2021.01.24. Yonsei University Church

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Be Holy For I Am Holy!

The whole world is now in serious crisis due to the COVID-19. It is estimated that more people died than those who died in World War II. The COVID-19 vaccine was found and vaccination started. However, since there has already been COVID-19 variants, it is questionable whether the corona- crisis can be completely overcome. A significant number of scholars say it can take a significant amount of time before the coronavirus outbreak is completely overcome.

Many pastors preach that COVID-19 is God's punishment for humans. But in my opinion, Corona is not God's punishment, but the result of modern civilization.

The essential characteristic of modern civilization is materialism. Many pastors condemn Karl Marx's materialism as a heresy, but modern capitalist society is obsessed with a heinous materialism that cannot be compared with Marx's materialism. Material, money, is considered the best value. Money, like God, is best worshiped.

-Human value is also determined by the amount of money.

-Relationships between men and women are also determined by money, and marriage is also determined by money.

-The church has become like a “business item” to get money.

-Because of money, human life has become a commodity, and sperm and eggs of men and women have become commodities.

-The university, which should be a hall of pure learning, is also stuck in materialistic logic.

The second characteristic of modern civilization is anti-naturalism. In other words, the second characteristic of modern civilization is its tendency to be destructive and to break the natural order. Anti-naturalism is just the conclusion of materialism.

-When trying to obtain more material, more possessions, nature is bound to be destroyed. It exploits and transforms nature indefinitely.

-Building high-rise buildings blocks air communication in nature.

-To get more money, we destroy the living quarters of natural life and kill the natural life.

-Eventually, the global warming occurs because of money, and the global warming is threatening not only the lives of nature but also the lives of humans themselves.

Behind materialism and anti-naturalism, human selfishness and greed lurk. The most basic of human instincts is the instinct to maintain one's life. What we need first to sustain our lives is edible food, or material. If you can't eat, you die. So humans want to get food, or substances, that they can eat. We want to stock up on material for the safety of life.

But we humans have a nasty nature. It is a nature that can't be satisfied no matter how much stockpiles. It is human nature to want to have 1 billion if you have 100 million, 10 billion if you have 10 billion, and 100 billion if you have 10 billion. Because of this nature, man becomes a slave to money who serves money like God. It destroys nature and kills natural creatures.

-Behind the COVID-19 crisis, human selfish nature and greed are hidden. As Karl Marx said in his introduction to the critique of Hegel's philosophy of law, the root of all problems lies with man. I think it is in human selfish nature and greed. Unless the problem of human selfish nature and greed is resolved, our world will again and again be in crisis. Even if private property is abolished and a socialist system in which all property is shared, there will be no way of salvation unless the problem of human selfish nature and greed is resolved.

-At first glance, the words of the apostle Paul that we read today seem contradictory. He said in Ephesians 5 that a man should be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, whereas in today's scripture it says, "those who have wives should live as if they do not.‘ In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, "rejoice always," while today's text says, "those who are happy, as if they were not"

However, the words of Paul that we read today speak deep truths in them. It provides a way to solve the problem of our human selfish nature and greed.

First, don't consider what you have as yours. In other words, "Whoever has a wife as if he does not have it", "He who has bought something", that is, "He who has what," is "Let him as if he does not have it."

We think that what we have is "ours." Husbands consider wives to be “his own”. Parents think of their children as "theirs." We think the money we have is also "mine."

But today's scripture says. “Don't think that anything you have is yours, which you have at my disposal! Do not think that neither your children nor your wife belong to you-all that you have is not from birth, but from outside you. Originally it is not yours!”

-Of course we have what we have now through our own efforts, but it is through our neighbors. -The salary that professors receive is given from the tuition or national tax, and the salary of public officials is from the national tax. The huge wealth of chaebols also comes from consumers and natural resources. -Without consumers, and without natural resources, the chaebols would not be able to form wealth in the strict sense, there is virtually nothing that can be claimed to be “mine”.

