It is important to give proper attention to *hamartiology, the doctrine of sin (from the Greek hamartia, “missing the mark”)—no more and no less. Without understanding sin’s nature and depth, we do not fully appreciate salvation. Yet focusing too much on sin obscures the gospel, either overwhelming us with guilt and despair or leaving us obsessed with self-improvement. Christ has triumphed over sin and its consequences, exposing evil’s parasitical nothingness. Contemporary culture, however, does