So, last week, I downloaded the new CG playlist for the hallway and pre/post service mix… and I thought I inadvertently downloaded a song with ‘questionable language’. Turns out, it’s o.k., but it got me to thinking about those sins we immediately vilify (swearing, smoking, drinking for a start)… and how those sins impact God’s kingdom compared with some of the less-obvious sins (greed, gossip, pride).
As I start, please understand me, I’m not going to condone sin, but I just want to look at things from a cause/effect relationship. What would it look like if we stepped back from our lives and said, ‘you know what, God willing, I’m going to attack those sins that have the biggest impact on God’s call on my life… NOT the ones that hold the greatest social-stigma…
Since this is a blog-entry, and not a book, I’ll start by identifying those sins that get in the way of how Jesus summarized all the rules of God… “love God… love your neighbor as yourself”
What gets in the way of our neighbor feeling love in the way God intended us to share his love between people? Normally its things like being too busy… too judgmental… too self-absorbed. Don’t get me wrong, if I get mad at a neighbor and drop the f-bomb… that will probably have a greater impact than if I didn’t use it, but isn’t the real issue that I got mad in the first place? I’m probably not forgiving my neighbor seventy-times-seven times as Christ commanded. Swearing is just the icing on the cake of my anger… which is derived from a whole lot of bad stuff.
Speaking of pride, what if I say that someone is a ____ or a ____? Or, to use Christian-ese language, what if I say that person is an EGR (Extra Grace Required) Is the issue the word/term, or is the issue my heart?
Sometimes, I think that our fascination, as a Christian culture, with many of these sins is no different than what the Pharisees did during the time of Christ… focusing on easily defined (and easily observed) rules, instead of dealing with the internal source of the problem.
While on the earth, Jesus found paradigm-shattering ways to let everyone know the standard was actually much higher than how the Pharisees were measuring it…
you’ve been told not to have adultery? I tell you that even if you look at a woman lustfully, you’ve committed adultery in your heart…
you’ve been told not to murder? I tell you that anyone angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…
As Christians, I think our impact on the world would be much greater if we just focused on doing what God said… recognized the core of our problems, and stopped trying to measure everyone’s holiness.
To Joe-Average non-believer, how do they view Christians? Does it reflect the reputation that Christ had on earth?
If it doesn’t, is it because we have the wrong focus?