We can see this in today’s scripture. According to verse 31, “those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”

-This means, for us humans, the shape of the world disappears someday, that is, when we die, everything in the world disappears, we come empty-handed, and we leave the world empty-handed. Therefore, nothing in this world can be owned as “mine”. So Paul says in verse 30: “those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep.”

-Second, today's scripture challenges us to be free from the money you have and the possessions we have. -The phrase “whoever has something, pretend not to have it” means to be free from everything we have-at the moment of death we have no choice but to abandon everything we have, so we have to be free from possessions and money.

-Money has terrifying magical power. With money, we can get everything in the world. You can travel freely, you can do plastic surgery, you can get a beautiful and wonderful spouse-money can make ugly things beautiful, unrighteous things right, lie to truth, truth to lie. You have the power-you need money to be an elder in the church-so people want to have more money. Eventually, you become a slave to money.

-The apostle Paul says: "Those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;!" Soon, “Be a man free of money”, “Be a man free of possession.” -There are many occasions in the Bible like this: If you have something to eat for that day, and if you have a place to sleep comfortably, be satisfied with it-Don't worry about what to eat or drink tomorrow-Don't try to stock up indefinitely because you're worried about tomorrow.

In general, beasts of nature do not know the stockpile. They are satisfied when they are full. They have no barns. They do not have a bankbook. -Among the creatures of nature, only humans have a barn and bankbook. -No matter how full a person is, he or she is not satisfied with it. To keep our lives safe, we want to stock them up. - There is no end to the desire to stock up. - As a result, this world turns into a world where people who live with money worshiping God, and "unhuman beings" who have become slaves to money.

So the Bible says. Throw away the infinite desire to stockpile! According to Exodus 16, gather only the amount of quail you need for that day! Abandon the greed of infinite stockpile!”-Stop buying multiple apartments, abandon your vain desire to own dozens and hundreds of apartments, and saying, "Use your money for good! Give to needy neighbors!"those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep. Be free from possession! That's the way to be a human being!

* Money is like life for us humans. Because without money, we cannot survive. So giving our money as church offerings and spending it on good works is like giving our lives to God. It is the act of emptying ourselves before God and our neighbors. -Love is the act of emptying ourselves. -It is the act of emptying ourselves and becoming one with one another.

-The essence of today's scripture is this. That is, to empty ourselves before God and our neighbors.

-Do not claim you, empty you. Give up on you! Don't try to put you at the center, but serve and give without a name!

-Do not condemn your neighbors according to your standards, but forgive and tolerate each other! Take it as it is! -Don't make your arguments in front of your children! -The world is different!

-Resist Satan's sweet temptation to accumulate infinitely, and become the person who gives up your possessions! Don't be single cells who value money as the best value, but be the one who associates with those who mourn!

-Empty yourself! Everything in this world disappears from you someday! There is nothing you can have forever! -What remains forever is the love show to others!

-Hegel, known as the perfector of the German idealistic philosophy, says in his <Lectures on the History of Philosophy>: The biggest “revolutionary event” in world history is the incarnation of Christ! That is, the Son of God in heaven emptied himself, became a human, and came to this world! This is the greatest "revolutionary event" in the history of the world, when the Holy One humbled himself and took on the finite flesh of man.

-Why is Jesus Christ holy? Not because he owned a lot. Not because he possessed great power and honor. Because he humbled himself, emptied himself, and gave his life for our salvation.

-Jesus, who came to this world, did not try to exalt himself. -He humbled himself and became a “friend of tax collectors and sinners,” that is, to the lowly people of this world. -He offered his life as a sacrifice for our sins. -This is because there is no other way to save this world other than this one. -That is why he is called “Holy One”, “God's holy servant” (1 Peter 1:15, Acts 4:30). -Christ, the Holy Son of God on the cross, tells us this time today: “I am holy, ye also be holy!”