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"Romans Romp Paul's Verdict 2"
Delivered from the Pulpit of First Congregational Church
of Anchorage by The Reverend Mark E. Long
on February 28, 2010
Lections: Wis. 14.12-14, 21-27
Rom. 2.1-6, 17-24
Mt. 23.13-15, 23-24
Last week, I concluded from the 1st chapter of Romans that Paul believes that same sex relations are one of the results of a "debased mind," acts that should not be done. But not for the reason we may think. There is a long list of other behaviors no less associated with the "debased mind," says Paul. These we may recognize in ourselves - gossip, slander, boastfulness, rebellious toward parents, even foolishness. Homosexual relations are just one among many evidences for Paul that humans are off the path of holiness.
Paul includes and singles out homosexual orientation in his letter to the Roman churches because it draws an instant contrast between the Roman and Jewish ways of life. Romans can not conceive the gods care a whit about sexual orientation, but Jewish tradition is reflected in Paul's belief that the behavior is ungodly.
But for Paul moral behavior is an effect, not a cause, of following God or not. There is something more basic that lies at the root of the human problem that we keep getting in our own way so often and messing up a good thing. So what is to blame?
Ten years or so before Paul writes his letters, an anonymous Greek attributes his own writing to his ancient hero, Solomon (pseudonymous authors are not uncommon in the ancient world). He calls his work sensibly enough "The Wisdom of Solomon." His work doesn't make it into the closed canon of the Church but it gets close; it is one of the books of the Apocrypha, usually bound together with the canon in Catholic Bibles but not in Protestant ones.
Regardless of how the "Wisdom of Solomon" is regarded by later generations, it appears likely even probable, the writing is influential on Paul's letter to the Romans. It is in "Wisdom" that Paul finds the root of the human problem which leads to the "debased mind."
Idols. Idol worship. Paul picks up the theme of "Wisdom," "the idea of making idols [is] the beginning of fornication, and the invention of them [is] the corruption of life" and the worship of them "is the beginning and cause and end of every evil," and transplants it as his theme at the end of Chapter 1. Idol making and worship are the beginning and cause and end of the "debased mind" and the subsequent giving into "degrading passion," says Paul.
But for whom is this warning issued? Paul seems to take aim at the Gentiles. After all, it is Gentiles who have same sex relations. We can almost visualize the newly returned Jewish-Christians from Claudius' exile getting all self-righteous, pointing their collective fingers and shouting at the "newcomers" when these first paragraphs of Paul's letter are read to the congregation: "See, see we told you that you must be a Jew before you can be a Christian. You must conform to our ways and traditions and be circumcised otherwise you are frauds."
Ah, there is nothing quite so effective as self-righteousness to lead people to their own condemnation. Paul sets a trap and while Jewish fingers wag, Paul's trap springs and the Jews are caught in it. Paul does not say at the end of (what is now) Chapter one who has offended God. For the reason given, the assumption is the Gentiles. But it is a bad assumption for in the first words following he says "you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things."
We can visualize the puzzled expressions on the faces of the Jewish-Christian "judges." They may have looked at each other wondering if the reader misread the sentence. But it was not much further in the letter before Paul leaves no doubt who are the "judges" without excuse - verse 17 brings all the fingers down and the Jews to their seats. "But if you call yourself a Jew . . ." begins Paul. There remains no doubt who Paul is talking to now.
It is obvious that Paul is talking to everyone at the end of Chapter 1. Gentile and Jew alike have conceived of idols, made them, and worshipped them and for Gentile and Jew alike this is the "beginning, the cause, and the end of every evil."
This passage, often misused by camps as a proof text in support or opposition of the gay lifestyle, is not about same sex relations at all. Paul uses the passage to trap the Jews into realizing that no one stands approved morally. All, as he says somewhere else, sin and have fallen short of what God seeks. And the reason all have fallen short is because all, Gentile and Jew, have conceived, made, and worshipped idols in which to place their faith rather than in the Lord. All have placed faith unwisely in idols and worshipped things that will not help them and may make a mess of their lives.
Paul knows that it matters where we start. If we start with anything other than the Lord God as a source of our faith then we are bound for trouble no matter who we are, how long we have been around, or what edge we may believe that we have over others. For the truth is that no one has an edge; all have the equal opportunity to point their faith in a profitable direction, to listen for the one voice with the power to save them. Some will hear God, others will hear something else.
Our modern idols are rarely made of wood or precious stone. We have traded in our faith in the power of wood and stone cold idols in favor of faith in the pleasure of ethereal, warm and fuzzy ones. Our idols no longer confront us, making demands on us; now they lull us, seduce us as they wrest control of our lives from us.
As surely as in Paul's time, idols lead us into every form of evil. Anywhere there is evidence of evil in the world (and Paul tells us what it looks like) we see the dirty handprints of idol worshippers grabbing for power, money, or status in an effort to fill the emotional void created by misplaced faith.
Sometimes that misplaced faith can even be in oneself. It certainly is for the Jewish-Christians in Rome. They believe they have the inside track to pleasing God. Before Paul can effectively take the gospel to the Gentiles, he must confront the grounds for this claim held by the majority party of the churches in Rome, which he does in persuasive fashion.
Paul turns the tables on the Jews as the "judges" become the judged. This move by Paul opens the way for the now humbled "judges" and neophyte Gentiles to come to a common starting point on a new level "field" of experience - faith - nothing more is required, according to Paul, it is simply a matter of faith.
This is how I see it, next week Paul's argument gets "fleshed out." Amen.