocating a festival of sin. What I am advocating is that you get off the fence - the fence that separates you living according to God’s statutes from spitting in His face. Choose, for goodness sake, something, anything, making a stand one way or another. I do not believe I need to tell you what the correct choice is, but I feel it appropriate to tell you that not choosing is the surest way to your own destruction. Moving towards something is better than not moving at all.
