Defiled!
Since
coming out of stagnant sanctification, my curiosity of how and why
things work in scripture has been at an all-time high. In the many areas
of interest, I always wondered why the four categories in Acts 15:20
are a good thing for the new believer to be practicing (the first things taught as they start “the race”).
I mean, why on earth would these four things pop up out of nowhere when the issue brought to the table was circumcision anyway?
And so, my quest began.
Think
about it, the guys bringing the charge to the courtroom, they wanted
the gavel to fall on the circumcision with a commanding YES!
But instead got four seemingly unrelated things.
There must be a really good reason for this, and there is. They all have to do with defilement.
I
wonder, perhaps you’re like me and haven’t really considered the four
categories in Acts 15, or a believer becoming defiled for that matter. I
tell you, after studying these things… I am thoroughly convinced
understanding this topic is VITAL for finishing “the race”. And that’s….
why I’m sharing what I’ve found.
Here we go!
Have
you ever noticed how the newer dictionaries seem to water down and or
shorted the definitions leaving the reader lacking the full meaning? Boy
I have. That’s why I use Noah Webster’s 1828 edition. Take a look at
Webster’s definition for the word defile, and notice his use of
scripture to provide better context.
Defile
1. To make unclean; to render foul or dirty; in a general sense.
2. To make impure; to render turbid; as, the water or liquor is defiled.
3. To soil or sully; to tarnish; as reputation, and;
He is among the greatest prelates of the age, however his character
may be defiled by dirty hands.They shall defile thy brightness. Ezekiel 28.4.
4. To pollute; to make ceremonially unclean.
That which dies of itself,
he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith. Leviticus 22.5.
5. To corrupt chastity; to debauch; to violate; to tarnish the purity of
character by lewdness.
Schechem defiled Dinah; when he lay with her. Genesis 34.6.
6. To taint, in a moral sense; to corrupt; to vitiate; to render impure with sin.
Defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. Ezekiel 20.
He hath defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Numbers 19.(Webster’s 1828 edition)
Since
the Bible contains Yahweh’s laws and instructions from cover to cover, I
thought it’d be interesting to find out how Black’s Law Dictionary
defines defile. In so, I found it to be right on par - considering the
in-covenant believer’s relationship with the creator being compared to
that of a husband and wife (…and the reason He divorced her). Take a look.
Defile – “To debauch, deflower, or corrupt the chastity of a woman.
The term does not necessarily imply force or ravishment, nor does it connote
previous immaculateness.”(Black’s Law Dictionary)
Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.
Strong’s definitions: Here we see Strong’s number, the word, the times used,
and the definition.
DEFILE 1351 gâʾal (2),
to soil, stain; desecrate2490 châlal (2),
to profane, defile2930 ṭâmêʾ (25),
to be morally contaminated2936 ṭânaph (1),
to soil, make dirty733 arsĕnŏkŏitēs (1),
so domite2840 kŏinŏō (6),
to make profane3392 miainō (1),
to contaminate5351 phthĕirō (1),
to spoil, ruin;
to depraveDEFILED1351 gâʾal (2),
to soil, stain; desecrate2490 châlal (5),
to profane, defile2610 chânêph (3),
to soil, be defiled2930 ṭâmêʾ (44),
to be morally contaminated2931 ṭâmêʾ (5),
to foul; ceremonially impure2933 ṭâmâh (1),
to be ceremonially impure5953 ʿâlal (1),
to glean; to overdo6031 ʿânâh (1),
to afflict, be afflicted6942 qâdâsh (1),
to be, make clean2839 kŏinŏs (1),
to common, i.e. profane3392 miainō (4),
to contaminate3435 mŏlunō (3),
to soil, make impureDEFILEDST2490 châlal (1),
to profane, defileDEFILETH2490 châlal (1),
to profane, defile2610 chânêph (1),
to soil, be defiled2930 ṭâmêʾ (1),
to be foul; be morally contaminated2840 kŏinŏō (5),
to make profane4695 spilŏō (1),
to stain or soil(New Strong’s guide to Bible words)
In
the New American Standard Bible the word defile is found in 105 verses
providing great insight on the topic. Many of those inform the new
covenant believer as to what can cause defilement. Let’s take a look.
