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Primitivism is the human condition in which a person can not rise above
the culture in which he lives, can not help but be affected by the
intermingling of other cultures to which he is exposed, and where law
is the highest form of human achievement that man can achieve. We
see numerous examples of this in the Old Testament where God calls the
Jewish people to separation or the annihilation of other cultures to
preserve their purity and the giving of the Ten Commandments and all
the Judaic law to keep them in right standing with God. Modern
examples abound. The Muslim who must kill the infidel to insure
his place in heaven to ethnic cleansing, racial bigotry, and sex
discrimination are all examples where people are trying to preserve the
status quo and respond according to their culture and upbringing in an
attempt to do what they think is right. For the Jew it was in
obedience to God who knew that that was the best that the Jew could do
without the Spirit. Tolerance only exists where that value is
taught and where there is evidence of Christianity. Primitivism
will exist in any people who do not have the Spirit of God or have not
learned through their culture tolerance. When the disciples ask Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven like Elijah, Jesus tells them that they “do not know what manner of spirit ye are of. For the the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.” (Lk9:55-56) These statements of Jesus indicate a change in man's ultimate achievement. Rather than being made subject to law, now man can be subject to the Spirit and rise above his culture and tradition and live the gospel of love. Rather than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, man can love his enemies, a much higher achievement than just keeping the law. Only those who have the Spirit can enter the kingdom of God. Only those who have the Spirit can rise above their culture, move in other cultures without being adversely affected, and love people who see them as the enemy. The advent of Christ ushered in a new era in the destiny of man and when one realizes that immensity of distance between the old covenant and the new one, one can only stand in awe of Christ who came to make us free. Amen. |