Sin and the Rejection of Jesus

This was aimed at the Jews, but the target today are those Christians who set poor examples!

Romans 2:24 "For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

The Jews were (in the previous verses) criticized for doing things against which they teach not to do!  Jesus called those Jews who did that "vipers". I would guess that Jesus was comparing them to the serpent because they twisted God's Law such that their deeds failed to meet God's expectations.

God does EXPECT us to keep his Laws! We are not bound to the law because we are no longer in bondage; that is if we're born again because the born again experience takes the old person who was a slave to sin and makes that person a free born person, if the born-again experience is viable and never terminated!

Apostasy is the abortion of the new creation sometimes after the new birth. For Simon the Magician his spiritual abortion was immediate. For others it's when they feel comfortable in their spiritual womb, not even wary that the menacing evil doctor is taking their life!

Sin isn't the death-cause for faith; but faith is diminishes as we sin!  Satan uses sin to steal faith because he cannot steal faith directly. God protects you and that is the hope of salvation.

Weak Christians, those with little faith, sin. The weaker the faith, the more the sin. Just as the Gentiles saw the Jews preach against sin, then do the sin they condemn, their spiritual credibility was at stake. Just as the Gentiles blasphemed against the Jews whose sins were many, unbelievers today blaspheme against Jesus Christ when they see Christians sin!

Blasphemy is showing disrespect for God and is a rejection of Jesus' propitiation for our sins.

1 John 2:2 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. ³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."

First off, Jesus is the propitiation for our sins! That means that since we can never please God because we ALL are sinners, Jesus, who was and is without sin,  did it for us! He took all the sins of everyone who ever lived or will live on his own shoulders and paid the penalty which we deserved!  Jesus becoming the sacrifice is the greatest hope ever given to mankind because if we accept his sacrifice as efficacious we get to love forever!

Apostasy is failure to accept that propitiation by creeping loss of faith as Satan works on those without the whole armor of God.

However, the second point above (1 John 2:2) is the recognition that even those born-again (little children) still sin. For those who still sin, and we all do, Jesus goes to the Father on our behalf, but while he is doing that, the Gentiles (infidels) around us blaspheme Jesus. Therefore, although Jesus is quick to forgive sin as we repent, sin does have consequences. Not only are we like the Hebrews (appear as hypocrites), but Jesus is ridiculed because of the sins which we do, but know that we must not!

Look at it like this: We sin, and if we repent, Jesus forgives us, but at the same time it makes Jesus appear to be weak because those who are against him mistake grace for weakness. Likewise, rather than recognizing the Almighty God in Jesus, they perceive that his followers aren't even sincere!

There was a movie several years ago called I Know What You Did Last Summer with Jennifer Love Hewett. One of the women was stalked by a killer who saw her cover up an accidental killing. He knew what she did last summer.

This situation applies to Christians as well. When they see us do wrong, it seems to justify their own misdeeds. When Christians sin, the implication is that they don't love and honor Jesus. When others see and know their sin, the question arises, "Why should I honor Jesus!" The non-Christian becomes the slasher and those in Jennifer Love Hewett's role are the cause of all the turmoil.

We all need to be careful as Christians when we sin, because we dishonor God, but also influence others to reject Jesus!

Paul made it plain that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak", but there are consequences because of weak flesh. We must repent, but recognize the damage it does to belief in Jesus!

The solution: Don't sin! Not because it's a violation of the Law, but because that's how we are to love Jesus. When we love Jesus, then others are influenced to love him also!

The Heart and the Law

(All of today's verses are from the ESV.)

"I fought the law and the law won," or was it "I fought the law and I lost?" Paul, a scholar of the Old Testament spoke knowledgeably of what scripture calls "The Law":

Romans 2: 13 "For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."

When Adam and Eve were created everything that far was good:

Genesis 1:31 "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

Therefore Adam and Eve were created "good". I believe that in this context "good" is "beneficial" in that all that was made was pleasing to God! That's measured as "divine goodness" and since only God is good (Jesus said that), Adam and Eve were created pleasing to God because they were made in the image of God. Because they were pleasing to God they had no sin on their makeup. Their soul was filled with Holy Spirit because they were made "in our image" according to scripture.

Right after Adam and Eve were created "good", God gave out his first commandment:

Genesis 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.  16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The first command was not "Thou shalt not have other gods before me," but "Thou shalt not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!" (Or was it?). My contention is that the latter command was another way of saying the former because the "other gods" are Adam and Eve. By disobeying the "do not eat" command, they were doing what was right in their own eyes! Therefore, the first command given to his creation was indeed the first commandment written in stone on Mt. Sinai!

What does that mean? "The Law" was given on day six of the creation and Adam and Eve were under the law as well (for convenience I will use "law" to mean "The Law" to save on precious punctuation).   Man was never without the law and was under the law. Because God made people, not automatons, it was necessary to give them a law so that they could exercise "free will". God wanted his creation to love him because they wanted to love him, not because he demanded it or created people with no will of their own!

God has will. Adam and Eve were created in his image such that they too had will. God's desired is that "my will be done on earth as it is in heaven". He gave mankind that choice. The choice is the exercise of their will, and since it's not forced, it's free will!  God created mankind in complete freedom! It was our own gods which enslaved us and indeed being in sin is slavery because the penalty of sin is death!

From the moment Adam and Eve had other gods before God, or placed their own selves before God, they became slaves to sin, doing what the devil wanted them to do!

Because Adam and Eve (and those thereafter) chose sin the written law came about:

Galatians 3:19 "Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made."

Why the law? It was a placeholder until Jesus came because sin was "in" and a cure was needed. Since we know that Abraham's obedience was credited to him as faith, then those who had faith to obey God's commands were of sufficient faith for the hope of salvation. The law is grace! Think about it! Mankind sinned and deserved death, but God gave us all a way out. We could show faith by obedience and faith is sufficient for salvation!

Adam and Eve disobeyed what was later written in stone and is the law. They made their choice and yielded to temptation. There hearts weren't right because the serpent tripped them up! Adam had been given a standard to follow, but he and his mate chose to disregard that standard.

If they had did God's will as they were designed to do (goodness), they would have obeyed because they loved and respected God. That would have been pleasing to God because that's the way that he created them!

In Romans Chapter 2 (above) Paul is dealing with the same thing as when God dealt with Adam and Eve!  The Gentiles never had a law to follow because the law was given to the Hebrews. However, they did what was right because their hearts were right! They believed and trusted the Lord because they wanted to, not because they were commanded to do so! That's what Adam and Eve should have done!  They demonstrated faith by doing of their own volition rather than because it is written!

