I'd like to tell you something, but it isn't clean

In the Old Testament Law for the Israelites, God gave Moses some pretty crazy food restrictions. It's OK to eat land animals that have split hooves and chew cud, but not camels (because the hoof is not completely split) or the pig (because it doesn't chew cud). It's OK to eat fish with fins and scales, but not if they have only one or neither. And don't eat skinks. (I don't want to eat skinks, but now that you tell me that I can't, I'm tempted to.) Don't eat certain animals because they are considered "unclean," even though their cleanliness habits are not really different than other animals.

Also, houses with mold - unclean. People with leprosy - unclean. Dead bodies - unclean. Touch any of those, and you become unclean, too.

Anything that was "unclean" was not necessarily morally "bad." Some of the laws about being clean have to do with everyday, unavoidable necessities of life. Rather than evil, "unclean" means "unacceptable," particularly with relationship to the rituals of the tabernacle (and later, the temple). Nothing unclean could be used for the ceremonies and sacrifices. Anyone who touched something unclean became unclean, and then he couldn't be involved with the ceremonies until he went through a cleansing ritual. Once clean, then he was "acceptable" and could participate. The correct terms here are "ceremonially clean" and "ceremonially unclean."

So, why the weird restrictions? Why do rock badgers get a bad rap, for example? The best theory I've read so far is that the "unclean" things are "abnormal." The normal house has no mold ("normal" meaning "as it should be" instead of "more common"). Animals that both chew the cud and split the hoof are "normal," but those that have the odd combination are "abnormal." Fish "normally" have fins and scales. Bodies "ought" to be alive - that's their normal state, what they were made to be.

There's nothing magic about clean or unclean animals. Clean animals aren't "better," necessarily. The laws were primarily for the purpose of revealing God and His character. So, everything associated with the tabernacle must be a prime example of its kind - "normal" (as it should be), unblemished, highest quality, unspoiled, and so on. And it must be so because of what that teaches us about God. If less than the best was acceptable in the worship of God, then what would that teach us about God?

So, now look at sin from a new perspective. Sin is not just "bad" because it falls into the bad category that God arbitrarily set. Sin is any departure from the perfect character of God or from God's perfect design - "abnormal." Sin is abnormal (even though it's very common). Therefore, sin makes us abnormal or "unclean," and therefore "unacceptable" for the worship of God. Not because we're just "bad," but because abnormal is unfitting for worshiping the perfect God. We are "unclean," not because we're "dirty," but because we depart from God's ideal. We need to be made "clean" - made "normal" again. Then and only then are we "acceptable," fitting for the worship of God.

This new look at sin gives us a new look at the work of Christ. He alone makes us "clean," "acceptable," fitting for worshiping God. He "normalizes" us to the perfect character and design of God, because He fulfills the perfect design of God for our race.

We receive this by faith. Even though we don't suddenly become actually normal, we are then covered by the "normalcy" of Christ until He finishes the work of making us actually normal. That work continues in every believer until He completes it.

How to respond to this truth? Rather than setting our sights on being meritoriously "good," it is more accurate to pursue becoming more and more fitting for the worship of God. In other words, rather than me trying to be the most moral me, my focus would be taken off of me and onto the God worthy of worship. My goal would be to become more and more suited to worship Him. I get to worship Him now by the grace of Christ, but my pursuit is to be increasingly appropriate for that privilege.

This kind of transformation is a work of Christ within us that we embrace by faith. He will eventually complete that transformation. Until then, my habits and actions will either be in concert with His work or contrary to it. May my eyes be fixed on what a holy God is worthy of, rather than trying to feel worthy within myself.