Cautionary Tales of High-Handed Sin

Why We Must Call Things What They Are

One evening some time ago, a desire for an evening bowl of cereal came over me. So, I walked over to the cabinet, took stock, reached in and grabbed some Corn Flakes. After I poured some into my bowl and put the box away, I then reached into the cabinet for the jar of sugar so I could sprinkle some on my cereal. Turns out, the jar had been mislabeled. And so, with a generous pour, I topped my cereal and took a big bite. I expected sweetness but what I got was a horrible bitterness instead—it was baking powder. Ugh! My simple snack quickly turned into a reminder, a reminder of how easily things can go awry when we mislabel or misidentify what is before us.

In our society today, we face a pervasive labeling problem—an alarming trend where things are being called what they are not. Men are attempting to label themselves as women, for instance, and acts of child-murder are being rebranded as women’s rights—just to name a couple examples. This distortion of truth is not just confined to societal issues however; no, it has also infiltrated the Church, even our beloved Church of the Nazarene. It has become more common than ever before for some to label their wayward actions—actions that stand in clear defiance of biblical teachings—as acts of “love.” There have been folks who have repeatedly violated our core doctrines by pushing sexually deviant views and trying to relabel them as good and holy. This mislabeling is not a trivial matter; for, it signifies a deeper rebellion against God’s truth and order.

Becuase of this, in recent months, the Church of the Nazarene has revoked the credentials of a few individuals (Mark Maddix, Dee Kelley, Thomas Oord) and, in certain instances, also removed their membership in the denomination. The latter, Thomas Oord, had published materials promoting LGBT+ and made videos and social media posts doing the same. But there has been a common thread in each of these public narratives, too, where disciplinary actions have been handed down: the attempt to reframe the story as a victim and/or martyr narrative.

But it’s important that we not mislabel what has happened here; rather, let’s call it what it is: High-handed sin or, in Hebrew, ביד רמה (b’yad ramah). This terminology comes from Num 15:30. And, just in case you’re not as up-to-speed on Numbers as you might hope, here’s a little review. The Book of Numbers, part of the Pentateuch, is traditionally attributed to Moses and recounts the experiences of the Israelites as they journey from Sinai to the Promised Land. At points, it goes into great detail about God’s Law, Israel’s rebellions, and God’s ongoing guidance despite the infidelity of his people. Num 15:22-29 deals specifically with various laws and instructions given to the Israelites regarding offerings and atonement for unintentional sins, while verses 30-31 shift to high-handed sins, that is, deliberate sins.

Scholar Bennie Reynolds III has shown how ביד רמה / high-handed & intentional sin, is usually linked to defiance, rebellion, and arrogance.¹ He also notes that Num 15:30 is something of a very special instance because, a) It is possible that it was the source verse for “The Holiness School” with regard to their law codes, a school from which the Essenes might have come; and, b) When one looks at ancient documents from Qumran, such as the Damascus Document and the Dead Sea Scrolls (7 works in particular), the texts that link back to Num 15:30 communicate intentional and premeditated sin. For novices who may be guilty of high-handed sin, exclusion from participating in certrain roles and duties within the community were encforced. The more mature, full community members who engaged in high-handed sin and transgressed the Law of Moses, however, would face the punishment of communal banishment, that is, expulsion/excommunication. One couldn’t float the narrative: “So-and-so is just a teacher who likes to prod and provke; thus, they shouldn’t have consequences.” Instead, if someone was in a teaching position, they consequences would have been more severe. And, of course, Paul and other writers of Scripture were not afraid to speak of and enforce such matters.

The point, though, is this: Such matters can never be enforced if sin isn’t labeled sin, if high-handed sin isn’t labeled high-handed sin, if evil isn’t labeled evil, and so on. Things must be called what they are. Deliberate sins carried out with full knowledge and defiance against God’s laws are grievous. And in Scripture, the severity of the punishment—being cut off from the community—reflects the importance of communal holiness and covenantal fidelity. This isn’t about ideological purity, though it is about purity. To be sure, it’s about living into our call to be holy as God is holy (Lev 19:2) and to purify his bride by doing that until Christ returns. High-handed sin today, just as in antiquity, threatens the holiness, integrity, and purity of individuals and, as a result, the entire community.

Num 15:30 is a stark reminder that God’s laws are not to be taken lightly or defied with impunity. It challenges believers to examine their hearts and attitudes towards God’s commandments. It also calls for a renewed commitment to holiness and integrity within the faith community. And for those of us within the Church of the Nazarene, it is a cautionary tale. Leaders and members alike are called to uphold doctrinal purity and resist the temptation to defy God’s teachings, whether through ambiguous stances or deliberate actions contrary to scriptural truths. The severity of the consequences for high-handed sin should prompt a collective return to faithfulness, repentance, and a firm standing on the rock that is Christ.

Many branches of Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Methodism and more have failed in this regard. The Church of the Nazarene has the spotlight on it and it has the opportunity to show what it looks like to have a Manual, to uphold it, to enforce discipline, to honor Scripture, and to excommunicate those who engage in high-handed sin. And, at this very moment, there are others carrying on the torch of high-handed sin that must be dealth with still. Again, we must label and call what they are doing what it actually is. At the end of the day, it’s a sad state to see all of this and, for my part, I wish those folks would just repent (Oord, Kelley, Maddix, and others) and return to the fold in humility. I want that more than anything. And who knows, maybe they will. In the interim, may God help them. And, as we continue calling a spade a spade, may God help us.

1. Reynolds III, Bennie. “The Expression ביד רמה in the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Legacy of the Holiness School in Essene Legal Texts” in JBL 132/3 (2013): 585-605.