The Lists

I love lists. I have a to do list that never seems to get completed. My wife and I keep a running grocery list that I use when I go grocery shopping. We have a list of movies to see that I’ll never find the time to finish off. If you’re like me, you are drawn to the sense of accomplishment when you can check something off the list. Sometimes, I’ll even add something to the list and cross it off if it wasn’t on there already. Done deal!

Per our discussion here, there are a few lists in the Bible that tell us what “to do” or “not to do”. I find the lists fascinating. I especially find them fascinating in light of the advancing morality or ethics of the day. My next few blogs are going to be focused on defining some of these terms: Sin, morality, ethics, etc. But for now, let’s look at these passages in terms of good behavior and bad behavior.

Of course, we have the 10 Commandments.

1. You shall have no other Gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol
3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5. Honor your father and your mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony
10. You shall not covet

Some of these we would still put into a good or bad behavior category. For example I would expect most people would still put murder, adultery, and stealing into the bad behavior category. However, coveting, giving false testimony, honoring your father and mother, and I would argue pretty much the rest of them have sort of fallen into a gray area, if not maybe into the good behavior list.

The apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:
¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let’s break this down. Let’s think about what this verse is really saying. I want you to think about these items one by one with me.

Sexual immorality:

sex·u·al
/ˈsekSH(o͞o)əl/
adjective

1. 1.relating to the instincts, physiological processes, and activities connected with physical attraction or intimate physical contact between individuals.”she had felt the thrill of a sexual attraction”synonyms:carnal, erotic, coital, venereal; sensual”sexual pleasure”
2. 2.relating to the two sexes or to gender.”sensitivity about sexual stereotypes”

I’m using definitions per the internet. I’m not making these up.

im·mo·ral·i·ty
/ˌiməˈralədē/
noun

1. the state or quality of being immoral; wickedness.”he believed his father had been punished by God for his immorality”synonyms:wickedness, immoral behavior, badness, evil, vileness, iniquity, corruption, dishonesty, dishonorableness; More

I think this one could have it’s own blog post. But for now, I will just say that I think culturally or morality wise we are a bit confused on what would actually fall into this category. I’ll ask you what you think fits into this category. Lust? Masturbation? Viewing pornography? Adultery? Pre-martial sex? Homosexuality? Swinging? I don’t want to define anything for you, but I do want you to think about what would actually fall into the “sexual immorality” category for you.

Impurity:

im·pu·ri·ty
/imˈpyo͝orədē/
noun

1. the quality or condition of being impure.synonyms:adulteration, debasement, degradation More
   • a constituent which impairs the purity of something.plural noun: impurities“aluminum and lead are impurities frequently found in tap water”synonyms:contaminant, adulterant, pollutant, foreign body; More
   • ELECTRONICSa trace element deliberately added to a semiconductor; a dopant.

Hmm… Not sure what to say here.

Debauchery:

de·bauch·er·y
/dəˈbôCHərē/
noun

1. excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.synonyms:dissipation, dissoluteness, degeneracy, corruption, vice, turpitude, depravity, loucheness, rakishness, libertinism, immodesty, indecency, perversion, shamelessness, iniquity, wickedness, sinfulness, sinning, impropriety, lack of morals, lack of principles, immorality, impurity, unchastity, lasciviousness, salaciousness, lechery, lecherousness, lewdness, bawdiness, lust, lustfulness, libidinousness, licentiousness, promiscuity, wantonness, abandonment, abandon, profligacy, decadence, immoderateness, intemperance, lack of restraint, indulgence, self-indulgence, pleasure-seeking, hedonism, sybaritism; More

Geez…. we’re really raising the bar here.

Idolatry:

i·dol·a·try
/īˈdälətrē/
noun

1. the worship of idols.synonyms:idol worship, idolatrism, fetishism, iconolatry, icon worship; More
   • extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.”we must not allow our idolatry of art to obscure issues of political significance”synonyms:idolization, idolizing, fetishization, worship, worshipping, adulation, adoration, adoring, reverence, glorification, lionizing, lionization, love, admiration, loving, admiring, hero-worshipping”our idolatry of art”

I would say that this one is almost an integral part of our American “normal” culture. It’s my opinion that our media and entertainment worlds ebb and flow based on idolatry.