James 3:6
“And
the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set
among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on
fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”
You
know, after studying how the in-covenant believer is to build his body
into a temple, and how false teachers will arise to teach another way to
build it (lead folks astray), reading James 3 has really taken on true meaning.
Please take a minute and read James 3, keeping in mind these are the “teachers” in
1 Corinthians 3:17. The ones that have taught the 1 Corinthians 3:15 folks error (some knowingly and some in ignorance). When you grasp what is going on there, it will help in understanding what Paul warns and teaches in His other letters…
as well as all the “kingdom of heaven is like” passages by Christ, and in the book of Revelation.
Now
we are going to look at a passage the enemy has strategically used in a
successful campaign to keep the believer from seeing what’s really
being taught. It’s an account that lines up with, and solidifies what
we read and learn in James 3 and; 4.
It is there we read the words of Yeshua saying, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man”
(Matthew 15:11 and; Mark 7:15).
This informs us
- (1) a “new covenant” believer can be defiled, AND…
- (2) exactly how it happens. It’s what comes out of the mouth.
The BIG question then becomes…
How can the four categories, “abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood” (things eaten and practiced) defile me when “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man”?
The
answer is right there in the passage, it is so easily overlooked Yeshua
had to explain it to His students – the disciples in training.
Take a look.
Matthew
15:15–20
15
Peter said to Him, “15 Explain the parable to us.”
16 Yeshua said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also?
17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.
19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornicators, thefts, false witness, slanders.
(The Mark 7:21–23 passage adds “deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.”
** Note: wickedness scripturally defined, is breaking Yahweh’s instructions, and false witness will include testifying against His Word/instructions.)
20 “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands (breaking a man-made law/rule/instruction) does not defile the man.”
Those
verses are basically the key that unlocks the understanding of how a
“new covenant” man can be defiled. As we read in verse 18, it’s all about the heart (soul).
In the Bible, we see several passages saying a commandment is given as a test to see if His child will be obedient.
We find in 2 Corinthians 2:9, Paul doing this.
He says, “For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the TEST, -------and; whether you are obedient in all things.”
Really, there’s A LOT of supporting text, but rather than bog this down with a lot
of words…I offer the following note.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/don-barber/the-test-and-pondering-
1-peter-1/1117832734893780
Please study this out and by the end of this note, I pray you will understand
how the result of these tests go hand-in-hand with this study.
You see, the action taken after knowing a command will reveal the true identity of the heart.
Still, why were these four categories mentioned in Acts 15:20?
Because Matthew 18:18 and Hebrews 9:27.
They read, “whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven”, and “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”.
That is, if (for whatever reason)
a believer disregards one of Yahweh’s commands, upon death it is a done
deal. Your time of repentance will have passed and you are who you are
at that point.
So as we continue, we refresh our memory of the four things in Acts 15:20.
They are: abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
From reading the older books, we learn all of those have to do with
defilement. These are things the new believer should have a working
knowledge of in order to proceed in
“the race”.
The
sad part is, due to the cleverness of the enemy; these realities are
overlooked and not considered. I ask, of all the Christians you
know…have you ever seen any indication of folks being proactive in these
areas?
As for me, I’m a looooong-time believer - and through all my churched years, I was never taught anything along these lines.
In fact, only recently has my focus changed accordingly. And doing so (putting understanding in action/practicing my faith) has resulted in the knowledge of more areas of concern (stumbling block/hurdles to leap over) in my “race”.
The reality is, increasing knowledge of the Truth is only given to those running “the race”.
Those
practicing stagnant sanctification are not given revelation of His
Word, the map needed to get them to the finish line of the race.
We’ll now look at 2 Corinthians 7:1, but in order to gain the ever-important context, we’ll start a few clicks back.
2
Corinthians 6:14-7:1
14
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have
righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with
darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
Did you catch the definition of an “unbeliever”?
Maybe read that a few times over until you get it.
Listen up, this is important.
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For
we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN
THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY
PEOPLE.
