Obama & Isaiah

In a recently posted interview Obama gave to Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani in 2004 about his faith he made the following comment:

• FALSANI:
• Do you believe in sin?
• OBAMA:
  Yes.
• FALSANI:
  What is sin?
• OBAMA:
  Being out of alignment with my values.
• FALSANI:
  What happens if you have sin in your life?
• OBAMA:
  I think it's the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I'm true to myself and my faith that is its own reward, when I'm not true to it, it's its own punishment.

I can't help but think of this subjective definition of sin in light of Isaiah's experience of the objective reality of his sin the presence of God's absolute holiness in Isaiah 6.1-7. Not only did Isaiah recognize that his sin was against God, but God symbolically atones for that sin, highlighting our need for salvation outside of ourselves.

HT: Justin Taylor