Paul curses

Philippians 3:7-9New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

This is one of the verses our curriculum has fun with in Confirmation.  The word, "skubala," translated here as "rubbish" is really not as strong a word as Paul means.  The King James and New English Translation of the Bible came a bit closer by using the term "dung" because "skubala" meant, according to the scholars of the NET, a vulgar term for fecal matter.

Yep.  That's the word Paul meant.

Why is it important that the Apostle Paul could turn a curse word long before Nadia Bolz-Weber came along? 

It's not important just because it means that since there is a curse word in the Bible, we can feel free to "curse boldly."  Instead, I think it's important because it is the only time in scripture this word is used. It's the only time Paul uses it so he uses it the way curse words probably should be used - on a limited basis for great effect.  We've become so conditioned to hearing them so often that in some sense they've lost their meaning. They don't shock us anymore because they are used so often that their power for strong exclamation has been lost.  

Paul isn't being vulgar for vulgarity's sake. Paul is being vulgar intentionally because he knows this word will shock.  He wants to shock.  He wants everyone to now how strongly he feels about this.

He is basically saying: "My life before Christ was _____ (insert vulgar term for fecal matter)."  

He doesn't want there to be any confusion on that point.

Life in Christ is better than anything.  Life in Christ makes what might seem like the best thing in your life to actually fall away as nothing.  

That's how great it is!

As we await the child born in Bethlehem this Advent season, we can think about how radically amazing this coming is.  For Paul, there was literally nothing better.  The parts of his life that he valued most fall away in terms of importance.

As Christmas comes, imagine something that valued coming into your own world.

Come Lord Jesus!  Shine your light into our lives that we might know how wonderful a gift you are to this world in need. Amen.