When UNgodliness is next to godliness…

You know the old saying, “cleanliness is next to godliness”? The scary thing about that saying is that most Americans believe it is actually scripture. In reality, it is just one of those psuedo-scriptural sayings that moms have used for years to try to get young boys to take a bath. It has never worked. The only thing that gets young boys, and most men for that matter, to stay clean is young girls… But none of this has anything to do with what I want to talk about today.

What I do want to talk about is something that IS next to godliness: that is UNgodliness. “Wait a minute,” you might say, “we are supposed to be like God! How can UNgodliness be next to godliness?” Stay with me for a minute and let me explain what I mean.

I am getting this idea from the beginning of God’s interaction with man in Genesis chapters 2 & 3. In 2:16-17 the Bible says, “But the LORD God gave him this warning: “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.” Then in 3:5, the serpent puts his twist on things by saying, “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat of it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.” These verses have always bothered me because I have always thought that being like God was a good thing. Aren’t we supposed to be developing His character in our lives? I also thought that knowing the difference between good and evil was a good thing. This bothered me enough that I have pretty much ignored it for years. I am really good at ignoring things I don’t want to spend the mental energy on, like doing the dishes.

Recently though, I started reading through Genesis again and asking what is does this mean? Why is it bad to be like God? Why is it bad to know good and evil? I started spend some of my precious mental energy reserves on these questions. To understand I needed to answer two questions: what does it mean to know good and evil? and what does it mean to be like God?

I have always understood knowing good and evil to mean having the knowledge that stealing cookies was bad and leaving the toilet seat down was good. But that can’t be what it means here. After all God had already given Adam the list: eating from this tree, BAD, everything else, GOOD. I may not be able to remember what I am supposed to get at the grocery store, but even I can remember that. So knowing good and evil has to mean more than just being able to read or remember a list of dos and don’ts.

Next, I had to realize that we are created to be like God just not, like, God. I hope that clears it all up for you. What I mean is that we are supposed to be like Him in our emotions, passions, and character but not like Him as in trying to do His job. We are not created to be our own god and to decide what is good and evil. Do you see it now? Being like God is bad when it means that we decide for ourselves what is good and evil. Our job is to trust God, not do His job for Him.

So this is how I understand the passage; We die when we decide we know better than God what is good and evil. We live when we trust that what He has told us is true and live accordingly. Seems kind of simple, doesn’t it? But I have the gift of making the simple complex (for example, the preceding explanation of this simple topic). I have to argue with God about what is good and what is evil. I also have to argue with obsess over the couple of things He says are bad instead of focusing on the entire world of good things He has given me. Adam was free to do everything in the world except one thing, so he did that! I am just like that. God has set me free to live and enjoy the world but I seem to always be arguing about the one of two things He warns will kill me. “But God, You don’t understand. That is so old fashioned. Things are different today…” It is simple, BE God, BAD, be like God, GOOD.

Angry at the Wrong People

A couple nights ago I was working at the hotel and I met a lady from Florida. She was out in the courtyard smoking a cigarette and had had a little too much to drink. She began asking me about Savannah and we were having a nice conversation until I mentioned that I was a pastor when I wasn’t securing hotels in the middle of the night. She began apologizing and put out her cigarette. Our conversation came to a screeching halt. The more I thought about it, the more it grieved my spirit that mentioning being a Jesus follower made her so uncomfortable. Why is it like this? Why are so many people who do not follow Jesus so uncomfortable with those of us who do (and we around them)?

I think the answer is found in Matthew 23. In this chapter we see the only time that Jesus got angry and “judgmental” with people. And who are the people He yelled at? The religious leaders of His day! The only people Jesus got upset with were people who claimed to follow God but didn’t show love for other people. Specifically, they did not show love for “sinners.” Jesus loved “sinners” and yelled at religious hypocrites. The church (myself included) seems to coddle hypocrites and yell at “sinners.” Why do we act the opposite of our Lord? Do we think we know better than He does? We need to turn this thing around. Love the “sinners” and those outside our fellowship and confront the judgmental amongst ourselves.

Prostitutes and sinners were comfortable hanging out with Jesus. They loved being around Him. Why do they hate being around us? Why am I so uncomfortable around people who smoke, drink, and curse? Could it simply be that I don’t want to be like Jesus badly enough to be uncomfortable? Are we so insecure in our beliefs that we fear being around “sinners” will ruin us?

I am again struck by how far we, who call ourselves followers of Jesus, have strayed from following Jesus. I know that is a very generalized, blanket statement but before you close this window, realize I am including myself in this group and admitting that many times I do the same thing. I am not pointing a finger at all of you from my perch of self righteousness. I am asking what is wrong with me and many of “us”?

I am challenging myself to spend more time with those who are not already following Jesus. I am not there yet. I admit I am uncomfortable. I think it is a good sign though that I am now more uncomfortable when someone feels uncomfortable around me. At least I am recognizing the problem. That’s the first step to recovery, right?

Who You Callin’ A Sinner???

We rarely notice but Jesus was a very sarcastic guy. One of the most sarcastic statements He ever made was directed to the religious leaders of the day. They had just asked His disciples why He hung out with “tax collectors and ’sinners.’” Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… for I have not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt. 9:11-13). Obviously, Jesus did not consider the Pharasees to be healthy. What He was really saying was, “Those who think they are healthy and have it all together don’t realize they need a doctor, only those who know they are sick know they need help… I did not come to call those who think they are righteous and holier thasn thou but those who know they are sinners in need of a savior.” (You will have to excuse the spirit of Eugene Peterson [author of the Message] that has come over me).

Ok, so what is my point? I guess it is that as I read these words, my heart cries out to be called by the doctor (to mix the metaphors). I want to be with Him and the only way I see to do that is to admit that nothing good lives in me. I know that I am forgiven and that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But I also know I am nothing more than a sick sinner without Him. The minute I forget that, I become a self righteous person denying my sickness as puss oozes from my wounds. I just cover them up so others can’t see them. The problem is that when I do this, everyone around my knows I am sick.

I want to embrace my sickness and let it drive me to the doctor. I know what resides in my heart. It needs to be surgically removed. I am desperate for the doctor to heal me and keep me healthy. I know that my works are as filthy rags and I can do nothing on my own. I must remain in Him. I must dwell in Him. I must remain desparate for His presence in my life. The minute I settle for my self righteous religiousness, I rot from the inside out.