Year A, Pentecost 6
Romans 8:1-1
There
has probably never been a time when people have not attempted to shame one
another. But in the age where almost
every cell phone has the capability to take pictures and video, I fear that our
shame culture has gotten a little out of control. To be honest, I am conflicted. There are many times when posting a video of
an incident can get a lot of attention and hold people accountable who wouldn’t
otherwise be held accountable. A good example of this is the murder of George Floyd. However lately,
it seems that people are posting every horrible thing that people say and
virtually demanding shame. While some of
the things I have seen and heard have been truly horrible, the reactions have
been equally if not more horrible. It is
not unusual for these people who are called out on the internet to get death
threats, to lose their job, to be kicked out of their home. Many of these people are condemned before
they can defend themselves.
And what
does that accomplish? Do we think that
people will have a change of heart once publicly shamed? Many of these people apologize, but those
apologies are perceived as insincere, which they probably are. Because shame doesn’t typically lead to a
change of heart. Sometimes it leads to a change in action, but rarely a change
of heart. The problem with this shame
culture is people who are well intentioned are wary of saying anything that
might be criticized. That also makes it
difficult for people to have honest conversations, which is what we need if we
really want to change hearts.
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| Photo by Zulmaury Saavedra |
When Paul said, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” he wasn’t just talking about social shaming. He was talking about something much deeper. He was talking about being condemned by sin—which means you are punished for your sin. Your sin, your guilt never leaves you. When Paul says, “There is no condemnation…” ---it doesn’t mean that you are incapable of sin, or even guilt. It means that you are free from the punishment that comes as a result of that sin.
For a long
time, God’s people believed that the only remedy for sin was the law of the
Hebrew Scriptures. The law didn’t prevent sin, it controlled it. While that was effective in some ways, according
to Paul, it never freed people from the bondage of sin. It was Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that
provided that freedom. “There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He goes on
to say, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free
from the law of sin and of death.” There
is a new law and it isn’t really a law, it’s the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus.
Paul
believed that there were two realities, two worlds to which humanity can
belong. There was what he called “the
flesh.” In this passage flesh didn’t refer
to the body. It referred to the world of
sin and death. Then there is the Spirit,
that is the world of life, life in Christ.[1]
Now, it seems like an easy choice. Why would anyone choose sin and death when
you can have life with Christ? Why? Because if we were living in Christ, then we
could not shame people on the internet. We would not be able to buy loads and
loads of toilet paper without considering others who might need it. We would not be able to see injustice without
acting. Freedom in Christ doesn’t just
mean freedom from sin and death. It
means freedom from self-interest, self-loathing and smug judgment of
others. Sometimes it seems easier just
to be shackled to sin.
Imagine
for a moment what it would be like to live without fear of condemnation. It doesn’t mean that you don’t sin. It means that when you sin, you repent and
you move on. Now that still means you
have to confess the sin and repent, but then you move on. Nothing that you have done or said keeps you
up at night. Nothing that someone else
does or says keeps you up at night because you are free from human
condemnation. You live in Christ
Jesus. While that might not be an easy
place to live, it’s a place where you never doubt your worthiness. You never doubt that you are loved. And when it comes right down to it, isn’t
that what we all need the most, to know we are loved and to know we are worthy
of that love?
Often,
the reason people shame others…the reason we find ourselves gawking at that
shameful behavior is because it makes us feel better about ourselves. I mean, hey I have said some stupid things,
but I never said that. Yet if we know
that we are worthy and that we are loved—that unlike the internet where every
wrong doing is cataloged and remains forever—that our sins are forgiven---then
maybe we would not have to judge and shame others.
If
you look at the front of our service leaflet, you will see that our mission
statement is to live in the Spirit of Christ.
I have often looked at that and tried to discern what that actually
means for the people of St. John’s. Paul
would tell us that it means that sin is no longer our master, we live without
fear of condemnation. Our unofficial
motto at St. John’s is “Fighten sin since 1610.” Someone told me that they had shared that
with an acquaintance and the response was, “Well you’re not doing a very good
job.” The person was not attacking St. John’s, just pointing out that sin is
still prevalent in our world. And let’s
face it, Christians have not done a great job fighting sin. Christians used the Bible to support the
crusades, the inquisition, the slave trade, Nazi Germany…just to name a few. Not only have we not always fought sin, we
have been the sinners.
While I like
the way, “Fighten sin” sounds, I think we have to admit it’s a losing
battle. However, that doesn’t mean we
are defeated, not if we live in the Spirit of Christ. If we live in the Spirit of Christ, even when
we sin, we are still free. We are not
condemned by our sin or the sins of those who went before us. We are not condemned by the fact that we have
not effectively fought sin. As
Christians, I am not sure our job is to fight sin as much it is to resist it
and then forgive it. Jesus already
fought sin and won. Now it is our job to
live in the Spirit of Christ. That
doesn’t mean we deny the sin that we as Christians have committed, but it also
means we are not defined by it. While I
will still proudly wear my fighten sin baseball hat on my head, in my heart, I
will be living in the Spirit of Christ---where there is no condemnation. There
is love, truth, and forgiveness.
