Bad Theology on Young Sheldon

Admittedly The Big Bang Theory and spinoff Young Sheldon are not great places to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine, but the episode this past week was especially unsettling.  It can be expected that Sheldon himself will promote atheistic ideas, but it is unfortunate that the “youth pastor” was the source of poor theology this time.

Sheldon’s mother Mary Cooper and the youth pastor carried on a bit of flirtation and ended up smoking cigarettes together in the parking lot when they were supposed to be supervising the youth group on an overnight “lock-in.”  They began this unfortunate event by discussing their past temptation to smoke, and the comment was made that the fortunate thing about being a Christian is that if you sin, you can be forgiven.  If this was an attempt to mock such thinking, it was not made clear.

It is true that forgiveness is always available.  However, deciding in advance that one can go ahead and sin and then acquire forgiveness is not scriptural.  The apostle Paul specifically discusses this bit of skewed thinking in the 5^th and 6^th chapters of Romans.  Apparently neither the youth pastor nor Mary Cooper are familiar with this passage.

(Phillips’ translation)…Yet, though sin is shown to be wide and deep, thank God his grace is wider and deeper still!...Now what is our response to be?  Shall we sin to our heart’s content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God?  What a ghastly thought!  We, who have died to sin…how could we live in sin a moment longer…..Do not, then, allow sin to establish any power over your mortal bodies in making you give way to your lusts….But, like men rescued from certain death, put yourselves in God’s hands as weapons of good for his own purposes.  For sin is not meant to be your master---you are no longer living under the Law, but under grace.  Now, what shall we do?  Shall we go on sinning because we have no Law to condemn us any more, but are living under grace?  Never!  Just think what it would mean.  You belong to the power which you choose to obey.

Paul makes it abundantly clear that thinking, “because I am a Christian I can do whatever I please, and then God will forgive me” is faulty logic.  If you are choosing to sin knowingly and willfully, your Christian commitment is in question.  “You belong to the power which you choose to obey.” God knows your heart and your motivation.  He is not interested in playing games with you.

It would be extremely sad if anyone bought into Christianity with the intent of sinning as much as he/she pleased and expected God’s immense grace to apply to purposeful sin.