Witchcraft:

witch·craft
/ˈwiCHˌkraft/
noun

1. the practice of magic, especially black magic; the use of spells.”children and goods were believed to be vulnerable to the witchcraft of jealous neighbors”synonyms:sorcery, black magic, the black arts, the occult, occultism, wizardry, witching, necromancy, voodooism, voodoo, hoodoo, wonder-working, divination; More
   • (in a modern context) religious practice involving magic and affinity with nature, usually within a pagan tradition.
   • bewitching or fascinating attraction or charm.

This isn’t something that is blaringly obvious. Outside of The Blair Witch Project, and other movies about witches, witchcraft isn’t something that really comes up much. Although, and I’m using the definition here, I do see the “religious practice involving magic and affinity with nature” making it’s way into our culture.

Hatred:

ha·tred
/ˈhātrəd/
noun

1. intense dislike or ill will.”racial hatred”synonyms:loathing, hate, detestation, dislike, distaste, abhorrence, abomination, execration, resentment, aversion, hostility, ill will, ill feeling, bad feeling; More

A regular scroll through Facebook or Twitter and you will see lots and lots of hatred. Again, this is something that appears to be culturally okay, especially as pertains to politics, media, social media, the entertainment industry. It’s also interesting to note that hatred is in the same list of “acts of the flesh” or bad behavior as sexual immorality.

Discord:

dis·cord
/ˈdiskôrd/
noun

1. 1.disagreement between people.”a prosperous family who showed no signs of discord”synonyms:strife, conflict, friction, hostility; More
2. 2.MUSIC lack of harmony between notes sounding together.”the music faded in discord”synonyms:dissonance, discordance, lack of harmony, disharmony, cacophony, jarring, jangling”the music faded in discord”

At this point, I can stop writing because this passage should be speaking for itself by now.

Jealousy:

jeal·ous·y
/ˈjeləsē/
noun

1. the state or feeling of being jealous.”a sharp pang of jealousy”synonyms:envy, enviousness, covetousness, desire; More

Fits of Rage:

rage
/rāj/
noun

1. 1.violent, uncontrollable anger.”her face was distorted with rage”synonyms:temper, fit of rage/fury/anger/temper, fit of bad/ill temper, towering rage, bad temper, pet, fit of pique, tantrum, fury, frenzy of rage/anger, rampage, paroxysm of rage/anger, passion, bad mood, mood; More

verb

1. 1.feel or express violent uncontrollable anger.”he raged at the futility of it all”synonyms:be angry, be furious, be enraged, be incensed, be infuriated, seethe, be beside oneself, have a fit, boil, be boiling over, rant, rave, rant and rave, storm, fume, spit, breathe fire, burn; More

Selfish Ambition:

self·ish
/ˈselfiSH/
adjective

1. (of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.”I joined them for selfish reasons”synonyms:egocentric, egotistic, egotistical, egomaniacal, self-centered, self-regarding, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-seeking, self-serving, wrapped up in oneself, inward-looking, introverted, self-loving; More

am·bi·tion
/amˈbiSH(ə)n/
noun

1. a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.”her ambition was to become a pilot”synonyms:aspiration, intention, goal, aim, objective, object, purpose, intent, plan, scheme, mission, calling, vocation, desire, wish, design, target, end, dream, hope”her ambition was to become a pilot”
   • desire and determination to achieve success.”life offered few opportunities for young people with ambition”synonyms:drive, determination, desire, enterprise, initiative, eagerness, motivation, enthusiasm, zeal, commitment, a sense of purpose, longing, yearning, hankering; informalget-up-and-go”young people with ambition”

If this list truly is a list of bad behaviors, I’m beginning to feel a bit of inclusion.

