The Proper Motive - Oedipus and Unintentional Sin

In Sophocles’ three Thebean Plays, the playwright introduces us to a mythical man named Oedipus. Unknowingly raised by an adopted family, Oedipus leaves for another town and marries Jocasta, the widowed queen of the city. They have four children together and love each other dearly. However, there is a problem. Hidden from them both is the fact that Jocasta is Oedipus’ mother. She was certain that her son was dead and he was certain that his parents lived far, far from him. They certainly had no intent to be involved in an incestual relationship, but incest it was.

Throughout the course of the plays, Sophocles insists that Oedipus’ sin was no fault of his own. His only desire was to be in a healthy marriage and he truly loved his wife as a good husband ought. He had no way of possibly knowing that Jocasta was his mother, so how could he be held accountable for actions he did not even intend to commit? Certainly the gods of Greece could not blame him for unknowingly marrying his mother.

This raises an interesting problem for Christians, does God hold us accountable for unintentional sin? Like Oedipus, are we exempt from the guilt of a sin unknowingly committed or do we still bear the guilt?

Leviticus appears to provide a very clear cut answer. In 5:17 the law says, “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.”

This verse seems to say that even if you sin unintentionally that you still bear your guilt. In other words, it’s still sin. This brings up an interesting idea for if this is true, then sin does not require volition, or a desire to sin. I used to define sin as “willful disobedience against God”, but if Leviticus is to be believed then sin does not require a will. This is somewhat of a scary thought, for if we don’t have to be willing ourselves to sin then how can we avoid it. If we think we are telling the truth but then find out it is a lie, we are still held guilty for our lie. Even though we had every intention of telling the truth and not sinning. We can still be sinning even when we do all we can to honor God.

I understand the fact that God is holy and cannot allow unholiness, but this just does not make sense to me. Why does God hold us accountable for sins we did not mean to commit, and not just by negligence for not knowing that murder is sin is simply a lack of seeking truth, but when we seek to honor God by telling the truth only to discover it’s a lie and then be caught in sin?

A girl in my group, Megan, said that if we truly love God that we would want to repent even if we had no idea that we were in sin. I agree with her wholeheartedly, but I’m still confused. So I’m looking more into sin…and what it is exactly.

I’d also love to hear what others think about this problem. Hearing from you all always helps the truth seem more clear!