The law came about because people's hearts were not right. They did what was right in their own eyes! (Galatians 3:19). They did what they wanted to do because they were in rebellion to the will of God. So that they were without excuse they needed a written standard. God obliged them with "The Ten Commandments!"

Romans 3:19 "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin."

Adam and Eve pleaded ignorance. Eve  misstated the command "not to eat" by adding "nor touch". She added to what God had said and made herself vulnerable. Adam was ignorant because he used his will ineffectively. Since Eve ate and still lived, his view was that the law was of no consequence. He had yet to understand God's justice although God said "in the day you eat thereof you shall surely die!" She didn't die so he ate of it. He didn't realize that God was speaking of losing his immortality!

Why was the law given? So "ignorance" could never be a reason to sin! It's through the law that we know that we sin. Saying "I didn't know it was wrong," or "I didn't know how wrong," is not a viable reason. Those are mere excuses! One of my favorite sayings is "A multitude of excuses do not make one valid reason!" That's what God means as well!

The Gentiles did have conflicting thoughts: Shall I or shall I not do these things? They had dilemmas just as the Jews did! But they obeyed because their hearts desired to "be good", not because God commanded it. God still wanted people to love them of their own volition using their free will rather than because he was a stern and vengeful God!

Note that the gentiles still heeded the will of God and "did good", but they did it for right reasons. It was to please God rather than through force. That was ALWAYS the reason for the law. It was so that the Jews could check their own hearts. It was always a demonstration to God that they loved him! We demonstrate our love for God by obeying his commands! They are not to earn salvation because that is a gift of God (grace). Before one is truly born-again obedience to the law is "as filthy rags!" After one accepts the salvation offered through Jesus Christ obedience is to show him our gratitude. A heartfelt emotion of gratitude reflects love in the heart!

It's odd that after all those centuries God is still dealing with wrong hearts! Just as Adam and Eve lacked respect for God and disobeyed because their hearts were under the wrong tree, the Jews in the early church were still standing under that same wrong tree for they KNEW the law and it came from "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". The Gentiles stood merely under "The Tree of Life" (Jesus) and was there because they wanted to be in spite of Satan beaconing them there with his smoke and mirrors.

Jesus asked them to drink of living water (truth). The truth is that only Jesus made the propitiation for our sins and as such as 'the Way" to salvation. Obedience to the law is NOT the way!  Jesus knocks at everyone's door. The Gentiles came to Jesus because he knocked.  The Jews didn't because the law was a hurdle they could not leap. It was bricks in front of the door which they must stumble over to be saved. On the other hand for the gentiles, the law was something they had not yet learned and were no more than an opportunity to show God how much they loved him! For one the law was still the stone it was carved upon. For the other it was the tablets which Moses broke because Moses knew the law would not stop the rebellion he was seeing. It is love that conquers all!

"The Ten Commandments" (the "Law") is all about love!

Romans 13:10 "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

This verse sums up "Commandments 5-10". Those are "doing no wrong to others". Jesus summarized all the commandments when he gave "The Greatest Commandment" and "The One Like Unto It". They are both great: loving God and loving others, but loving others is how we show love to God!

In essence there is one commandment: love God with heart, mind, body and strength. All the others sum up how to do that. That's what God was telling Adam: merely love me, Adam! Adam's heart wasn't right after he was tempted and since then no man's heart is "good" as was Adam's. Our hearts can be made good, but it must be through the goodness that only God as and that's by grace!

The Heart

At times "grace" and "obedience" seem at odds with each other. They are not! It's the sequence which is critical. Since everyone shall be saved by grace then doing "good" things is of no avail. Salvation is a gift. Being righteous without accepting the gift of salvation is depending on yourself to be saved. One of the most important things to understand from scripture is that your god (you) is powerless to save you and that the ONLY way to salvation is to accept the price which Jesus paid for our sins, his death! The moment a person realizes that truth, the person is enlightened and that impregnation of light is called "born again"!

On the other hand there is an expectation which God has for us all!

Mark 12:30 (ESV) "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

It follows that out of gratitude for the free gift of redemption that God EXPECTS love as a show of gratitude.  People who are "born-again" are removed from their evil natural father (Satan) and adopted by their spiritual Father, God! When abused children are saved by a good foster parent, most are thankful enough to show gratitude. Indeed if the adopted Father is ALL GOOD, then there is no reason for resentment or distress. Becoming part of God's family is an ameliorating experience and as a consequence love is eminent.

If love was merely an emotion then it would be forthcoming only with the heart. Of course it's not the physical heart, but all ones thoughts and feelings. It seems odd to me that we were made in the image of God with body, mind and spirit, but don't see the parallel with how we show God our love. We are to love with heart, mind and soul.

Of course Adam was born with a soul full of Holy Spirit, but he died spiritually and emptied his soul. Because of Adam's sin, all mankind is born with a soul, but without the Holy Spirit which comes only with being born-again. Therefore men are born with body, mind and soul. Somehow this must be comparable with heart, mind and soul and therefore body and heart are equivalencies!

Our body is much more than what meets the eye and can be measured. It is substance, personality, the senses, and emotion.  The heart is the center of emotion. Feelings are detected by changes in the respiratory and circulatory systems as well as brain waves. As thoughts are processed the heart announces the feelings. The beat of the heart announces serenity, excitement and happiness. These are all emotions.

We are to love God with all our emotions, but thoughts are processed by the mind to emit feelings. Therefore we are to love God with all our mind as well because the two facets of our being are never totally independent of one another. They must cooperate! 

Lastly, when the mind and heart are in cooperation the soul is filled when the new person is created. Because of that return to the original birth of mankind the mind is thankful and the heart emotive. It feels elated!  Some people are emotional and some are not. That's part of our personality. The heart may react to thoughts easily for some and less so for others. It takes a strong mind to make feelings happen. This is where "strength" comes forth. It takes work to love God!

1 John 5:3 (ESV)  "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."

God EXPECTS us to keep his commandments because that is the least we can do to  demonstrate to God that we love him. Some may be emotional, but love is not entirely an emotion. It's a work and the willingness to work for God is the love of God. That brings us now to what Paul says:

Romans 2:1 "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?  5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality."

These verses are about God's righteous judgment. Paul starts by saying that it's not our place to judge, but God's (verses 1-3). This reinforces Matthew who also admonished us not to judge. Then Paul speaks of "your impenitent heart". "Impenitent" is a lack of regret for one's disobedience and lacking the FEELING of shame for disobedience. The person neglects to FEEL guilt. "Guilt" is the body's and mind's response to drive one to repentance. In order for the malady of the soul to be corrected by the filling of the spirit, the heart and mind must be adjusted. That adjustment is when one is enlightened (mind) and faith with love comes about. That enlightenment instills hope in the soul because it is no longer empty, but filled with the very essence of God. The unity between body, mind an spirit is how man was originally made and the person is now complete again! Being born-again is when the filling of the soul brings the hope of salvation.