Dissensions:

dis·sen·sion
/dəˈsen(t)SH(ə)n/
nounplural noun: dissensions

1. disagreement that leads to discord.”these issues caused bitter dissension in the party” synonyms:disagreement, difference of opinion, dispute, dissent, variance, conflict, friction, strife, discord, discordance, discordancy, disunion, disaffection, rivalry, antagonism; More

Factions:

fac·tion¹
/ˈfakSH(ə)n/
noun

1. a small organized dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics.”the left-wing faction of the party”synonyms:clique, coterie, caucus, cabal, bloc, camp, group, grouping, side, sector, section, wing, arm, branch, division, contingent, set, ring, lobby; More
   • a state of conflict within an organization; dissension.synonyms:infighting, dissension, dissent, dispute, discord, strife, contention, conflict, friction, argument, difference of opinion, disagreement, controversy, quarreling, wrangling, bickering, squabbling, disputation, falling-out, debate, division, divisiveness, clashing, disharmony, disunity, variance, rupture, tumult, turbulence, upheaval, dissidence, rebellion, insurrection, sedition, mutiny, schism”the council was increasingly split by faction”

What the heck? I don’t think it would be unfair to say that, especially here in America, we are a bunch of small dissenting groups. Again, it must be said that along with factions, things like sexual immorality and hatred are here in the same list.

Envy:

en·vy
/ˈenvē/
noun

1. 1.a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.”she felt a twinge of envy for the people on board”synonyms:jealousy, enviousness, covetousness, desire; More

verb

1. 1.desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else).”he envied people who did not have to work on weekends”synonyms:be envious of, be jealous of; More

I’m laughing at this point.

Drunkenness:

drunk·en·ness
/ˈdrəNGkənˌnəs/
noun

1. the state of being intoxicated; intoxication.”a growing problem of drunkenness”synonyms:intoxication, inebriation, insobriety, tipsiness; More

We might be able to achieve some sort of agreement around this one. Drunkenness = Bad Behavior. But seriously, it’s in the same list as sexual immorality, hatred, discord. I’m checking myself here and invite you to do the same.

Orgies:

or·gy
/ˈôrjē/
noun

1. a wild party, especially one involving excessive drinking and unrestrained sexual activity.”he had a reputation for drunken orgies”synonyms:wild party, debauch, carousal, carouse, revel, revelry, bacchanalia, bacchanal, saturnalia, Dionysiacs; More
   • excessive indulgence in a specified activity.”an orgy of buying”synonyms:bout, excess, surfeit, overindulgence, overconsumption; More
   • HISTORICALsecret rites used in the worship of Bacchus, Dionysus, and other Greek and Roman deities, celebrated with dancing, drunkenness, and singing.

Sound’s like a common frat party. And, they are common.

There’s another list in Romans that is very similar.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 

Have I ever disobeyed my parents? Am I greedy? Am I arrogant?

What’s your point here Dray? Why have you exhausted us with your definitions and lists? My point here is I’m guilty. If this represents a list of “bad behavior”, then I must admit I’m guilty. Furthermore, my point is that the lists have moved culturally or morality speaking. Remember how some items have fallen out of vogue with the Ten Commandments? It’s happening again.

I’m fairly confident that if I was judged by the list of “bad behaviors” that could be crafted by our normal modern day American culture and morality that I would be considered a pretty good guy, or maybe not. But when I look into the mirror of what I consider to be the Word of God, I realize that I am the “worst of sinners.”

That’s the argument that I’m making here. We, as an American culture, have crafted a new list that is a departure from what we’ve discussed here. Bad behavior has a new face. And furthermore, we are judging each other based on this new list. We are bringing people to the feet of Jesus with stones in our hands asking him if we can proceed with the execution. Jesus would tell us, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone…”

Furthermore, we’re throwing stones. Stones are being thrown because we are basing the goodness or badness of our behavior against the new culturally effective morality. We’re working with a new list. A list that we’ve crafted.

I’m proposing a better way to get to goodness and it starts with inclusion in the group with the sinners, with those who have behaved badly and continue to do so. I consider myself “the worst of sinners” and I’m recommending that as a starting point.

This Literally Changes Everything

I am bad and that is good, I will never be good and that’s not bad, there’s no one I’d rather be than me – Wreck-it Ralph

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. – The Apostle Paul

I’ve got to press into this some more because we tend to gloss over the idea. Yeah, yeah, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, right? So, I’ve got to get real and specific with you and show how the other paradigm is at work. Some real life examples.

