If you grew up Roman Catholic you probably know the “Seven Deadly Sins.” They are: pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth, and greed. All of these can be understood as dispositions in a person that weaken faith and lead them away from God. The Seven Deadly Sins are not listed in the Bible, but they have been a part of Christianity for many centuries. Lutherans have generally not done much with the concept of these sins although we do not reject the idea either. They are a helpful way for a person to keep their life’s motives in a healthy direction.
As we have gotten to Hebrews 10 in worship today we are reminded again that there is a problem in the congregation it was originally written to. In chapter 5 we read of that congregation, “…you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracle of God. You need milk, not solid food…” (5:11-12) Those words were followed by a warning against falling away.
What was going on? It is impossible to say with any certainty. But chapter 10 brings up the same idea. We read, “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (10:25-26) Then the warning against falling away is repeated.
Again, it is impossible to know for certain what was going on. But if we take those two passages and consider them from the perspective of the seven deadly sins, we can make a pretty good case for it being rooted in… sloth.
I doubt sloth is what would have come to your minds if I’d asked you which of the seven deadly sins you thought the Hebrews readers were guilty of! I certainly wouldn’t. But I’m getting the idea from theologian Fred Craddock in the New Interpreter’s Bible. He says that we should keep in mind that the idea of sloth is quite ancient. Since the time of the Greek philosopher Socrates, philosophers and theologians have noticed in individuals and communities a condition that gave rise to the French word ennui. That is a lack of interest or excitement, perhaps even boredom, because of being satiated. This is a person whose needs are met. They are satisfied and secure. There is no necessity in their lives to drive them or pressure them into action. But instead of rejoicing at having such a great life, they become bored, uncaring, slothful. There are lots of interesting and engaging things to do. There is lots of work that needs to be done, but they think for someone else, and they themselves just doesn’t care enough to act.
I suspect ennui could be applied to our society today. While on one hand there are lots of societal problems, how many of them are real for most people? We don’t think of things like hot and cold running water as extravagant luxuries. We think a home with a central heating system is a basic necessity rather than a wonder of comfort. Having air conditioning should be seen as a lifestyle of opulence, but many consider the lack of it to be a hardship. Rather than giggling with delight at having machines that wash and dry our clothes, we groan at having to do the laundry. Everywhere we turn we remove not only the dangers and pains of the natural world from ourselves, but we even seek to eliminate all discomforts and inconveniences.
It is impossible to say that the original audience of Hebrews was approaching life with ennui, but the author warns them against slipping away from their faith. Remember, we read, “…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Perhaps we can sense a slothfulness behind that. Why are the neglecting worship? Why are they not encouraging one another? Have them become slothful? The author goes on immediately with this warning, “For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
Fred Craddock writes about this, “The author cannot imagine anyone experiencing the benefits [of God’s grace] and then willfully breaking the covenant. Language is strained to describe such an act: The Son of God is trampled underfoot, the blood of the covenant is treated as profane and vulgar, and the Spirit of grace is regarded with haughty contempt.”
Craddock goes on, “It takes a high view of the Christ faith to make such a “low” possible. For Christians who regard all matters of religion as optional, as opinions of only private merit, and as unworthy of such passion, the language of [this chapter] must, indeed, sound primitive and unenlightened. Perhaps the readers of Hebrews, drifting and neglectful as they were, saw nothing in the life of their congregation remotely deserving of such a warning. Maybe that is just the point.” (New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12, 127) They didn’t see it as a problem.
Does that not fit our society’s general attitude towards Christian faith today? It is okay to be Christian – as long as you do it privately. It’s great if churches do social service work – but don’t ask for donations. It’s fine if you want to believe myths about a creator God and some guy named Jesus, but you should know that you’re delusional. Any truly enlightened person knows that religions are just a bunch of out-of-date superstitions.
It is deeply unfortunate that the only publicity Christianity gets is either the Christian nationalism that seeks to impose their brand of morals onto the nation, or abuse scandals involving church leaders.
True Christian faith has no room for sloth. True faith can be demanding. It may be centered on grace but it still takes hard work and discipline. It means making lots of choices regularly between doing what is easy and what is good. Doing good is always fulfilling. God puts no demands upon us that we cannot handle. And God will put no demands upon us that will destroy the health of our faith. But God’s ways may appear to be onerous, non-sensical, and primitive in the eyes of our society.
Remember verses 32 and following in what we read. The author of Hebrews says, “But remember those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.”
Who are the enlightened ones? Their society around them or they themselves who know of the grace of Jesus? While society may call itself enlightened it is grace that truly enlightens.
Any why were they being treated thus? For some great crime or social disorder? No. We read, “For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possession, know that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” (10:32-36)
The possessed thing that was better and more lasting was being part of the covenant of God in Christ. That is the covenant that we have with God – that God has made for us.
It would be both arrogant and unhelpful for us to go out into our society and criticize it for being slothful, even if it is true! But it is helpful for us to realize that the goals and values of God are very different than our world’s. And we should be ready to receive, perhaps not persecutions, but not exactly social advancement for our faith either. Instead, we witness to our society that there is something worth working for. There is something worth committing to. There is something that makes the discipline and the conscientiousness, and the goodness that comes from a life committed to the covenant God made in Christ, all very worthwhile.
We do not have an easy message for our world. But we have the right message that will bring people true fullness of life and the energy of the promised eternal life with God.
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