The old person was dead, but the new person is alive. In modern terms we live as zombies whose eternity is death until life is restored to the soul by the blood of Jesus Christ! It's not the vampires who need the blood, but the walking dead!

To be born again we must repent. If not, the person remains dead and suffers the wrath of God. (Verse 5). To repent the heart must feel something! That is remorse or sorrow for one's sins. If we look back with thoughts of pleasure as Lot's wife did, that's not true repentance. We are still spiritually dead and destined  to see the anger of God. The mind must convince the heart this: "The pleasure was not worth eternal death. You deserve to die because you disappointed your Father!" When the mind realizes that through God's word, then the heart feels sorry. As that happens God restores you to mankind's original state. You are reborn or "born-again" and are just as Adam was when he was created; in full communion with God!

Those who are unrepentant endeavor to skip that step. Their heart and mind suffers guilt, but Satan twists that guilt until it's no longer there. The person believes, but has yet to trust God. Satan short-circuits the "sorry" part and the person has never truly repented. They are doomed, but think they shall be saved!

Obedience is a work described by Paul (verses 6-7). If the new person changes (i.e., obeys) then repentance was effectual and the person was truly born again. If there is little change (i.e, disobedient), then the change was not effectual and the deceived person will have the wrath of God.

Therefore, obedience is not a route to salvation, but is a symptom of being born-again. Obedience is a measure of faith and it takes faith to be born-again. As such great obedience is the assurance of salvation and God is convinced that you love him by the self-sacrifice of obedience. Of course God knows your heart because he knows all of you, but your obedience is just like the burning incense with tabernacle worship in ancient times; he loves the aroma. Your obedience is incense to please God! That incense is the work of love because it reveals the emotions of the heart! 

Unrighteousness (Continued)

Last time we left  off with "haters of God". As you could see, merely lack of interest in God is hate. The same goes for your fellow human beings. A recluse from society just doesn't care for people! Rather than a deep seated feeling of contempt, haters merely have no interest in God (nor other people).  Let us now continue with other facets of unrighteousness, but now reconsider scripture:

Romans 1:28  "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Next comes "despiteful". That is expressing disdain for another. That happens when others are considered less important than ourselves or not a friend, and it's letting all our feelings emanate, not caring if the other person's feelings are hurt. It's snubbing another person. There is NEVER a valid reason for being despiteful!  Even our bitter enemies are not to be antagonized. In fact extra effort is to be exerted to make friends of even our enemies. That's what loving enemies is all about!

I've had people, even in church, avoid me and on a couple of occasions fail to speak or shake my hand when I extend it to them in brotherly love.  I've had Christians as they shake my hand look over my shoulder for the next person to greet who is more important than I am. I've had Christians intentionally and spitefully insult me at church! All these thins are despiteful and are a great sin!

"Proud" should be first, but it's next. Of course Paul was proud that he was chosen by God and loved God. Pride in being saved as long as due credit is given to Jesus is to be commended! It's pride in self which is so wrong!

Even pride in a new Bible is acceptable, but being proud because you have a new car is not unless thanks is given to God for something you don't deserve! Grace is getting what you don't deserve! What do you DESERVE? Not a thing! All that you have and all that you are is because of God's grace. I cringe at the television commercial where the young lady says "I got the car that I deserve!" How so? Why does the young woman deserve the car when she doesn't even deserve the air that she breaths? It's a blessing and even what the sinner has is because God blesses his creation!

The thought that one DESERVES is prideful. That implies self-importance. If the value of a human is evaluated we are worth about ten dollars as fertilizer. That's if we didn't have that soul which gives value. The soul is a mere container for spirit. There are two kinds of spirit: the Holy Spirit and evil spirits. Throughout a person's life there is a war going on in places unseen about which spirit that soul contains. God so loves everyone so much that he wants everybody to be imbued with his Holy Spirit. That means in God's eyes you are a value commodity. Why? He wants your love. That's important to him even thought there are billions of us!

You are valuable to God. The problem is that people think they are more valuable than they are! It's having self-esteem rather than Christ-esteem. It's placing the "self" above God and others.

Satan knows God well! He's known God a long time. When mankind sinned he said this:

Genesis 3:5 "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

God didn't say that, but Satan did. However, he is right because he has "been there... done that!" being in rebellion himself. Satan's sin was pride. 1 Timothy 3:6 indicates that Satan was disowned by God because of pride and that mankind is subject to the same affliction! Being prideful is being like the devil, the originator of pride!

"Pride' is a feeling of satisfaction because of one's own achievements or perceived importance. "being as gods" is the feeling that we are worthy of admiration from others and ourselves. As such, "the other gods before him" are us! If we do "what is right in our own eyes" we are fornicating with ourselves against God and he is jealous of our self-importance!

When we are born-again we are to cut off the flesh and present ourselves as a living sacrifice. That means we are to submit to God and circumcise our hearts of pride. The new meek person emerges from being born again and as such "will inherit the earth".

That inheritance is hard to understand, but the proud person is an heir of Satan who is Prince of the Air. His realm is the world for awhile. When a proud person submits to Jesus Christ, that person is now God's heir, not Satan's. In effect the born again person gains possession of the world as an heir of God. Each sinner saved takes back a little of that at a time. God could do it, but as his heir his desire is that you take it back to please him! As heir it's your responsibility to "tend the garden of God" which was Adam's assignment; the Father's heir.

As such when a Christian becomes meek and sacrifices pride, he gains ownership of the earth. You win! God wins! Satan is defeated! The "Great Commission" places responsibility on the Christian to put the focus on God and off the self and go into the nations claiming the earth for God! It's the Christian's inheritance he is tending; a beautiful global garden!

"Boasters" comes right after "pride" because prideful people boast. Boasting is what prideful people say because the tongue speaks for the heart. As one magnifies oneself, God and others are minimized.

Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

In effect this says "You have no control over your destiny, so why brag about your importance?" Whether you live tomorrow or not is in God's hands and his alone. You are powerless to change God's plan. You WILL FEEL the sting of death because everyone before you has. Only God can take the sting out of dying. Being born-again is when a person comes to the realization that they are powerless to save themselves and only by the blood of Jesus can anyone be saved. So why boast about oneself when one should be boasting about Jesus?