Let’s say that you’ve found out that your spouse is having an affair, your spouse has a porn addiction, you’ve been raped, one of your kids has been stealing from you, you are being abused, you are abusing someone, you’ve divorced your spouse, or your spouse has divorced you, you’ve aborted a baby, you’ve been abandoned, or you have abandoned one of your children. You name it, okay?

Now, let me be very clear. I’m not glossing over these offenses. If you are a victim of someone’s sin against you, or even a sin against yourself, I’m sorry. Very sorry. You have been offended. You have suffered a tragedy. You will need to grieve, you may need counseling, you will need to recover. Sometimes this means years of working through difficult situations. Sin is serious, and it is destructive, and evil.

I’m going to spend some time discussing sin later but for now, let me just say that sin is serious. I’m not making light of it.

But take an offense and hold it in your mind. Or, maybe you have in your mind something like this, “If I found out my spouse was having an affair, there’s no way I could ever forgive him (or her)” Or, maybe there is some other offense you consider unforgivable, fill in the blank.

Keep that offense in your mind… How in the world could Paul say, ”
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Or better yet, Jesus, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)”

Whoa.

Forgiveness. Do you see how the paradigm that I am proposing, that the gospel, the good news, is proposing, is so opposite of our normal paradigm. It literally changes everything. Let me put it a different way. If I believe that good people do good things and will be rewarded and that bad people do bad things and will therefore be punished, then I believe that the bad that I’ve done or will do, isn’t as bad as the bad that that bad person has done. And that may be true, but it’s the wrong paradigm. It’s actually the opposite of the gospel. I’m putting myself into the good group and in effect saying I don’t really need a savior, I don’t need Jesus… Or at least not as much of Jesus as this other guy or girl.

When I put myself into the other category, the worst of sinners, I need God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, which in turn is the only basis for my forgiveness of others. Operating out of the good people/bad people paradigm puts me into the category of the pharisees, the stone throwers. When I operate out of the there is no good person paradigm, I meet sin with compassion, grace, understanding, and forgiveness because I realize just how much I need these directed towards myself.

This is essentially the argument that Paul lays out in Romans 1. Read Romans 1 and 2 and let me know if you get something different. The opposite paradigm is our normal mode of operation, the bad people deserve bad things, they deserve judgement, and we, mankind get to dole out the punishment. God’s paradigm, I would argue, is that we’re all in the bad group, deserving judgment, and God is the one who gets to do the punishing, should he choose to.

I’ll come back to some of these topics, but I want you to see how this effects everything. There can be no such thing as a Christian government. There can be no Christian judicial system. There can be no schools that operate under this paradigm. There can be no leadership structure, corporations, even church leaderships that operate in the paradigm of Jesus, and here’s why. (Side note: you could have these structures, these institutions operate out of a Jesus paradigm, it just wouldn’t make sense or seem right to us)

Let’s say you find out that the CEO of the company your working for has been stealing money. Grace would say, I forgive you. Grace would go even further to say I’m going to let you keep your position as the CEO and give you the freedom to steal some more. That is literally what forgiveness in Jesus Christ looks like. But that’s not how our structures work, is it?

And, let’s be honest, I’m thankful. What would a Christian judicial system look like if it told criminals, “your forgiven, stop misbehaving, and we’re going to give you the freedom to commit the same crime again.” The good guy/bad guy paradigm works really well here on this planet, and again, I’m thankful. It’s just not God’s paradigm. Which is what makes God’s paradigm, the paradigm of grace, just so amazing. It really doesn’t make sense to us, but it really is true.

What I’m proposing is that there are two different paradigms, two different world views. There is the good person/bad person paradigm, and the there is no such thing as a good person paradigm. The good person/bad person paradigm is how people, people groups, civilizations, leadership structures, even family structures operate. Again, I’m thankful. We need structures. We are drawn to this paradigm because it’s fair, it’s just, it creates a sense of safety in this unsafe life. But, I’m arguing that it’s not God’s paradigm. It’s not how He view’s things. Jesus’ words are the biggest indicator of this. My second proposal is that we have been applying the good person/bad person paradigm onto God. It’s created quite a mess. And, I hope to show why.

