Fixed vs Growth: The Obstacle of Sin

Obstacles.  Barriers.  Roadblocks.  They force us to change course, revise our plan, or stop in our tracks completely.  A fixed mindset will give up in the face of an obstacle.  A growth centered mind will persist in the face of an obstacle: chart a new course, make a new plan, regroup and try again.   Consider inspirational success stories—Olympians who achieve world records despite physical limitations, those who achieve tremendous academic success despite early learning disabilities, or titans of the business world who persevered despite their disadvantaged origins.   Persistence…stick-to-it-ive-ness…focus…drive…determination…. We love these words; we hang posters and create memes which remind us “never give up!”  Obstacles should just inspire determination, right?  Barriers should just make us climb higher and harder, right?

Genesis 3 outlines the ultimate obstacle:  sin.  When Adam and Eve opted to use their human wisdom, rather than obey God’s word and command, they fell into sin and brought all of creation with them.  They separated themselves—and us—from God.  God created human beings in His own image (Gen 1:27) and described His creation as very good (Gen 1: 31)—that is, Adam and all of creation were perfect, a reflection of God’s holiness, in harmony with Him.  Genesis 3: 8 describes God as walking in the Garden of Eden, looking for His children—before the Fall, Adam and Eve walked and talked with God!  They had an intimate, personal relationship with their Creator, the God of the Universe.  After they sinned by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they hid from God; they could no longer stand in His holy presence.  In Genesis 3: 13-20, God curses Satan, and describes the curse which has infected the world and made His creation His enemies.  He removes Adam and Eve physically from the Garden of Eden (vs 23), and places an angel to guard the way to the tree of life—preventing sinful humanity from becoming immortal, fulfilling the promise of Genesis 2: 17 that they would die.  Sin and death entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve (see Romans 5: 12).

We are separated from God by sin and there is nothing we can do about it.  That sounds like “fixed mindset” thinking.  Try harder!  Be more determined!  Don’t give up!  We read the Law—the Ten Commandments, commands to “be holy, because I the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19: 3)—and despair.  Be perfect?  Be holy?  If that is the way to stand in God’s presence, to be back in fellowship with Him, we are desperately lost and hopeless.  It’s like telling a drowning man to save himself:  “don’t look at the water as an obstacle; try harder!”  Ephesians 2:1 - 3 describes us as “dead in [our] transgressions and sins” and “by nature objects of wrath.”  A dead man cannot bring himself back to life again.  There is no place for a “growth mindset” where there is death. A worldview that says “try harder” leaves us lost and foundering, dead in sin, attempting to save ourselves and feeling only the helplessness of our attempts.  

Read Romans 7:  15 –25. 

a)      How does Paul describe the helpless, hopelessness of fighting against sin?

b)      How does he describe himself—and us—in vs 24?

c)       What is his conclusion, the answer to his own question, in vs 25?

In Ephesians chapter 2, we are described as dead in our sins (vs 1) and objects of wrath (vs 3).  Sin is the ultimate obstacle between us and God; as creatures who are dead in our sins, there is nothing we can do about our condition—no way to overcome that obstacle.  The song Carry Me by the Christian band Jars of Clay describes it this way in their refrain “…carry me, I’m just a dead man lying on the carpet, can’t find a heartbeat; make me breathe, I wanna’ be a new man, tired of the old one, out with the old plan….”.  We recognize our need to be made new, we “wanna’ be a new man” but we are powerless—dead on the carpet, dead in the very sins that make us recognize our need to be carried, to be saved by the God from whom we are separated.  

Read Ephesians 2: 1 – 10.

a.        How does it make you feel to be described as “dead in your transgressions and sins” and “objects of wrath?”  How are these phrases very different from the way we are described in self-help books, leadership seminars, or articles on parenting or marriage?  Why is it important to understand our true condition before God?

b.      What was the solution for this obstacle between us and God?  See verse 4.  Why did God overcome this obstacle, rather than leaving us dead and separated from Him?

c.       We are “now and not yet” people.  We have been redeemed by Christ, made right before God in this life; but we have to wait for eternity to be with Him (see vs 6 and 7).  How does this comfort you?  How can it also be frustrating?

d.      According to 2: 8-10, it is by grace through faith that we are saved—and both the grace and the faith come from God, not because of anything we do.  How is this different from the emphasis on drive, determination and effort which are part of a “growth mindset” when faced with obstacles?

The rest of Ephesians 2 describes the unity which God created through Christ between Jews and Gentiles.  We have a God who is all about breaking down barriers (v 14).  He broke down the barrier between sinful humanity and Himself, and He broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles.  All people who believe are saved through faith in Christ Jesus.  We are united in His death and resurrection, and given the promise of eternity with God in Christ, and are built into His holy temple, His dwelling place, blessed with His Spirit.

a.       Consider the people-related barriers in your life:  difficulty with spouse or in-laws; worries about children; challenges with a boss or employees; estrangement between siblings or friends.  Review 2: 11-22.  What can we understand about people-related barriers in light of the unity created in Christ? 

b.      Based on our membership in God’s household, how should we treat one another?

c.       We “have access to the Father by one Spirit” (vs 18).  How can we respond when we are faced with barriers in life?