"Inventers of evil things" is coming up with new pleasures. The worship of self is mankind's problem and pleasuring the self is what all sinners do. Because the self's idol is "the flesh" to appease that idol is a challenge. Temptation begets sin and sin compounds itself until evil becomes a lifestyle! Who would ever thought that women would appease themselves in sacrificing their babies to Molech? That is in rebellion to God to appease one's own god, the self. Nothing is beyond the imagination and as we get closer to the end, more evil will be invented. The acceptance of homosexuality opens the Pandora's box for marriages of incest and even bestiality! It's coming before the end!

"Disobedience to parents" follows next. "Honor thy father and thy mother" is the commandment with a promise. That means being obedient to their authority!  Disobedience is also when a person is unpersuadable. They fail to listen and adhere to the wisdom of the parents. Those who dismiss the authority of parents are likely to dismiss the authority of God. It's again placing the self over those who know. It's doing what's right in one's own eyes and not caring what others think! That is not an admirable traait (independence from authority). It can lead to damnation!

"Without understanding" is when a person is ignorant. It's not lack of education, but failure to understand knowledge. Knowledge is sharing truth. So those who fail to understand do not have the truth. "The truth will set you free," is when a person comes to realize that only Jesus has the power to save. Unless a person understands that truth, they shall suffer an eternal death! Because of pride, some just refuse to accept the truth. They may understand it's consequences, but they over-evaluate their position in the eternal scheme of things. For some reason facing eternity in hell doesn't scare those without understanding because they party on as the ship goes down. They don't understand because they fail to consider! Considering eternal death is how the Holy Spirit calls one to God! Understanding is crucial!

"Covenant breakers" are those who are unrighteous. The Abrahamic Covenant is still in force. God will prosper those who obey and the ultimate prosperity is eternal life!  Our role in the deal with God is "faith" and faith is demonstrated by obedience. Likewise, obedience is how we demonstrate to God that we love him! When people break the deal, prosperity is not forthcoming. Even Christians must keep the covenant by obedience because without works faith is dead. Faith is the fuel which strengthens us for the entire race to win the prize at the end, according to Paul.

"Without natural affection" is better said "With unnatural affection". Doing unnatural acts and misappropriating love emotions are unnatural. Men lying with men and women lying with women is unnatural. Incest is unnatural. Perverted sex is unnatural. Bestiality is unnatural. God intends for love to be pure between one man and one woman and we are to multiply. All these extra options is how people please their own god. Almost all pagan religions in times of old had worship accompanied with unnatural acts.  It dishonors God as one pleasures oneself!

"Implacable" is when it's impossible to be satisfied or happy. It's when the self wants to be appeased, but nothing will appease it! Most people seek to be placated with things; material possessions, but power, prestige, romance, and all those peripherals which people seek, are attempts to placate their god of self, and because they are not true Gods, they can never be appeased! Only satisfying God by submitting the self can placate the soul of a person because it stirs for placation!

We all know people who are never happy even though they are blessed greatly by things they don't deserve. Those people serve themselves and endeavor to appease a god impossible to please! The fix for the implacable is to serve others and God, and then their own self becomes insignificant in their own eyes. Satisfaction is derived by serving others. Try it!

Being "unmerciful" is what those who focus on self do! In their self-glory they are the victim. When others wrong them, the focus is on the self and to preserve the esteem of the self, others must be accused. This is the blame game and it is judging others harshly. It's the idea that "their sin is greater than mine," and I won't forgive that person!  It's those folks who say that they "forgive, but won't befriend". Friendship is a symptom of love!  People who withhold friendship because they have the perception that they are the victim are unloving. Being merciful is loving even the enemy.

Imagine if you will: You have wronged Jesus. What if he forgives you, but failed to love you? God says that "I so loved the world" then showed mercy by allowing his Son to die in your place. That's love and it comes with mercy. It's a package deal. Yet people are unmerciful. They just don't like to forgive and reconcile. People are cruel because to be humane people must be merciful!

The people who do these things are "worthy of death" (verse 32) but also are those who take pleasure in those who do these things! Some people do things for the attention of others. When others cheer them on, they are worthy of death as well! I think now of the tolerance for same-sex marriage. Those are unnatural affections. Even those who favor or tolerate same-sex marriage are worthy of death! That includes many so-called Christians.,

No one should ever take delight in the unrighteousness of others. True love is rebuking any of the above so that they too can have eternal life. That's tough love, but that's true love!

We know what is wrong now. We know why we are worthy of death. The next step is to do something about it. The answer is a changed heart. One must make a living sacrifice of the self and submit the flesh to Jesus Christ.

Unrigteousness: Listed for Your Convenience

Romans 1:28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

We continue now with those whose sins are not convenient to God!  "Convenient" in this context is not a mere discomfort to God, but is an inability to reach God (katheko).  If one desires to be with God there are things which prohibit it. The list is surely not all encompassing, but is certainly lengthy. Many people, even Christians, do these atrocious things in front of God, yet still expect to be rewarded for their belligerence!

Paul listed unrighteousness for your "convenience" so that you will have a standard of expected behavior:

First off are those people who do UNRIGHTEOUS things. This actually precludes all things which are not right with God, even the things which follow in the list! However, perhaps a better definition is "being unjust to a just God". It's treating God unfairly. Treating him as less than he is. God is a jealous God and being God is a mighty powerful claim. Unrighteousness is not supporting that claim even if one believes it. It's failure to revere God for what he did and for who he is; THE ALMIGHTY GOD!

Fornication comes next. We think of it as sex between unmarried persons, but it's so much more! It's harlotry, adultery, incest and even idolatry! It comes from pornei in the Greek, and most of us can see the connection to pornography. "Pornography" literally means writings about prostitutes, inferring that fornication is prostitution which we all disdain (sic).  Basically, fornication is any sexual activity not ordained by God PLUS fornication against him!

Let's tackle first what's ordained by God. He asked Adam and Eve to multiply. Therefore, sex is for procreation, but since God's desire is that mankind procreate he made it enjoyable. Paul implies that to legitimately enjoy the act of sexual intercourse two people of the opposite sex should get married rather than burn with lust for each other. Therefore, sexual activity inside marriage is the ONLY sexual activities ordained by God. Since lust is equivalent to sex, even walking down the beach ogling scantily clad people is sinful. It's fornication as well.

It follows then that fornication, or sexual lust, replaces desire to please God and most people are fornicators, especially in this day of sexual advertising, scantily clad dress and the media. Fornication is every man's problem; and in this age of sexual independence; is every woman's problem in God's eyes!

On a routine basis most people deal with this sin and fail miserably. Because it is a response to an action (availability) there is a reaction (desire). If it stopped there the problem would be less, but many people are easily compromised into rationalizing that fornication is a mere instinct without consequences. Note too, that fornication, even lust can lead to reprobation!