Finally, I’ll propose that living within the all bad people leads to all of the things that the good person/bad person are pushing to accomplish. Love, grace, understanding, peace, equality, hope, true freedom, kindness, truly can only come from the understanding that we are receivers of the same.

I don’t know. Let all of this sink in. Think about the offense you have suffered. Think about the unforgivable offense you have set up in your mind. Apply both paradigms and ask God which paradigm he operates out of in your life. I think the better perspective is to view ourselves as “the worst of sinners”.

Time to Start the Conversation

I’ve decided to start blogging. How many blogs start with that sentence? I’ve had thoughts running through my head for many years now, and I think my wife and my own head, to be honest, are tired of hearing the same things over and over. So, I’ve decided to start putting these thoughts out on paper… or this computer screen. I’m also making my thoughts public because, I think, this is life changing information. I think it’s timely. A part of me even thinks this may be what God wants me to do.

The point. I believe that I’ve stumbled, or God has led me to, a world view, a perspective, a paradigm, that changes everything. Everything about how I see the world, how I relate to others, how I love, how I forgive, what surprises me and what doesn’t, my Christian core has been shaken. I believe that if you, my readers, give full weight to my writings here, you will be changed. You will see the world in a new way. I believe.

So, I am going to start putting this paradigm, this world view, in writing here. And, to be honest, I’m scared. This is a very vulnerable thing for me to be doing. I scared that this may change how you view me. Maybe you won’t like me as much as you do, maybe you will like me more, both options are risky. Right? I’m scared that I may say something that someone won’t like. My thoughts in writing open me up for ridicule, for name calling, for rejection. I’m scared. But, here I go.

Who is my audience? Well, I hope it’s kind of like …anyone. I’m guessing some of my friends will read, maybe some out of duty. I’m writing as a Christian, but I really believe that no matter what your faith background is, or what religion you are, I think these thoughts can be helpful. I plan on tackling some topics that are very hot right now (again scared). I really hope that I get readers from all walks of life and all kinds of different perspectives because as this is titled, I’d like for this to be a conversation. Ask me some questions (again scared). Don’t worry if my answer is, “I’ll come back around this,” though. I will come back around it.

A note to my Progressive Christian friends and those who have or are beginning to deconstruct your faith. I honestly believe that the steps that you have taken away from what you may call “Evangelical Christianity” are the exact response to the opposite world view or paradigm that I will present in this blog. I really want you to consider these thoughts, I think you will find good things here. To my agnostic or atheist friends. I think that these thoughts will at a minimum help you understand what’s going on with Christians, like, “why do people who claim to follow Jesus act so hypocritical?” I really do think everyone can benefit from these thoughts. I wouldn’t be writing them down if not.

Bad news first. I’m going to talk about sin. I’m going to talk about it a lot. But I have a reason. It’s very important to understand how much different this paradigm is from how many of us, maybe most of us, currently operate. The bad news is paramount to this different world view. So, I can’t understate it’s importance.

It’s also going to take a long time to get to the point, so I’m going to need you to bear with me. I need for my blogs to really sink in. Each one will build upon the next and overlap and repeat and sometimes it will seem like we’re starting over. But, I need you to stick with me. Journey with me. Let this stuff open up to you.

The good news? This is amazing good news. It is earth shattering, ground breaking, life changing, (whatever big, over the top word you want to put in here), news. I didn’t come up with this stuff though. It’s been around a long time. I’m just repeating it. But, I truly believe if you stick with me, this paradigm will change the way you see the world and in turn effect every aspect of your life. It really is good news.

If I don’t tell you this has to do with Jesus, even though it’s in the title, and you are not a Jesus follower, and you begin to realize that it actually does have something to do with Jesus, you might be offended, like I was using some sort of sales tactic. So, I’ll tell you here at the start. This has to do with Jesus. But, here at the beginning I want you to forget about that because you might miss the world view or the paradigm, so again to those of you who don’t believe there is a God, or have abandoned your “evangelical” faith, or don’t want to have anything to do with anything spiritual or religious stick in here. I think you will find some useful nuggets that you can apply to your own life. At minimum you will or should be able to find new understandings around topics of Christianity, faith, morality, church disappointments, and the like.

So, here we go. I don’t think there is anything more I need to say before we begin.