The End Game
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21 NASB
Darkened – If you thought that Paul’s verdict involved only the spiritual consequences of dishonoring God and being ungrateful, think again. Eliade notices the following:
Just as a modern man’s habitation has lost its cosmological values, so too his body is without religious or spiritual significance. In a summary formula we might say that for the nonreligious men of the modern age, the cosmos has become opaque, inert, mute; it transmits no message, it holds no cipher.
Their religious experience is no longer open to the cosmos. In the last analysis, it is a strictly private experience;[1]
This means that all of the physiological acts are deprived of spiritual significance, hence deprived of their truly human dimension.[2]
It is his familiar everyday life that is transfigured in the experience of the religious man; he finds the cipher everywhere. Even the most habitual gesture can signify a spiritual act. The road and walking can be transfigured into religious values,[3]
What is found in the profane world is a radical secularization of death, . . .[4]
Eliade’s research reminds us that there is a lot more at stake than the spiritual destiny of a soul. Man stripped of a sense of the sacred is no longer human. He has refused the purposes of His Creator and opted out of the cosmic restoration plan. He is lawless and purpose-less, and as such, represents the ultimate idolatry, an attempt to establish a kingdom completely independent of YHVH. This is much more than eventual consignment to punishment. This is ethical, political, social and epistemological collapse. A darkened heart is monstrous, an abomination of all YHVH intended, and an immediate threat to all other beings. It is significant that the present world is filled with profane men. There is no fear of the Lord in the world today.
Don’t imagine that profane man exists only in pagan or terrorist circles. Profane man occupies plenty of seats in the houses of worship, whether they are chairs in government, business or churches. All it takes is the mistaken belief that ordinary actions are not spiritually connected, that religious experience is a private matter and that I am the only one who determines my relationship with the divine. Profane man is the epitome of Western thinking—isolated, independent, a judge of his own morality, in violent pursuit of his own happiness. Such a man is a black hole of death. And he might be sitting right next to you.
Topical Index: profane, darkened, Romans 1:21
[1] Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, pp. 178-179.
[2] Ibid., p. 168.
[3] Ibid., p. 183.
[4] Ibid., p. 186.
I met the (darkened) enemy, and he is me.
What a thoughtful analysis!
Paul prophesied more than once about this profane condition “in the last days”. These are people filled with fear and lies and shallow thinking. Shattered from cosmological values and fractured from others, all purpose is gone. We were designed to be holy in all our ways: different from the world, and a constant light. What does a light do? Shine on the Way, but also illuminate, or bring out, the deficiencies of a world without purpose. My purpose should call all lack of it in others to account, and my conduct should present a golden standard for others to measure up to. Why do I not want to do this? At any moment, I must be willing and prepared to give up any ‘benefit’ from doing business in a profane world.
Yesterday, I was involved in a business transaction in which, through circumstances beyond my control, the worst in someone else got brought out. Now the person who I was doing the business for has a decision to make, that could represent a whole lot of money in the future. They can either go along with the less than ideal words and actions of this person, or they can stand for human dignity and worth, at risk to the account. I told them that they could do anything they thought was in their best interest, but that I did not want to be paid if it meant I was going to be treated like that. They could decide if continuing to lick the boots of this person was something a human had to do. Its just money, but I know where my daily bread comes from, and I don’t have to take it from anyone who does not treat me like a child of the King. I was reflecting yesterday about all the years I thought I did, and how miserable they were. Values, cosmologically speaking, includes the value of me. I should represent that value in this world, for in doing so, I call those around me to that standard. Even if it ‘costs’ what that world has to offer me.
Amen Laurita. I have spent my whole life in a service business and those clients who are are only “using” you are the worst. Only those who you would be proud to call friend (as Jesus would call them friend) are worth your investment of time and energy. I have been treated badly many times by people that I thought I had a trusting relationship with, and thankfully most of them have found someone else to treat badly and I am free of them.
