Tag: Corruption

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How things corrode.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I understand that pure gold does not corrode. Gold in its pure .999 fine form is impervious to corrosion! Ah, but even the slightest, microscopic element can weaken its resolve.

Of course, our souls are not made of gold and are filled with imperfections, any one of which can corrupt us. Paul focuses on one particular method. The New Living Translation tries to capture this corruptive experience by identifying the two primary means: lust and deception. Paul is much more precise with his words. He writes that we deteriorate, we morally decompose when we are carried away from what he calls, “deceitful desires.” What? We are our own enemy? Yes, and no.

The slanderer (devil), apparently needs a target, a hook, a fissure, a fracture to gain a good grip on our soul. But where is that found? It can be found in our “epithumia.” Our deep, powerful desires, our passions… our lusts! Ancients have defined about seven of these core lusts called the seven deadly sins: Lust (sexual), Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride. I am sure with a little evil curiosity blended into that list, there are many sub-sins associated.

So that’s the “lust” or passion part, but Paul combines the illustration with another word, apaté: deceit, deception, deceitfulness, delusion. Isn’t it weird that the word looks and sounds a lot like APPETITE? This is where the early church fathers came up with the phrase, “disordered desires” or “disordered loves.” They we’re kind enough to discern that even though our desires, wants, needs and passions may begin innocent, we are bent on fulfilling them as quickly and cheaply as possible!

Paul may not agree. We are both deceived from within, thus willing to lie to our own soul to get what we want. Or, and most likely, we are are willing to believe an outside lie, a twist on the truth, from none other than the father of all lies. Whatever and whichever gets us the results we want – OUR OWN WAY.

This is where the battle takes place for our forward motion, our maturity, our growth in faith and obedience to Jesus! Paul is constantly reminding believers to throw off, cast off sin, decisions and behaviors that are based out of our old, dead, deceitful ways. Throw them away like a pair of faded, baggy jeans from the 90’s! I think my job is to not only monitor my distractions, but to also check for the elements in those distractions that maybe corrosive and eventually corrupt my very soul. Paul’s godly advice is to let the Spirit of God continually do a renewal sweep of my soul! This renewal will help remove the corrosive thoughts and attitudes, allowing me to set my mind and heart on Christ.

Prayer

Dad,
David’s Psalm of repentance helps me safeguard against my own deceitful desires as well as let your Holy Spirit do a mental, attitudinal cleansing and renewing of my soul. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10.

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Sin is in fact infectious!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’” The priests replied, “No.” Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?” And the priests answered, “Yes.” Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin.” Haggai‬ ‭2:11-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love it when God asks questions. Isn’t interesting? This one seems to be all about a food preparation object lesson.

These are ancient times and God has given Israel “laws” to help them in the proper way to handle food. He asks them if the “holy” meat makes other foods holy just by touching them together. The modern word for making meat holy is called Kosher and it most likely became the standard for all food preparation and handling.

We know so much more about handling food than we used to and yet, we still have warnings and about mishandling our food supply line today – especially with things like Salmonella!

Corruption and defilement only seem to go one way. Good can’t “defile,” or making something clean just by contact or touching. Holy meat cannot make anything holy simply by contact. God’s point… it’s different with corruption, disease or sickness. Bad can corrupt or defile good with a simple contact point. The Apostle Paul uses this analogy when he writes to the churches in Corinth, “bad company corrupts good morals.”

God’s illustration is touching a dead body, where corruption and death has begun breaking down the cells which used to be alive. In this very natural death process the body is experiencing corruption where bacteria and germs do their job to return the body to the earth where it began.

Scientists, healthcare workers and food handlers know this instinctively, death is dangerously infectious!

God’s boundaries, His laws for Israel taught them to not touch the dead without careful cleansing and mandatory isolation from others so disease doesn’t spread. This is well before they knew why death was so dangerous! Then God speaking through Haggai lands this mind-blowing concept to them – SIN = DEATH. Sin is corruption. Sin breaks down all living things and brings death. God explains to them, everything we do, everything we offer, CANNOT be holy, clean or free of death itself. We have sin. We ARE sin. Therefore, everything we “touch” will become corrupted and die. Sadly, this includes things we offer to God – ouch. Of course, post Christ’s death and resurrection, making the final and completely perfect sacrifice for the penalty of sin, our offerings as someone contraction-ally in good standing with God can, in faith, offer redemptive acts.

Prayer

Dad,
Sin is so dangerous! It is so infectious. We have so many social viruses spreading among us these days. These popular crowd-sourced and driven ideals are laced with death! These grand social experiences and experiments are ruthlessly effective to bring death in our relationships, families, and civil structures. It’s like we, as humans, take great joy in passing around a soul-virus, with zero care or precaution to their effects on our lives. Truth has been trampled and swapped out for lies! You said this would happen. You told us this is what the end looks like. We need your mercy Oh God. We need your supernatural intervention to stop this fast spreading disease called sin.