Let's examine the worst type of fornication: idolatry. It's so unrighteous that God decreed it to be the worst sin: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." ("The First Commandment"). In this scripture "before" is paniym or "in the face" of God. It's not necessarily disbelief in the One True God, but living for another in the face of God! The Israelites seldom abandoned God, but they had an awful time of having gods in addition to God. Not by coincidence this fornication or infidelity to God was introduced by sexual sin. They married beautiful foreign wives who were sexual and had false gods. They took their wives' gods into their household right alongside JHVH. They fornicated with other gods right in the face of the One True God!

As a consequence, fornication includes idolatry. Many false pagan religions used sexual activities in their worship, even temple prostitutes and homosexuality. Fornication is disgusting to God because it is symbolic and arises from infidelity to him!

"Wickedness" coms next. That is from poneria and is depravity. It's having a lifestyle of sin without regard to what God says. Those who ignore the moral and religious principles of God are depraved. They have no moral character. When living life their conduct is not guided by God nor even the rules of the authorities. These people just don't care what anyone thinks! This is not an admirable confession of independence, but an admission that God is insignificant in that person's life!

"Covetousness" is avarice or "the desire to have things". This is a modern problem and has bankrupted many people, not only financially, but morally as well. When one chooses "mammon" (things) over God, that is the master he or she serves!  The person who covets has greed. It's not necessarily desiring to have the things which belong to another, but even being jealous that they have it and you don't! As a consequence your desire is to have things, either stolen or free!

"Free things" is the heart of socialism. It exemplifies covetnousness. Socialism is a model of sin for it forces others to give the coveter free things; even things not deserved. It's the notion that "I deserve that just because I exist!" The DESERVE mentality is the sin of covetnousness. Socialism is by definition sinful and it's institutional theft. Jesus could never be a socialist because of covetnousness and thievery!

"Maliciousness" is just being naughty. It's those who are trouble-makers and bullies. The "bad boy" girls love so much are malicious. In modern society it is the false macho image which the media propagates.

In society those who disrupt civil affairs and become a mob are malicious. They are not respectfull to authority. Mobs and mob rule are malicious bad boys and usually are motivated by evil things and manipulated by evil people who can't get things by doing what's right! Behind every mob is a powerful force wreaking maliciousness for their own benefit and agenda. They operate because of the covetnousness of greedy people.

"Full of envy" comes next. It's a little different than covetnousness. It's jealousy which leads to ill will. In the political arena the "Occupy Wall Street" mob (the 99%) were full of envy. They were so jealous of the one-percenters that they wished them ill-will. The bad things they dsired is for wealthy people to lose what they had even by the force of government! They want what is not theirs. Even if one-percenters obtained their wealth from unethical means, it still does not belong to those who are merely envious!

It doesn't have to be money either. Some hold ill-will toward people who have beauty, intelligene, power or even fame. People want Donald Trump to fail because they are full of envy for what he is and for what he represents.  They are jealous of Melania because of her beauty and brains. Even if she is a narcissist and only God knows that, being envious of her is not righteous!

"Murder" comes next. It's from phonos and means "to slay". Simply put, it's deliberately taking a life. War excuses the "deliberate" part of murder for some and for some, not so.

We're never to put asunder anything created by God. Without question life comes at conception because what is there is alive. Some say it's alive, but not a person. Science defines the fetus as a stage of development of a human being and the science of psychology bestows personality on the unborn. "personality" is a characteristic of personhood. In short the fetus, even the embryo, is a person! Scripture is even more firm! God even knew us (our person) in the womb!

Abortion is murder and even the deliberate taking of a life for good intentions is nothing more than murder with deceived motives. Even the deformed can be happy. Even the product of rape can be happy. They may not be convenient, but they are people!

"Debate" is next. Being quarrelsome is a grievous sin. That's the disposition of some people, even Christians. They are negative and argumentative by nature. They just haven't listened to God yet about having a gentle disposition. Those who argue their position continually are protecting the esteem of their god, the self.

"Deceit" is craftiness or manipulation. It's achieving a means by whatever it takes; even using falsehoods. Satan is the master of that and he has taught his children well! I have been the victim of deceit and it's a horrible sin! It drives people far away from the person when the deceit is exposed.

"Malignity" is doing mischievous things usually misreprenting the words, behaviors or actions of another. In politics people are paid to "spin". It's twisting truth to favor the idea being espoused. Because it's so massive, efficient and destructive, it's a malignancy.  It infects those who fail to be discerning and wise. The masses are "useful idiots" according to Saul Alinsky because they fall for malignity so easily.

"Whisperers" do things in stealth because what they are saying is gilded with destruction. It may be gossip or even taking pleasure in anothers calamity. It's abridging the confidentiality of another.

"Backbiters" are those who aren't happy unless others are destroyed and unhappy. They are the ones with a negative disposition who seem to always wake up on the wrong side of the bed. In their eyes few do what they think is right. It's a defense mechanism for their own ignorance or insecurities. It's belittling others for the aggrandizement of the self. It's protecting one's own insignificant god!

Note that all sins are for the protection, aggrandizement or pleasuring of the self and all sins are idolatry!

"Haters of God" aren't just those who despise him, but are impious to him (theostuges). Scripture says that if you're not for him, your're against him. Those are the "haters", not the Godly! All those who yell "haters" at Christians are in God's eyes, those who hate him! Being apathetic to God is hating him because ignoring those who love you is an outward expression of hate/

Tomorrow, I will conclude those sins of the reprobate.

On Homosexuality

Yikes! I'm in Romans Chapter 1 and one of the first things that I must comment on is homosexuality.  Of course God inspired Paul to write of this because in his day it was a big problem, not only in society, but in the church because it was rampant in Roman society.

First off, Romans were tolerant of any and all religions except for Judaism and Christianity just as the western world is right now. This persecution and hatred of Christianity helps me to have more faith because evil people know that it's not just another religion! It was imperative that Paul address first an abominable sin which infected the church. Again, there is a parallel between then and now!

In Paul's letter he does not spew hatred for homosexuals.  Let's read what he says, not what others say he said for their is usually a vast difference:

Romans 1:24 "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient

No hate there although society would say "Those are hateful words!" Paul's intent was not to spew forth hatred, but rebuke sinners so that they can go to heaven as well. Holy Scripture has that purpose (2 Timothy 3:16).  God so loved the world (including homosexuals) that he gave his only Son because he didn't want them to perish in eternity. This is the epitome of love: to love one so much that you want them to live forever!