John Lennon “Imagined” about love.
I guess he didn’t know there’s no guess work about it.
“Greater love has no one than this, then to lay down one’s life for another.”
The example has been given.
And His followers quietly empower this earth.
In the midst of what is for us ( my wife and I) plain old hard, almost impossible work/physical labor, it is so easy to get distracted. Labor like this cannot be “spiritual” can it? As we attempt to rebuild it seems as if very little is easy or “fun.” But this reminder is so timely. Its all spiritual isn’t it?. All of it. It is profane only if I allow my mind to deceive me into thinking that something ia only spiritual if its pleasurable. Thanks Skip
Hello to each of you,
Wow! Skip’s reflection on the verses in Romans 1 is quite telling and also quite exhortive.
You and I are one decision away from determining what we regard as Spiritual or not. I suppose, it all hearkens back to the Garden, when the Serpent, Eve and Adam were all responsible for their choice in the matter.
Lord, help us hearken to your voice; You created and redeemed us, in the name of YHVH, amen.
I’ve been busy moving into a new little bungalow about 20mins from Oxford, UK
My hubby and I have been overwhelmed, stressed and yelling at each other, without patience and plenty of aggression and much misunderstanding of female and male ways of thinking ( not to mention cultural differences)!!
Seriously – until I fell into bed this evening exhausted and fed up and read this, it was just an act of labour and part of the stress of moving etc?.. But this has pulled me up short! Yah help!
Thanks Skip and happy belated birthday!
He has refused the purposes of His Creator and opted out of the cosmic restoration plan. He is lawless and purpose-less, and as such, represents the ultimate idolatry, an attempt to establish a kingdom completely independent of YHVH. This is much more than eventual consignment to punishment. This is ethical, political, social and epistemological collapse. A darkened heart is monstrous, an abomination of all YHVH intended, and an immediate threat to all other beings. It is significant that the present world is filled with profane men. There is no fear of the Lord in the world today.
There is NO excuse because we all know that there is a God, the book of Romans says. I live in a neighborhood where I can see very clearly the consequences of not honoring YHVH and living an independent life without Him. You can see Deuteronomy 28 alive where people have a lot of problems, especially mental problems, all kind of addictions ect. because of not listening and obeying YHVH. These things are really an immediate threat to others because of their behavior. We have a great opportunity by living Torah, to show them the character of YHVH and His love. My daughter and I were wondering why YHVH has placed us here in this kind of neighborhood but could it be possible that He intended us to be a light right here! That they see the fear of the Lord by the choices we make and by our behavior! To be kind and helpful and even have breakfast with them or share a cup of coffee. I think YHVH smiles on us if we DO tzedaka!
May YHVH bless you all doing tzedaka and thank you Skip for another wonderful insight!
“All it takes is the mistaken belief that ordinary actions are not spiritually connected,”
Is that ‘mistaken belief ‘, or lack of discipline, or simply misconduct- e.g how a supposedly Godly guy should behave in certain situations, being alone with a younger woman in a room, even for half an hour, merely watching her ‘doing her work’; another observation- such guys giving full body hugs to a sister in the Family.
Such ordinary actions ARE spiritually connected, as such actions speak volumes of such attitudes I would term as unGodly misbehaviour!
“that religious experience is a private matter and that I am the only one who determines my relationship with the divine.”
Heard that one before too. Such brashness, brushing off bad conduct…” deprived of spiritual significance, hence deprived of their truly human dimension.” No walking in His Presence, “completely independent of YHVH” indeed.
“Profane man occupies plenty of seats in the houses of worship”.. My suggestion- have lots of mirrors around that they see themselves so prideful, so dark in the way they conduct themselves. No wonder many sinkholes appearing around the world. A warning, perhaps? That the earth will swallow those who walk in such pride, and idolatry of self.
Grievous to ABBA’s Spirit. PLEASE ABBA, fill us with awe of YOU! Amein!