| Jesus Christ reveals things about men that we do not like to think about. That or we simply dismiss the things he says out of hand, happy that the condemning statements he has do not apply to us, because we are of the faith, because we are saved. I think it is a rare thing that professing Christians look at Jesus’ statements about the nature of man and apply His words to themselves. I certainly didn’t. My eyes were not open, my ears did not hear, I was ignorant, not just two years ago, at the time of my salvation, when I called Christ my Lord, but even two weeks ago, when I came across Matthew 15:18-20 in my devotions.
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, blasphemies…These are the things which defile a man.” These are the sins many Christians see, myself included, happy that they have never experienced such sins as Jesus spells out. They perhaps were in our thoughts at one time, like the “little white lies,” and the occasional use of God’s name in vain, but thank God we are now ”forgiven saints,” forgiven even of the BIG sins we never committed, like murder or adultery. Gone are these sins, and the consequences of them. “Ignorance is bliss,” we may not outwardly or even inwardly think, but our actions and pleasant smiles within our “saved by grace” souls are revealed. Ignorance of murder and adultery and the consequences thereof is great…isn’t it? I have many friends who I wouldn’t consider to be Christians. They don’t profess to be Christians, in fact, one of them DESPISES God and the things of God…but he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He is a man who has never committed murder, nor would he ever consider it, it’s against the law after all, and he just wouldn’t do that. As far as I know, he’s never committed adultery, it leads to trouble and he knows it, it also is against the law, God’s law and man’s, at least in the state of Oklahoma, FYI. But my friend hasn’t experienced these sins or their consequences, he is ignorant of them. Is he one of the men Jesus is speaking about? What’s the difference between he and the saints? Taking a look at myself, there are times I’ve wanted to scream, to be an “absolute brute” as Oswald Chambers puts it, to anyone who rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve never really struck anyone in public, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to. The only reason I haven’t been and absolute abusive person at times I realized ”is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a ‘civilized’ life.” That doesn’t mean the desires are not there. If I take an absolute hard honest look at myself, I would find that there are nightmares within me. There are things I could be and would be if not for the grace of God placing me in the environments I was placed in. I could be an alcholic idolater in India, I could be a crack addict in a trailer park in Chelsea, I could be a dishonest accountant in Claremore, I could be a cad, taking advantage of any married woman I know in Tulsa, I could even be a prisoner on death row who made one bad choice to express my anger in a real stupid and evil way. One second in my life time is all it would take to reveal what is truly within my sinner’s heart. I realized the only reason I am NOT any of those things or pursuing any of those sins has nothing to do with me; but has EVERYTHING to do with Christ pursuing me in the nick of time and laying hold of me and making me something–someone new. He called my name, despite what he knows is within me, and brought me to Himself. There is always the possibility I could become any of what Christ proclaims in Matthew 15:18-20, even as a Christian, that is why He deserves my glory. If Christ were stripped from my life, all that would be left would defile me, all that would be left would be death. Praise God He cannot be stripped! Praise God He is life! Praise God He doesn’t leave it up to me NOT to sin, but gives me life that I may never will to sin again because I have been crucified with Him, but live, but not I, but Him who lives within me. |
