How can we view the concept of sin in a healthy way?  Historically, some in the church have weaponized sin in order to guilt people into morality.  As a response to these abuses, the tendency has been to not talk about sin at all.  Jesus, however, took sin very seriously.  How can we take sin seriously, without becoming judgmental?  How can we talk about sin through a lens of love, grace, and mercy? Hamartia, the Greek word for "sin," is an archer's term describing missing the target. It is not necessarily meant to convey "the breaking of a commandment" but a failure to reach a goal or standard. We take SIN seriously, not to appease an angry, cranky God, but because God knows that ultimately it will lead to death. In these sense, we are not punished FOR our sins, but we are punished BY our sins.