"The Dark Passenger:" Today's Sinner-Saint Narrative

The human condition sees many of us struggle with the “Sinner-Saint Complex.” But, perhaps, this historical paradigm falls on deaf ears for many young people today; as spirituality becomes more prevalent than bring religious. In light of a perceived paradigm shift, I turn to entertainment to illustrate this archetype of human nature. The TV hit, Dexter, speaks of a “Dark Passenger;” folks, this is the “Sinner-Saint Complex” at its best (or its worst, depending on how you look at it).

The “Dark Passenger,” is that internal component of the human mind that drives our selfish desires. In contrast, “The Code of Harry” (the show’s representation of light and good) lives in tension with the “Dark Passenger.” Why do light and darkness present themselves in the form(s) of a complex? In short, Original Sin (Lutherans call this the Bondage of the Will and Reformed traditions call it Total Depravity). How does Original Sin cause us to live in tension with “The Code” (saint) and “The Passenger” (sinner)? It is the fact that we cannot rid ourselves of one or the other. We are both saint and sinner.

One doesn’t have to be like the Dexter character (a serial killer) to need their own “Code of Harry” or to struggle with their own “Dark Passenger.” This is the human condition, this is the bonded will, this is the totally depraved, and this is our nature. Now, how do we reconcile this reality? There are a few common routes people take; first, we can fight our “Dark Passenger” making sure we live every letter of our “Code of Harry.” Second, we can deny our “Passenger” and conclude that we don’t need a “Code” if there is no “Passenger.” Third, we can give into our “Dark Passenger” and wallow in a state of constant misery, rage, depression, lust, hatred, envy, etc. Fourth, we can receive the external grace we need because “The Code of Harry” is not enough to overcome the “Dark Passenger.”

The first option (living “the Code”) might make you a saint, but you’ll still be a sinner. The second choice (denial) is the illusion of Free Will (so, good luck with that). The third – a concession – indulgence of “The Dark Passenger;” The Fall, without hope of redemption. The fourth, a contrast to all the others, finds us covered in grace; sanctified by “the Code,” bound to the “Dark Passenger,” and redeemed by the external grace of God.  

  

CFA: the Hegemony of the Human Will

There is nothing greater than the grace of God, brought forth through the cross event. Nevertheless, even in the grace of Christ’s redeeming work, we can become control freaks. “Hello, my name is Tim, and I’m a control freak.” Preachers have given sermons, Theologians have written discourses, and Apostles have proclaimed the truth; humanity is infected with a chronic illness called sin and it deceives us.

In turn, this condition of sin is nothing new. The Apostle Paul said, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15, NRSV). Thus, I welcome you to CFA (Control Freaks Anonymous). As a professional grace pusher, I know that the grace of God trumps the effects of sin. As a human, I know that we live with this tension of sin and grace. The human will is “mutable” – forever changing and fickle – and cannot willingly cling to this divine promise of grace that is beyond its comprehension.

As a result, we are addicts of the sin that ails us, and the only cure is the unmerited grace of God. Translation, we are not in control, but we’re fixated on the illusion of control. Certainly, we could blame an American workaholic attitude for our false conceptions of control and perfection, but this is a symptom of a greater condition. Still, if grace is the cure, why are people, like me, control freaks? Our human will is in a state of hegemony – it perceives that it is free to do all things, through its own determination; yet, it is a slave to addiction, blind to illusions of its own creation – and this is the result of our sin condition.

However, there is hope because this hegemony is not the work of God. “Wherefore, the work of Satan is, so to hold men, that they come not to know their misery, but that they presume that they can do all things which are enjoined” (Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will). Therefore, I confess that I am a control freak (insistent that my determination will endure the hardships of life) and only the grace of God, illuminated in the cross event, can cure my condition and heal my addiction.

This post was inspired, influenced, and "standing on the shoulders" of the words and story of a "Sarcastic Lutheran".