Galatians 5:19-26
Galatians 5:19-21 is a long list of "acts of the sinful nature," those things that come naturally to a lot of people. A number of those things seem particularly common in workplaces--hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambitions, envy. I have certainly known people that hated their boss or coworkers and that spread discord as a response to that hatred. I think our selfish ambitions may prompt jealousy or envy as others enjoy success.
But Paul calls Christians to be different from that. In fact, if Christians are living in step with God's Spirit, a very different list is evident in their lives--love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. What do those look like in the workplace? Maybe it means loving your boss, regardless of whether he or she is deserving of that love. Maybe it means having patience with coworkers. Perhaps God's Spirit living in you at work means that you are kind and gentle with subordinates. What ideas come to your mind as you think about the fruit of God's Spirit in your workplace?
One important thing with these lists--they aren't a list of don't's followed by a list of do's. Both lists are the result of being or not being in step with God's Spirit. I wonder how many times we try to be connected to God's Spirit on Sunday, but then live closer to the sinful nature during the week. Part of being a 24/7 Christian is connecting to God's Spirit constantly, not just once a week.
Johny -
ReplyDeleteOne thing that comes to mind (and came up in a recent discussion on a friend's FB post, and may be a future blog post for my own blog...) is what counts as normative for Christian behavior. I think it's fair to say that in most Christian communities, the functional behavioral norm is often the avoidance of vice (specifically "sex, drugs and rock & roll") far more than the promotion of virtue (e.g. fruits of the Spirit). I don't think most of us would say this, of course, but I think it's a pretty clear observation of the way most of us "do" Christianity, apart from what our organized beliefs might be.
I think there are a lot of reasons why this is the case, mainly dealing with bankrupt eschatology and soteriology. In the immediate context of discussion, though I think one of our major problems is that we focus primarily on behavior rather than character. While the two are certainly related, our language revolves around having people "do good things", rather than on changing them to "be good people". This creates a whole host of issues, some of which might be interesting to explore, especially in your area of research.
That's a good point, Jeff. I think it's easier for us to think in terms of do's and don't's rather than in terms of something larger than that. Do's and Don't's are more concrete, easier to know if I'm doing it right. Even as I write this blog, I have to fight (sometimes unsuccessfully) the temptation to reduce everything to a list of things to do or things to avoid doing in a workplace.
ReplyDeleteThis passage, perhaps more than others, really runs counter to that tendency by emphasizing that Christian behavior isn't about a list of what to do or what not to do as much as it is a choice of what to follow (i.e., sinful nature or Spirit). Then, according to Paul, the "fruit" comes from what/who you follow.