17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST
AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; and I
will welcome you.
Wait. Full stop! If you’re a Christian…let me ask you.
Do you have a working knowledge of clean/unclean as defined in Scripture?
Furthermore…have you put this working knowledge into practice?
And what about separation from Belial (or any other) false god worship?
Are you proactive in distancing yourself from holiday/traditions having pagan false god origins?
You should, and we are about to find out why.
This passage is telling us three things are contingent on this. We just read one of them, “I will welcome you”. And as we continue, we will read two more promises offered to those who practice accordingly.
18 “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty.
Chapter
7:
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
OK, please catch what is going on here.
This is Paul addressing the new covenant follower of Yeshua telling them Yahweh will not welcome them if they are unclean/defiled.
Indeed, what agreement has the temple of God with these things?
Titus 1:15-16
15 To the pure (set-apart in heart and conscience), all things are pure (that is, the set-apart pure-people understand Yahweh created all things pure and with purpose. For instance, some animals have been set apart for human consumption and some have not. Nevertheless, ALL animals are pure.); but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure (having no consideration of what YHWH deemed set-apart), but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God (Titus 1:16, 1 John 2:3–4, Proverbs 28:9), but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable (Revelation 21:8) and disobedient (Titus 3:3) and worthless (2 Timothy 3:8) for any good deed (2 Timothy 3:17; Titus 3:1).
*** {Here is the key or complete purpose of the Gospel of Christ}
This is the second passage we’ve read using the phrase believing or unbelieving.
It might surprise you to learn the biblical definition here is not - a person
that has either accepted the Messiah or not.
It is referring to the one who either accepts or rejects Yahweh’s instruction.
Need to know more? Check out
this note… https://www.facebook.com/notes/don-barber/deeds/1287716734572045
Hebrews 12:15
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”
OH!
That’s an interesting info-nugget. Defilement will cause folks to fall
short of Yahweh’s grace. Maybe let that sink in before we continue.
2 Peter 2:20
“For
if, after they have escaped the defilement's of the world by the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Yeshua HaMashiach, they are again
entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for
them than the first.”
Consider.
Understanding the life-changing, house/temple-cleansing work the
Set-apart Spirit has done, and knowing the blood of our Messiah has
cleansed the in covenant believer enabling and providing a way to escape
all defilement's – those who continue or return to them are in worse
off than the ungodly. It grieves me to know these things.
Jude 8
“Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.”
I’ve written about “these men” in this note…
https://www.facebook.com/notes/don-barber/judein-light-of-1-
corinthians-1-3/1225100447500341
Revelation 14:4 “These
are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept
themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He
goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God
and to the Lamb.
(“purchased from among men” - 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18; 2
Peter 2:1; Revelation 5:9)
“have not defiled themselves with women”
– It helps to know fornication is a biblical metaphor used often to
refer to idolatry as we see in Ezekiel 16, 23 and Hosea 1–5.
This thought-line is secured via the study of Revelation as we see in verse 8, as well as at 17:2, 4; 18:3, 9; 19:2.
These things remind me of another passage, that is Revelation 18:4-5.
We read, “Come
out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and
receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities”.
We can gather further context when we look at the other passages this “come out of her, my people”, so let’s take a quick peek.
Isaiah 52:11
“Depart,
depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst
of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the LORD.”
Jeremiah 51:6
“Flee
from the midst of Babylon, and each of you save his life! Do not be
destroyed in her punishment, for this is the LORD'S time of vengeance;
He is going to render recompense to her.”
We
read, and I emphasized how the cleansed in-covenant believer having
escaped all defilement's yet continue or return are in worse off than
the ungodly. Now we see in the continuing account in
Jeremiah the very same thing, healing/restoration void of the continuing thereof…the call to separate…and the coming judgement.
Jeremiah 51:9
“We
applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let
us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven
and towers up to the very skies.”
This leads us back to 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST
(the
unbeliever’s midst. Folks scripturally defined as those practicing
unrighteousness and lawlessness. They are in the dark and both knowingly
and unknowingly worship Belial as told in
2 Corinthians 6:14-15.) AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; and I will welcome you.”
Please oh please don’t overlook this.
