This phrase has shown up in several of my posts. I thought it would be helpful to see how this is supported by scripture. From Logos:
Scripture strongly supports this distinction. The biblical language of sin consistently employs medical and pathological imagery rather than treating it as a mere intellectual mistake.
The Psalms depict sin as producing physical corruption—“wounds [that] stink and fester”—rather than simple error (Ps 38:3–7). Isaiah describes the nation’s condition as systemic illness: “the whole head is sick” with “bruises and sores and raw wounds” from sole to head (Isa 1:5–6). These passages suggest something more invasive than a wrong choice—they portray a condition that spreads and degenerates.
The New Testament reinforces this. Jesus characterizes sinners as “sick” and identifies himself as a physician (Matt 9:12–13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31–32), implying sin functions like a disease rather than mere error. Medieval theologians developed this insight, describing sin as “a disease rather than a lack,” where “we are sick and need healing”[1]. This formulation captures what Scripture suggests: sin isn’t simply failing to choose correctly; it’s a corrupting condition that requires healing.
Contemporary theology has extended this metaphor further. One modern theologian characterizes corruption as “a dynamic motif” in understanding sin—“not so much a particular sin as the multiplying power of all sin to spoil a good creation,” comparing it to “spiritual AIDS—the mysterious, systemic, infectious, and progressive attack on our spiritual immune system”[2]. This captures how one sin generates others: “conceit, for instance, typically generates envy,” and “sin becomes the punishment of sin”[2].
The statement you’re considering aligns with Scripture’s own metaphorical framework. Sin isn’t portrayed as ignorance to be corrected through instruction alone, but as corruption requiring divine healing and restoration.
[1] Charles Sherlock, The Doctrine of Humanity, ed. Gerald Bray, Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 236.
[2] Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 32–33.
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