Let me refute some arguments. Firstly, homosexuals can be nice people. They have the same cross-section of sins and deeds that we have. However, their paramount sin is homosexuality. Most people have a friend or relative who is homosexual. Because loved ones have a particular sin does not whitewash the sin.

Secondly, there are degrees of sin. In actuality failure to love even the homosexual is a greater sin than homosexuality itself. The former is likened into love of God and because love is "The Greatest Commandment" lack of love (hatred) is the greatest sin.  Joel Olstein would not like this notion, but the Bible IS all about loving sinners, but hating sin! It's not as important that we hate sin, although we should, but that we hate it because God hates sin. He even hates sin in nice people!

Lack of love is equivalent to hate and hate to murder.

1 John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Murderers and haters don't go to heaven. Accusing one of hating is a dire sin! Because one believes what God says does not make a person a hater. That is the lie directly from Satan to have Christians relax their standards. My desire is that homosexuals, just as any other sinner, be born again and become new persons. "New persons" (2 Corinthians 5:17) is critical because change is how one has the assurance of salvation!  

1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

This verse leads to my third point. If we indeed are born again, the assurance of that is "if we keep his commandments".  Romans 6:1-2 says that when we are born again we shall not continue in sin. Therefore sinners give up their life of sin because they are a new creation! This applies to everyone. Homosexuals are not exempt. from change. Change is a requirement, but nobody has to do it alone. God will help those who are serious about being new persons!

The problem of homosexuality is that it's a sin which people desire to continue in, but yet claim Jesus as Lord. It's serving two masters, God and the world, and the world wins out. Unless a born-again person changes into a new person, of course with God's help, he continues in sin and is said to be "reprobate" (Romans 1:28 above).  This is preceded by "..."even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge" is the condition for reprobation. " (Romans 1:28 also). That is ignoring what God has to say in favor of what is right in their own minds, which is rebellion from God and adherence to the other god; their own "self".

Therefore, my third point is that homosexuals refuse to become new persons as Christ says they must. On top of that it's also the rejection of God's word in favor of their own desires. This is a violation of "The First Commandment" because they made themselves "another god besides God" obeying the "self" rather than God.

Fourthly, homosexuals are NOT "Born This Way" as Lady Gaga sings so knowledgeably. She is a fool who will die and go to hell and she's taking many with her! Lady Gaga can change as well, but first she needs to be "born-again". Christians love Lady Gaga so much that we don't want her to perish either, but she too must change!

There is no scientific studies which prove that people are born homosexuals. That's deception and people readily accept it. Sciences teaches that things can't be proved, but their negative can fail to be disproved. Although tests do show that brain activity of homosexuals are different, it doesn't determine the cause of the difference. In other words genetics is not a proven cause of homosexuality and neither are pre-natal conditioning.

Original sin is what is genetic. We are all born with a propensity to sin, but sin is a behavior, not a hormone nor gene. The propensity to sin is temptation, but the action is the sin. I have a propensity to sin as well. My "sin of choice" is a stronghold in my life. We all have them, but strongholds are restrained by Christians working in unison with God! Those who have the stronghold of homosexuality fail to let God knock down their stronghold. They have little faith because God is not allowed into that strong place where they keep their pleasures and rebellion!

Homosexuals, just like everybody else, are born with a propensity to sin. However, this particular sin is a stronghold which provides pleasure that indeed is hard to change. Because it is so hard and they derive a primary pleasure from the sin, becoming reprobate is a danger. Becoming reprobate is being foreordained to damnation because of unworthiness to enter the kingdom of God. Because of a complete refusal to obey God, homosexuals may very well elect their own eternal punishment. That doesn't sound loving to say, but that's what God says. I'm only the messeneger!

Homosexuals are not new creatures. They are the same old creation which do what is right in their own eyes. Just as other types of sinners are as well, God loves us all, but on his conditions: that we love him enough to obey his command (John 14:15). Anyone can come to God just as they are, but when they come to know him, they are to leave changed people! That lack of change is what causes reprobation!

Fifthly, Homosexuality is disgusting to God and sinners who do that disgust him. He still loves them and offers them free salvation, but salvation is deliverance from sin, not continuance of sin!  When a person is born-again he is saved and what he is saved from is sin. God erases past sins from his memory.  He died for all the sins of all people, but we must continually repent as we sin. Homosexuals don't appear as if they have repented and continually repent. The need to repent is fixed by omitting sin from ones life. That's missing in those who are active homosexuals. Latent homosexuals are repressing sin and that is obedience.

Because sin is disgusting to God it should be disgusting to us because we are to emulate God in our beliefs and emotions. Murder disgusts me. That's noble. That's God's will. Theft disgusts me and that is noble as well. Likewise, unnatural acts are also disgusting because sin in general should be disgusting to any Christian! Disgust is NOT hate! That is a lie of Satan.

Even Christians ask me "Why pick on homosexuals? It's no worse than any sin!" First off, it is different. It is a grievous sin and one which is damning if not discontinued. The issue is really "Why don't Christians accept homosexuality?" The answer to that is "because it's a sin". Loving someone is not accepting their sin, it is condemning it! In vogue now is that those who practice this particular sin INSIST that I not condemn it. Being a Christian I must speak truth. Society wants me to substitute tolerance for truth. Jesus would never do that and neither will I!

Some of my Christian friends condemn my views on homosexuality. I make no apologies. Homosexual behavior is wrong and has always been. It's unnatural and what is wrong is not their brain, but their heart. They are not in harmony with God's will! All the criticizers on earth does not negate what God says! The Christian who truly loves a sinner wants them to have eternal life, but change is required for that to be! Rebuke is difficult, but it's the toughlove which is necessary to make change for the person to have eternal life.

Whew! Got that over with. Now the Christian haters begin their hatred, standing there in front of the secular haters. Satan sure deceives even the elect.

Coatesville: Part 13

It's been several months since I reflected on the folks of Coatesville. Now I shall reflect on me!

There was a movie made called "Pleasantville".  Therein were content and happy people. There was nothing outside the skirts of this small town and all roads circled back from whence they came. That's not very adventuresome and certainly has little appeal to most people. Strangers came to that colorless town and changed it.  Coatesville is still that black and white era in my mind where memories are stored. I even dream of Coatesville in black and white!

As ordinary as that seems Coatesville is extraordinary in its ordinariness! It was so much like the other towns nearby: Fillmore, Amo, Clayton, Reno,  and even Cartersburg and Hazelwood all so close to the change which started so abruptly in Plainfield where the taste of "big city" was savored because they felt like one. Even Danville was much like Coatesville because pleasant people wanted Danville to stay pleasant. This pleasantness was reserved by keeping those from the big city out by retaining two-lane roads. The thought of bringing urban life to Danville was sabotaged by locals who for years disallowed four-lane highways from any direction!