The command is not to be in fellowship (part of a congregation) with those engaging in things that defile. AND, if you stay away from unclean things Yahweh will “welcome you”.
With that in mind, you really need to read and understand that the last
two chapters of the Bible tell you where saved believers will live.
Those defiled (at the time of their death) will live outside the gates of the holy city and those “welcomed” will live inside the gates with the King as we find in Revelation 21.
Revelation
21:27
“…nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it (the holy city), but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
I want to be very clear about this. Revelation 21 and; 22 are of the time AFTER Judgement Day.
It speaks of the in-covenant saved (from the Lake of Fire) folks that enter the Kingdom through the wide gate or the narrow gate.
What I have just pointed out in scripture are folks who (for various reasons) were not proactive in becoming set-apart. They did not “become holy as He is holy”.
They
built their body in to a temple unsuitable for Holiness to dwell. These
folks will only see the King on Judgment Day and never again because the defiled cannot enter the holy city.
I
tell you the truth, the reality of what I just presented should cause
you to stop right here and now... and evaluate what will happen to you.
This
reality caused me to mourn for those that that don’t know this and will
die thinking they’re OK… only to awake having knowledge and with fear
and trembling beg, “Lord Lord, didn’t I…”.
Please father Yahweh, send enlightenment.
Before I close, we should consider how this happens.
A quick look at confessing with the mouth.
Romans 10:9 “...because, if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Deuteronomy 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sined: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
Matthew 18:16 “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”
2 Corinthians 13:1 “This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
Romans 3:19 “Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be-come guilty before God.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Yeshua HaMashiach has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess
Yeshua is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which
you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
Malachi 2:6 “The true Torah was in his mouth, and no dishonesty was found on his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness and turned many away from sin.”
Romans 10:9-10 “…that if you confess with your mouth
Yeshua as Lord, --- AND --- believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Check this out.
Having received the Knowledge of the Truth, the new believer starts his life with the Messiah.
That is, his mouth testifies of a Holy Spirit-given-understanding-of-the-Word event happened.
Yes, it is what you confess, or what ------ and; proceeds out of your mouth that is the telltale sign of what has happened in the heart {Amen!}
.
But as we read in Corinthians, false teachers are in the congregation.
Very
convincing teachers that will lead His children astray. In an effort to
assure we are on the right course, we should be like the Bereans and
double check the words confessed from the pulpit.
We see this warning in Matthew as well, we read…
Matthew 15:8–9 “
…this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. ‘but in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines ------ and; (confessing) the precepts of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:11 “Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Please understand what is going on here!
In this instance, we see the confession of the mouth being a testimonial plea of one embracing the doctrine/precepts of man. And this can happen anywhere and from anyone. From
the pulpit, in the Sunday-school class, the acceptance of church
membership, a seasonal greeting, or even a quick “I don’t believe that, I
believe this” or “that was for them, not for us” or “that’s not what it
means to me”... and it doesn’t matter whether done in ignorance or even
a thought-out well-studied good-intentioned effort.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who
is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been bought with a price: therefore -----and; glorify God… in your body.”
“Out of the mouth”, that’s the real deal telltale sign of the heart. And IF you have a changed heart…you will confess His Word - all of it.
You see, your tongue provides the evidence by which you will be charged.
Indeed, your words will witness for…. or against you. Choose this day whom you will serve.
~Don
Oh
Father, in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, please break through the
lethargic barrier and speak to Your children the Truth in Your Word.
Amen.
Really, all my notes apply, for this area of study is my “go to” area of interest..
but this one will get you thinking more along the lines of what will happen in the
end. https://www.facebook.com/notes/don-......
and here is a link to my other notes.https://www.facebook.com/don.barber...
I also want to recommend a note from a dear friend of mine. In so, more detail is
given in areas that should be on the believers radar.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kell...
...isn't it ironic how folks use Mark 7:19 to prove the ability to eat outside
of Yahweh's menu... yet the passage is all about teaching us about defilement?
Here's my note on that passage.https://www.facebook.com/notes/don-
