GOD IS NOT MEAN

In the beginning, the elohim created skies and earth.

Welcome back.  Let’s think about our God of love who is never mean. 

In 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul writes, “Love does not act improperly,” according to the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

The Greek word ἀσχημονέω is transliterated as aschémoneó in 1 Corinthians 13:5. 

It has been translated as “being unseemly” (whatever that means) or “behaving unbecomingly” (just as imprecise), or “acting improperly” (uh—yeah). This looks like one of those words that require examples to illuminate what it means.

For example, I was taught that it was unseemly to pass gas in public.  I even avoided using the word “fart” in the last sentence because I thought it might be unbecoming of the tone of my blog.  However, if I am doing a certain scene in the movie Blazing Saddles I would be expected to engage in hardy flatulence, and I may even be required contractually to proceed with beans and rigor. 

Certainly, around certain family members and friends it is downright proper and hilarious to pass gas.  However, it would be improper and unseemly to do so during a parent/teacher conference with my wife, my step-daughter, and my gaseous self.

Sometimes in the Bible we are given a list of traits that are supposedly just awful in a person’s character without an explanation of what those words mean, why they are awful, and exactly what it a person is doing that qualifies them to be labeled with those words. 

When we look at further into the definition of the word, we see that in Strong’s Concordance it means “deformed” “like a bald man” and depending on the context it means to “prepare disgrace for her” (not him?)

So, love does not do anything to disgrace people. 

This one is a puzzle.  We could argue that Jesus disgraces Peter when he tells his student that he will deny him thrice.  However, in this case, Peter disgraces himself.

When we think about it, our God of love does not have to disgrace anyone.  We do a pretty good job of it ourselves. 

Disgracing people, that is, being rude for the sake of humiliating someone is downright mean.  I cannot conceive of a God of love who does that.

Blessings…