Art, Life, Death, Resurrection… and the Death of Sin
There’s something powerful about standing in front of a blank canvas.
No expectations.
No mistakes.
No finished story.
Just space… waiting to be filled.
As both an artist and someone grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), I’ve come to understand something deeper about that moment. The blank canvas isn’t empty—it’s potential. And every action, every decision, every repeated behavior becomes a brushstroke shaping what eventually emerges.
When I reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through this lens, I don’t just see a spiritual narrative.
I see a process.
A transformation.
A painting that doesn’t just evolve…
—but redeems itself.
The First Strokes: Life as Intentional Behavior
Every painting begins with a choice—to start.
Not perfectly. Not clearly. Just intentionally.
The life of Jesus reflects this kind of consistency. His actions—teaching, healing, forgiving—were not random. From a behavioral standpoint, they were patterns shaped and maintained over time.
People listened.
People followed.
People changed.
That’s reinforcement.
In ABA, behavior that produces meaningful outcomes is more likely to continue. And not all reinforcement is external. Sometimes the strongest reinforcement is internal—purpose, alignment, conviction.
As an artist, I know that feeling.
When something you create begins to carry meaning beyond yourself… you don’t stop.
You lean in.
The Distortion: Sin as Learned Behavior
But every canvas also faces distortion.
Paint drips where it shouldn’t.
Colors clash.
The image becomes something you didn’t intend.
In life, this is what we often call sin.
From a behavioral perspective, sin can be understood as learned behavior patterns—habits shaped over time through reinforcement, environment, and experience. Some behaviors may provide immediate reinforcement (comfort, escape, pleasure), even if they lead to long-term consequences.
That’s the trap.
What feels good in the moment can quietly condition patterns that pull us away from who we’re meant to become.
In ABA terms:
Behavior is strengthened by reinforcement—even if it’s harmful long-term
Patterns repeat because they’ve “worked” before
Without intervention, they maintain themselves
Sin, then, isn’t just a moral issue.
It’s a behavioral pattern that’s been reinforced.
When the Canvas Breaks: Pressure and Consequence
Every artist hits a moment where the canvas feels ruined.
Where the painting doesn’t match the vision.
Where you question whether it’s even worth continuing.
The crucifixion represents that breaking point.
From a behavioral lens, it looks like punishment—an attempt to stop something entirely. Pressure, resistance, and consequence all converge in one moment.
And in our own lives, we experience this too.
The weight of our choices.
The consequences of our patterns.
The realization that something needs to change.
But here’s the truth:
Pressure doesn’t erase behavior—it reveals it.
And sometimes…
It creates the opportunity for something new.
Killing Sin: Breaking the Pattern
Here’s where the transformation begins.
In both behavior and art, you can’t just ignore what’s not working.
You have to confront it.
Sometimes that means painting over a layer.
Sometimes it means stripping it down.
Sometimes it means starting again—but with awareness.
“Killing sin” isn’t about perfection.
It’s about breaking the reinforcement cycle.
From an ABA perspective, this looks like:
· Interrupting behaviors that no longer serve you
· Removing or altering reinforcement that maintains them
· Replacing them with behaviors aligned with your values
· Repeating new patterns until they become your default
This is not easy.
Because what you’re really doing…
is unlearning what was once reinforced.
But that’s where growth lives.
The Turning Point: Resurrection and Rebuilding
Then comes the moment every artist hopes for.
You step back… and something shifts.
The painting starts to make sense again.
Not because it’s perfect—
but because it’s been transformed.
The resurrection represents that shift.
From a behavioral perspective, it’s where everything changes:
What once controlled you… no longer does.
What once reinforced you… loses its power.
What once defined you… is no longer final.
Now behavior is driven by something deeper:
Purpose.
Hope.
Renewal.
And when behavior is rooted in those things…
It doesn’t just continue.
It expands.
You Are Both the Canvas and the Artist
Here’s the truth.
You are not just observing this process.
You are living it.
Every day, you are standing in front of your own canvas.
And every day, you are painting.
Your habits are brushstrokes.
Your choices are color.
Your patterns become your identity.
From an ABA perspective:
What you repeat, you reinforce.
What you reinforce, you become.
So the question becomes—
What are you building?
What patterns are you strengthening?
What are you holding onto that needs to be let go?
What would it look like to “kill” the behaviors that no longer serve your life?
Because just like any powerful piece of art…
Your life will have layers.
Mistakes.
Corrections.
Transformation.
None of it is wasted.
Final Reflection
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus reveal something deeper than a single moment in history.
They reveal a process:
Creation.
Distortion.
Confrontation.
Transformation.
And maybe the most important part of that process…
is the willingness to let old patterns die
so something new can live.
So the next time you’re standing in front of your blank canvas—
Don’t be afraid to paint boldly.
Don’t be afraid to confront what’s not working.
And don’t be afraid to let parts of your old self go.
Because sometimes…
the most beautiful work comes
after something else has been laid to rest.
Best Life Forward,
Tony
