Were you to drive through the countryside of Ireland today, you may see wooden fenceposts marking the landscape. Some fenceposts date back as far as the fourteenth century and were known as pales. Pales marked the boundaries that separated English settlers from those of Irish descent. Eventually, these boundaries were fortified with thorny hedgerows alongside ten-foot ditches.
Those who lived within the bounds of the pales lived under English law. However, once moved outside “the Pale” you were no longer guaranteed the protection of the crown and were subject to the lawlessness of rural Ireland. Beyond the pale then became an idiomatic phrase meaning outside the limits of acceptable behavior.
In his first letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul listed a number of behaviors he considered beyond the pale. Paul claims that the motive behind these foul actions is selfishness. Those who engage in such outrageous conduct are operating outside of God’s wishes.
Most Christians operate outside the bounds of the seventeen vices described above. Of course, none of us is perfect. We would argue that though we lose our temper on occasion, at least we don’t use drugs. Or though we become overly competitive during a casual game of cards with friends, we console ourselves by rationalizing that at least we aren’t drunk.
We are only fooling ourselves, however, by comparing our “lesser” sins with the “greater” sins to which we see others succumb. When it comes to wrongdoing though there is no hierarchy. As far as God is concerned, all sin is beyond the pale of God’s kingdom. Your sin is not worse than mine and neither is my sin worse than yours. All ground is level at the foot of the cross.
Therefore, the next time you try and minimize your poor behavior, take a moment and ask God His opinion first. Even more, when you find yourself pointing the finger at the indiscretions of someone else, don’t forget there are at least three fingers pointing back in your direction. Most importantly, though we all step outside of God’s expectations, remember that God’s grace knows no bounds and God’s reach extends far beyond the pale.