Even now I choose to live in a residential complex of sub-divisions whose roads always circle back to my home. My very home is at the center of this complex of homes and as I watch the neighbors walk by, run by, bicycle by and leisurely drive by, I love it because it brings back memories of my origins. This place where I now dwell until my death is a non-entity in itself, but one I call "Pleasantville". It's my nostalgic dream of things black and white with only mere sepia overtones.

I live in Coatesville! How can that be? Because most of what I am is because of the nature of Coatesville. Just as in the sitcom Cheers, Coatesville is a place "Where everyone knows your name!" For the most part Herrins had a good name, but Herrins weren't all good. The same goes for each family there. We had a façade of goodness because to remain Coatesvillans, "goodness' was a pre-requisite.

For instance, there were no bars in Coatesville. The impression was that nobody in Coatesville consumed alcohol. That made a strong impression on teenage Larry because I wanted to be like those around me. Alcohol was never a part of my life. Sure I tasted it a few times, but I hated alcohol and still do! In pleasant Coatesville drunks were far from the norm. Any social drinking was done with those more social than we were. My brothers often consumed the spirits, but never ever so responsible people would know. You see Pleasantville is a picture of what others expect us to be. I like the long hot summers and cold winters in Pleasantville. Anything that would disrupt that vision was what formed me today. In my career I was a small town boy cavorting with those who were mostly made by the cities.

I began my life with farm and mechanic experience. I picked tomatoes and pulled corn. Before it was picked I listened to it grow on hot summer nights. I couldn't hear it from Milton Street, but I could hear that sound anyway. I lived right there on the boundary between village and country. On Milton my bed was near others, but my heart was there in the corn. My most fond memories were dreaming and planning from Thad's Minneapolis Moline and from the hay balers of so many farmers. 

Coatesville meant experience! That helped mold me to be an engineer and that was exceptional training for the engineering vocation! Sure, my desire was to farm, but Herrin realization #12 was "To farm one must have land!" Herrins had no land and as such Larry had no hope of being a farmer. My school curriculum changed with that enlightenment: Boys without land have little future in farming!  Coatesville even made my vocation in spite of not even knowing one person in Coatesville who was an engineer!

I'm not a drinker because Pleasantville had to be dry to be Pleasantville. However, it was still a little wet behind the ears because there existed those who were closet drinkers. I still believe that it is a sign of respect to never do flagrantly what others may dislike. By keeping things private Pleasantville and Coatesville remained pleasant!

Coatesville had five churches as I remember it. They all were part of my life because those who attended each were part of my life. Most of my friends were neighbors kids, but more importantly, they were my church friends as well! Our belief systems differed little and belief was of significance for most of us. There were no atheists in Pleasantville, or at least that wasn't something that the unbeliever broadcast. Even the vilest people would take time out to listen to Billy Graham's sermons. Just as the lack of bars in Coatesville created boring me, the churches of Coatesville influenced me greatly. I have great faith because of Zeitgeist. This is the thought that we are a product of our times!

I admit, I have great faith because I was brought up in an era when that was expected and respected. I remember that Dad, a noted Christian, would use his reputation to have favor with the law to get leniency for friends and relatives when they did wrong. Dad was respected in Coatesville although he was a patriarch of poverty as many were at that time. It was easy to be as a Christian in Coatesville, but when country boys stepped into the big city it was found that believing was much easier than doing! However, persistence is a trait of those from Coatesville in that era. We are what we were made. Coatesville made many of us whether those who lived there recognize it or not!

I see that Paul Wingler, now a famous artist, still has ties to Coatesville. At one time because he was several years younger, Paul was insignificant to us older guys. Now he is one of us! I see that Annie Johnson whose book is well read and very literary, has a heart still in Coatesville.  I think of James Lyon as well although I didn't know of him then. There are those who are unsung who come back to "If You Grew Up in Coatesville" to return to our song. "If only I could go back to Coatesville" would be my song for those are the days which I love to sing! Things were simpler then!

Jerry Bryant did a great job of updating Joe Davidson's Brief History of Coatesville. Although of a different generation both Joe and Jerry have now passed on, but memories are their legacy. I expect even in death my memory will survive in that small town. No one wants to die even the first death. My memories are a way of living on after I'm gone! My children who really don't know me even now, someday will learn who I am. That makes memories worth the effort. I wanted my children to have memories of Pleasantville just as I do, but Zeitgeist can never allow it! They are victims of technology and we are children of the corn! They can never sense what cannot be programmed and most of their memories are not their own, as they are mere audiences to fictional lives.

If you missed the simple life I grieve for you. It's just not living! Ask Don Wood. His comments are dripping with nostalgia. It's because things are not how they were! Even the bombers loaded with arsenal which flew low over Cold War era Coatesville with their sonic booms no longer are! They instilled fear in the hearts of young people. Life was serious business and the threat of being blown away at midnight made one consider what was important in life. For me it was "eternal life". Hence, Coatesville made me a victim of my times! I sought a way to live forever and it was beyond me how to do it. All the inputs from where I was, engulfed me to seek what was far far away. My livelihood depended not on me, but a Divine Man who died for me several thousand years ago.  Because I grew up meek, becoming meek was not too disarming. This small town boy has now inherited the world. You see, even those who are of little importance can become great! It just depends on whose eyes are looking!

No, I'm not a bible-thumper! However, I do have faith. Because of my hope I want others to share it. Sharing is not only Christian, but Coatesvillan as well!

My family was large, but not as large as some. We had about an acre garden, but mom canned about eight-hundred quarts of canned goods or more each year. Much of this produce were gifts of friendly neighbors. We weren't communal by any means, but people showed love for these transplants from Povertyland. I still appreciate the generosity of the Jamisons, the Hadleys, the Poffs, the Botorffs, the Davidsons, the Winglers, the Trumps, the Awbreys, the Johnsons, even the Pyles who extended  credit to our family without fear of not being repaid! We were able to continue on because others were generous. That's good memories!

Back in those days there was a scandal. Usually people who were normally "good" failed themselves. The scandal no longer matters because it's far behind us. However, many young men of the town were involved. None of my family was. We were blessed. Somehow we escaped defamation. Perhaps Dad had more influence on is than we thought.

There were shenanigans going on all over town. I witnessed many first hand.  Coatesville had an underside, but our failures don't define us!  I will not focus on the Unpleasant Suburbs of Pleasantville, but the great things of being so ordinary. We are not what we were, but what we are. We can be better,  but that's in the future. I like to think that the future is now and that Coatesville is still what it was. It exists in the memory of one who has been gone for over forty-five years, but don't tell me that what was has been mislaid!

