For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.
Paul writes to his protégé, Titus, who’s been sent to Crete. Apparently, there are many who offer false teachings, and Titus has an uphill battle. Paul’s letter of encouragement is simple and very basic; we were joyful sinners, and through God’s grace, we try not to be. God’s grace is unearned and unreasonable, and yet it’s freely given.
Paul’s story is one of extreme grace and saving. Known as Saul, he persecuted Christians, and even held the coats of people killing the Christian prophet and first martyr Stephen. He then is blinded and eventually the scales from his eyes as he encounters the risen Christ. An absolute convert.
This morning, I’m thinking about less stark demarcations between before Christ and after. In my tradition, we baptize babies as infants. Some disagree with this notion, suggesting that infants don’t understand. A wise priest friend once countered by asking whether any of us understand the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that happens at baptism. Hmm. Yup.
So for baptized infants, was their time of disobedience the time before baptism? Or what about adults who live lovely lives but are not baptized. Is there a time for either the baptized infant or the unbaptized adult when the scales fell from their eyes and they understood?
Conversely, what about me? I was baptized as an infant, but I can assure you that there have been times that I’ve been foolish, led astray, slave to pleasures, and partaking in malice. I suspect all people of faith have lived on that side of the ledger. Paul himself writes about doing what he does not want to do.
So what’s all this talk about we were once something, but are no more. I don’t think it’s that simple. There’s a great old hymn that used to be in our hymnal. The music remains in updated hymnals but these lyrics have been removed. “Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide. In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side”.
Nope, said the editors of the hymnal. It’s not a one-time offer. We are not given just one moment to decide. We decide day after day after day.
So perhaps Paul is trying to boil things down to a basic dichotomy. Or he’s sharing his wisdom framed from his very stark moment of before vs. after.
I am certainly a person who could see things in false dichotomies, but I know the world is not nearly as neat as offering two opposed options. Perhaps that language helped the people of Crete, but I don’t believe it helps those of us with messy lives, who spend much more time in the land of both/and, rather than either/or. I’m grateful there is not just one moment to decide, that I’m given the opportunity to return to God hour by hour, minute by minute.
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