Sin as Breach of Covenant

I've been reflecting a lot these last few days, admittedly in a haphazard way, on the nature of sin vis-a-vis the covenantal relationship with God. Rikki Watts, in his article, "Making Sense of Genesis 1," (HT: Jason) points out that (at least part of) what it means for man to be created in the image of God is that humans are created as vice regents, charged exercising dominion over creation as God himself would and does. This responsibility, needless to say, implies a close relationship b/w God and Man. William Dumbrell's study, Covenant and Creation, bolsters this claim, by demonstrating (through Hebrew word/phrase usage) that the first covenant was initiated in the act of creation.

All this is to state the obvious: there is a covenantal relationship that is at the heart of who we as human beings are. (Now, the nature of how the full covenantal benefits are mediated to individuals seems to change as the covenants are "tweaked.")

Lately, I've been examining my thought process as I engage in sin--usually afterwards. Not that anyone really wants to know what I'm thinking as I yell at my wife or ignore the homeless man on the street, but I find it interesting how I know that I'm doing wrong even as I do it. Because I am overly introverted and introspective, I rarely engage in "big" sins without being aware of it. Some people, being extroverts, just "lose it." Anyway, I've noticed that I'm able to ignore the voice of conscience when I reflect that what I'm doing is wrong. It's almost as if by putting the prohibition into simple word form--"don't do this, it's wrong"--I make the sin easier. However, when I am able to consider the breach of relationship that occurs with God as King and my fellow men as fellow vice regents (ok, I don't actually use those words in my thoughts), it's easier to see the ramifications of my actions and thus change course. Perhaps this is why the so-called Ten Commandments actually begin with God reminding Israel of the covenant relationship, which was enacted by Him through grace.