USP Application Essay - The Concept of Sin

Once again, I apply for USP (University Scholars Programme).

This is my essay.

The Concept of Sin.

      If there’s a God in this world, why would it still be suffering? If there’s a God that is just, why do bad guys always live longer than good guys? If there’s a God who is fair, why do some seem to have unlimited wealth whereas some cannot even afford a piece of bread? If there is…..There must be answers to these questions. Little did I know that I have known the answer to these questions all along.

      All my questions are directed to God. God is the subject in these questions. What I’m doing is actually blaming all the responsibilities on Him. But after serious thinking, God may not be the one responsible for all that happens. I search around for answers, reading philosophy books, research on the internet, discuss with friends of other religion and even intending to try Astrology. But eventually I stumble back upon the concept of sin in Christianity.

      Sin in the Christian context means estrange from God, means the desire to go our own way.  This particular analogy astounded me, “The state of Sin is just like a man who lies in the Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU), his life depends solely on the peripherals”. He cannot do anything to sustain his life. It all lies on the equipments and maybe his doctor. In the Bible, it is stated that the consequences of Sin is death. It sounds all so terrible and bleak to me at that moment.

      Fortunately as I venture further I began to catch a glimpse of light ahead. Like the helpless man in the ICU, we are helpless when it comes to Sin. Not unless there is some divine intervention. This is where Jesus comes into the picture. According to the scripture, God, out of love, send Jesus to die for our Sins. From then on, we are free, free from Sins. I have always heard of Jesus dying for our Sin and the ever famous Bible verse, John 3:16. But not until then that I finally felt the significance of Jesus dying for our Sins and believing in Him will lead to an eternal life. Without Him, I will still be a Sinner. Without Him, I will still be bounded to death no matter what I do or how much I do.

      I am almost speechless when I finally understand what God has already done for me. All I need to do is to believe in my heart the God had raised Jesus from the grave and confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and I will be saved. That’s all. It is just so simple. That is the exclusive feature of Christianity. It really bemuse me to know that God actually died for my salvation’s sake. Honestly, who would want to die for a Sinner? Slowly, everything is starting to come into place.

      I come to understand the fact that Christianity is not just another religion. It is about relationship with God. It was Sin all along that barricades us from having a close relationship with God. It was Sin in its many forms that causes all the unfairness and unjust. It was the Sin that causes greediness and evilness which result in all kinds of sufferings. It was Sin that hinder us from helping those in need and thus resulting in the uneven distribution of wealth among ourselves.

      In conclusion, being someone who grew up in a Christian family, it is really embarrassing for me to only fully grasp the concept of Sin at such a later stage. I suppose iteration really promotes mundane. But no doubt I have found the truth. It is not just head knowledge but it’s a personal conviction. Therefore, I’m truly grateful as God has been leading me to him all along. I believe that God will guide me along as I continue walking my path in NUS.

Please comment on my essay!