Morality

Morality in America has been exclusively defined in sexual terms for too long.
The Good News of Jesus demands otherwise.
Immorality is acting in a way that degrades people.  It is the act of hurting others.  It is immoral, according to Jesus, to hurt others.  His Law of Agape Love forbids it. 
The inclination of people to manipulate the age-old and false puritanical ideals of the past and impose them on our present is simply the putting up of smoke and mirrors to distract the public from the REAL immorality that devours the souls of Americans and destroys the lives of those who are victimized by it.  America is constantly bombarded by intentional and focused messages confined to homosexuality, abortion, "illegal" immigration and the inherent evil of other faiths besides Christianity.  This is designed to keep Americans, even American Christians from looking at the grossly immoral activities done by those pointing the fingers.

In studying the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament, one gets at LEAST a "both... and", rather than "either... or" regarding immorality in terms of sexual acts and the REAL immorality of our age.
It is the difference between Jesus NOT claiming as sin the truth that the woman at the well was with a man who was not her husband, but rather casually mentioning it, and Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more".  Someone gets hurt in adultery.  First of all, we must recognize that men are not mentioned regarding sexual sin too often in the Gospels.  That is a cultural reality of the time.  Beyond that, we must recognize that two, consenting adults being together sexually is not immoral.  It was not considered culturally acceptable in that time and place, but even with Jesus it seems to be not immoral.

Jesus DID, however, routinely address the immorality of Greed, lust for Power and Self-Elevation.  Jesus told parable after parable, gave warning after warning and went to great lengths to point out the SINS of Greed, Power and Prestige that destroyed peoples' souls as it destroyed the lives of others around them.

Jesus taught in the sermon on the Mount that lust will lead to sin (Matthew 5:27-32).  Unchecked lust can be a prime example of self-indulgence in self-elevation and self-indulgence at the expense of others.  It can destroy lives through adultery and by hurting innocent folk.  Lust leads one to objectify another for personal, sexual pleasure, rather than let sex be a genuine expression of love. Anytime one person uses another, exploits another or abuses another, out of Greed, desire for Power or self-indulgence, it is IMMORAL.  Anytime others are objectified, vilified or de-humanized by another, it is IMMORAL.  So, two consenting adults who love each other (regardless of gender or single status), expressing their love for one another in ways that are expressive of them is not immoral if there is no objectification of the other person or betrayal of another person. 

Anyone who gets more wealth for self at the expense of others - hurts others in order to gain more for self is IMMORAL - it damages their soul and destroys lives around them.
Anyone who uses their power to exploit others, hold others down, back or out or elevate themselves above others in hurtful ways to those around them, is IMMORAL - it damages their soul and destroys lives around them.
Anyone who puts self above everyone else or select others to the point of hurting them for the sake of self, and who believes that they are justified in doing whatever pleases or promotes themselves is IMMORAL - it damages their soul and destroys lives around them.

Addressing activity considered ABOMINATION in His time, Jesus said, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth (self) that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth (self) that defiles." (Matthew 15:10-20)
Greed defiles.  Abuses of Power defile.  Self-indulgence, self-promotion and self-elevation at the expense of others defile.

The New Testament Prophet, James sums it up like this: "Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from?  You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder.  And you covet something (or someone) and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.  You do not have because you do not ask.  you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly (for things not meant for you), in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.  Adulterers (against God, unfaithful to God with the idol of SELF)!  Do you not know that friendship with the world (the values of the world instead of the values of the Kingdom that Jesus shared) is enmity with God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God.  Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, 'God yearns jealously for the spirit that He has made to dwell in us'?  But God gives all the more grace; therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives Grace to the humble'... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and God will exalt you."  (James 4:1-10)

We must examine ourselves.
Is what lies within me, coming out of me to hurt others around me and my relationship with my Lord?  If it is, it does damage to my soul and relationship with my Lord.
Is what I am doing hurtful, exploitative, manipulative or damaging in any way to others?  If so, IT does damage to my soul and my relationship with my Lord.
Am I objectifying others, exploiting others, manipulating others, hurting others to get what I want, perhaps justifying it by vilifying or de-humanizing them in order to allow myself to do it?  That does damage to my soul and my relationship with my Lord.

The fervent pointing of fingers at the "sins" of others is often a sign of someone trying to keep others from looking too closely at the one pointing them.
The elevation of some "sins" as being more appalling than others, is often an attempt to keep folk from seeing just how appalling are the sins of the person or people doing the elevating.
Judging others is still WRONG, either way.
We must examine OURSELVES against the fulfillment of Law and Prophets and the Great Commandment of Jesus in the New Covenant of Grace and Agape Love that we find in the Gospels.
That is, we must examine ourselves in those terms, if we are going to follow Jesus.

Pastor Jamie