The Closet Professor

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

— 1 Corinthians 13:11

As 2023 comes to an end and we look towards 2024, many of us will look back on the last year, some with fond memories, some with hurtful memories, and others with just memories. It’s the time of year when many will make resolutions; things they will do better in the new year. Several years ago, I quit trying to make resolutions. I found they were too hard to keep, and instead of waiting for the old year to end and the new to begin for time to make changes, I decided that change had to come when I was ready. The verse above, 1 Corinthians 13:11, says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This is more than just Paul telling us to grow up and be mature, I think of it as a way of saying “out with the old, in with the new.” Ephesians 4: 22-24 tells us to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

I want to put those verses into context. The full passage is sometimes referred to as “The New Man” and is Ephesians 4:17-24 which says:

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” 

In the last few years, more and more states have attacked the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, especially the trans in our community, with hateful and hurtful laws. We are told that we “should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Here Paul describes their minds as being futile and darkened, leading them away from God because of their ignorance. In my opinion, ignorance is better described as willful ignorance because people don’t want to know the truth. If you look at the books that are banned, they don’t only want to be ignorant of the real issues, but they also want to make sure others are ignorant of the issues. I know it’s cliché to say, but “knowledge is power” and “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but if knowledge and the written word are banned, then it is not mightier unless we fight censorship.

But it’s not just ignorance that Paul brings to the attention of the Corinthians. He says, that they have “blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Paul is warning against hardening our hearts and losing our sensitivity or empathy. He warns us not to be “overtaken by lewdness and greed.” Lewdness is subjective for a lot of people and can’t always be defined, but greed is definable. It is not only selfishness, but it is also denying help to others. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The New King James Bible uses the word love, but the King James Bible it is not love but charity: the greatest of these is charity. Does the distinction matter? I don’t think so because, without a charitable heart, there is no love.

So, as the old year ends and the new year begins, instead of resolutions, let us look at ourselves in the mirror and ask, “Do I live my life the way Jesus would want me to live?” I am not talking about manmade morality standards, but those of Jesus. Have we alienated ourselves from God through ignorance? Have we blinded our hearts? Have we given over to lewdness? Have we become unclean because of greed? If you have, then look at that image in the mirror and tell yourself to change. We need to open up our minds and guard against the censorship of others. We need to open up our hearts to charity and love for all mankind, not just those who look or act like us. As for lewdness, I much prefer to not be crass for the sake of being crass, but you can define that how you want. What do you consider lewdness? and how can you guard against it? Are you judging others for lewdness because of manmade standards and prejudices? We need to be more charitable to others. Remember, love and charity are interchangeable in the Bible.

We can be virtuous in the new year. If we believe in God, we have faith. Believing in God and trying to make the world a better place gives us hope. If we do what we can to help others through love and charity, then we have the third virtue. We don’t need our resolutions to be walking so many steps a day or losing weight, giving up cake or something else that we feel bad about consuming, but our resolutions should be broader: what can I do to make myself a better person so that I can make the world a better place.