The pessimistic person will think at this point "I'm not that influenced by my childhood home!" Think not? In forty years look back and compare. Most of us ARE what we WERE! A friend of mine said to that  "I'm so sorry to hear that!" I replied simply "I'm not!" My perfunctory childhood is joy in my adulthood. When one has not, then receives, having is much more significant because thereafter it is so much better than the standard!

One of my favorite espresssions is "Poverty is good training for success!" Few in Coatesville were rich, few were wealthy,  and few were poor. Most people there were just one step ahead of us. Compared to others we were poor. We always had been. Herrins had a history of poverty and VanHooks (Mom's side) were worse off. The biggest reason we were poor, though, is not because Dad didn't work. Indeed he was one of the hardest workers I've even seen!

Dad actually made a fair wage when we lived in Coatesville. It's just that he was laid off half the time from General Motors. War was good for Allison Division. Peace hurt them and Herrins felt despair when the Korean Conflict ended.  When Dad moved from Kentucky to Indiana he had the Knetzer family of Johnston County who came to our aid. The entire family picked tomatoes for him.

When we lived on Jackstown Road (Cascade Road) when I was a youngster, Hersshel Knetzer would fly a single prop plain from Johnston County to get my older brothers, Rich and Joe, to pick tomatoes for him. That's what he thought of their work ethic! Oftentimes the entire family would pick tomatoes and Dale and I would roam the fields while everyone else worked. At six-years old Mom said that I would be paid to pick and I picked 50 hampers for $5 a day. With my summer's earnings I bought my own school clothes. Dad took me to the Greencastle Five-And-Dime and I picked them out myself!

Why then were we poor although everyone worked hard and chipped in? Because Dad was the most charitable person there could be! His income was shared with all the less fortunate families who moved from Pulaski County, Kentucky to Indiana. They stayed in our home and ate our food. Entire families stayed with us for even a year, and one family after another.  They stayed until they found work and could make it on their own. Coatesville is still home to some of those: Noble VanHook is one who is still there. Noble was part of our household for years!

Dad had two rules for his charity: 1) No drinking and 2) no "cussing". Most abided by this in our home, but two were sent packing back to Somerset. Because of Dad's high principles on these two issues may be why they are so important to me! I've been sent to my room for saying "Gosh" and berated for calling Dale a "fruit"! Dad had no "by-words" as he called them and instilled in me not to as well. My expression of surprise is "Yipes! Stripes!" from the Fruit Stripe Gum slogan. There were many in Coatesville with like principles as Dad, at least in public.

I mentioned in an earlier chapter that Coatesville was mostly Republicans at that time. I've since learned differently. Statistics proved me wrong. At that time Coatesville just seemed to be Republican to me because overall people of both parties of that time were like-minded on most issues. As George Wallace once said about the two parties "There is not a dime's worth of difference," and in Coatesville that was true! It was a Republican County and I believe that it still is.

I brought that conservative philosophy from Coatesville to the world. I'm speaking of hard-working, charitable, freedom-loving, and honest people whether they were Democrats or Republicans. I was molded by my family and neighbors to value these principles. Perhaps it was the times more than the place, but I'm still stuck in 1950's Coatesville in my thinking. That was a very family oriented principled age and I long for it again! My dreams about Coatesville are still in black and white as is my vision of wrong-doing!

As I laid there thinking of the universe I would define me in terms of the cosmos. I thought of my address as Milton Street, Coatesille, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Universe, Zip Code infinity!  You see Coatesville wasn't insignificant to me. It had value in the Cosmos even though we were less than a speck! That speck in Indiana made me what I am whether good or bad. Yes, I learned bad things there too! I've already recounted my thievery. Well there was much other malice learned there as well to which only me and God are privy.

Coatesville was my world. I couldn't imagine any other home. I wondered sometimes "How can people be happy living elsewhere?" I actually thought that! The reason is because that was my world. It was Plesasantville and other places were not so pleasant because I did not know of them!

As I started off the college in 1967 the race riots preceded me. When I got to Flint, Michigan, another hotbed of rioting that year, I saw a different world; maybe a different galaxy. I was Jethro from the mountains. As I walked the strees of Detroit then and saw hateful glances cast my way was when I first asked "Who are these people?" They weren't the nice Marie Sanders nor Phyllis Johnson of Pleasantville. Detroit was a contrast in unpleasantness. My Bostonian friend, another strange person from another planet, said "Larry! Quit staring. You'll get yourself in trouble." I stared not because of hate, but because of my previous environment. Coatesville was WASP and at that time I didn't even realize that I was an insect, so to speak, because in Detriot WASPS were swatted!

That's a term long gone because it applies to so few! White Anglo-Saxon Protestant were Coatesville! When they were derided the derision was toward me and my home. Being a WASP was nothing to be ashamed of, but a source of pride, and in the big city with it's refinement, I just wasn't in vogue! I'm not ashamed for being a WASP-American and whatever-American you want to be that's fine as long as "American" comes first. I learned that in Coatesville!

I can write extensively on culture and values.  Maybe I will later as my synapsis has them pop through the muck in there!  Zeitgeist is applicable to everyone... even on Planet Detroit.  They too are a product of their times, but when I walked into their world, world's collided. Detroit's views didn't change and few of mine did either. I liked where I was from and enjoyed my own Walter Mitty-ness! The world inside my head would not be easily transformed and much of that world was Coatesville.


I didn't sense hate in Coatesville. Even when David Hill punched me in the face, he was sorry. Even when Colby Johnson and I spat, we were still good friends. Even after I chased Jim Delp with a broken Coke bottle he was still my friend after the anger wore off! Even after Jackie Witt stole my girlfriend, we were still friends! I graduated from Coatesville with not an enemy that I know of! Even Ronnie Love and I were civil!

Some of us did make fun of others less blessed than we were. Mom always said "Never make fun of anyone. It'll come back on you later in life." In secret I made fun of a few people, especially one particular person. That person was so nice, but Mother Nature failed this person in appearance. I grimaced at what I saw. Until my last child was born I was scared that this malady would be passed on to one of my children. I deserved it, but my kids were blessed in spite of my callousness. When you get better than you deserve that is called "grace". I've had much of that in my life. If I was what I deserve, my clothes would have horizontal gray stripes and my hope would be at Pendleton!

Stay tuned for another chapter of my thoughts of growing up in Coatesville. I thank those who have shared their memories to be included. "If  You Grew Up in Coatesville" is the memory machine which captures memories lost. I encourage others to reflect on Coatesville and their own life.