The Lord tells us that we are to keep ourselves holy, because He is. And that He has set us apart from all other people on earth to be His “own.” In his first letter to the Corinthian Christians of the reasons for their being separate from all other people groups, in particular concerning sexual immorality which, as we have seen, is what the Lord also emphasized in Leviticus, Paul said;
“Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
(1 Corinthians 6:16-20/NIV)
Paul’s emphasis is that our body is a temple, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, that has been bought at a price, the blood of Jesus Christ, and should therefore be kept pure. Earlier in this same letter, he spoke of our being God’s temple, a dwelling that can be defiled, and destroyed;
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles [5351- “to corrupt, to destroy; to spoil by any process”] the temple of God, God will destroy [5351] him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17/NKJV)
First of all, notice that the same Greek word is interpreted in this passage as “defiles” and “destroy.” This is because the two are intertwined. Some might say, “See, he said the temple of our body is holy, which means we are holy, forever, no matter what we do (i.e. “once saved always saved”).” But, as we have clearly seen, this dwelling of God can become defiled, made impure, or unclean through our continued practicing of sin (i.e. “detestable customs”) without repentance, causing us to be vomited out from His presence, cut off from His people (Leviticus 18:29).
In his letter to the Romans, Paul gives Christians a serious warning regarding why we should “present [3936- “to stand by or near, to be at hand, to show”] your bodies [i.e. the temple]a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable [2101- “well pleasing, fully agreeable”] to God.” (Romans 12:1/NKJV) The sacrificial offering of our bodies in holiness, is the only way for us to be accepted, or to be “well pleasing” in His sight (see the Bible study Well Pleased).
Right before this exhortation, in chapter eleven, he warned that, like Israel, a Christian can be cut off from the Lord by not continuing in His “kindness,” which is by definition His “moral excellence (in character or demeanor), uprightness, integrity.” He said;
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”
(Romans 11:17-22/NASU)
Could it be any clearer that the so-called teaching of “eternal security” is actually a deception meant to cause “eternal insecurity” among Christians through apathy toward keeping God’s temple within us pure and undefiled? It’s amazing to me how much this doctrine that I grew up with has infiltrated my spirit. To be honest, at times I find myself walking in an unguarded manner, with little concern for keeping myself pure. I then have to repent, crying out to the Lord for His forgiveness, acknowledging my dependence upon Him for strength to walk in a manner worthy of Him. This stronghold must be brought down.
Other [5351] verses; defiled = corrupt = destruction
1 Corinthians 15:31 – See the note below.
33 Do not be deceived [4105- “to go astray, to wander, to lead into error”]: "Bad [2556- “bad in character, base, wrong, wicked”] company [3657- “companionship, contact, communion”] corrupts [5351] good [5543- “good, pleasant, virtuous, useful”] morals [2239- “a custom, manner, ethical conduct, morals, a customary abode, a dwelling place”]."
NASU
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
NIV
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
NKJV
Paul declares that companionship with that which is wrong corrupts/defiles good customs/manners, causing you to lead into error if not separating oneself from. This is true not only in the world, but even more so in the church. This is why it is so important to not walk in agreement, or fellowship as one with those who are walking in “broad-way” Christianity “that leads to destruction” (see Matthew 7:13-14, and the Bible study Narrow Way And Broad Way). Notice that the Greek interpreted in the different versions as “morals,” “character,” and “habits” is also defined as “a customary abode, a dwelling place.” So it also speaks of a dwelling place becoming defiled.
2 Corinthians 11:1-4 – Paul refers to being “led astray” (i.e. defiled, corrupted”) by walking in agreement with those who preach another gospel. We defile God’s temple, no longer being a “pure virgin,” but instead a foolish virgin, when we are led astray by the devil’s craftiness into believing “another gospel” another word deceptively called truth. This is why the church in America is now defiled/corrupted. Many have bought the lie of the devil as the Lord’s truth.
I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me.
2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived [1818- “to deceive/seduce wholly”] Eve by his craftiness [3834- “cunning, false wisdom”], your minds will be led astray [5351] from the simplicity [572- “singleness, sincerity, mental honesty”] and purity of devotion to Christ.
4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.
NASU
Ephesian 4:17-24 – Paul again refers to the mind of a Christian, saying that we should no longer walk as the Gentiles (i.e. unbelievers) do, “in the futility [“vanity, what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravation”] of their mind.” This means that a Christian can walk in a manner that will cause us to become “darkened” in our understanding, excluded from the life of God with a hard heart. If we continue in sin, giving ourselves over to sensuality “for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness,” it causes us to become calloused, insensitive to the voice of God in the way we should walk.
Remember, the Lord declared that because of God’s people practicing the detestable customs/manners of those whom He drove out, His own would be expelled. Our fleshly natures need these warnings. It is the fear of the Lord through these truths that are there to keep us from sinning, to help restrain us from indulging in that which could vomit us our from the body of Christ (see Revelation 3:14-16 below).
17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility [3153- “vanity, what is devoid of truth and appropriateness, perverseness, depravation”] of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded [526- “to be non-participant, alienated”] from the life of God because of the ignorance [52- “want of knowledge or perception, of moral blindness”] that is in them, because of the hardness [4457- “callousness, stupidity, dulled perception, of stubbornness”] of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous [524- “to cease to feel pain or grief, to become callous, apathetic”], have given themselves over to sensuality [766- “unbridled lust, excess, shamelessness, absence of restraint”] for the practice [2039- “work, working, performance”] of every kind of impurity [167- “uncleanness”; see 1 Thessalonians 4:7] with greediness [4124- “covetousness, a desire to have more”].
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus [i.e. the true gospel message],
22 that, in reference to your former manner [391- “walk; i.e. manner of life, behavior, conduct”] of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted [5351] in accordance with the lusts 1939- “desire, craving, longing, strong desire”] of deceit [539- “delusion, deceit, the lusts excited by deceit”],
23 and that you be renewed [365- “to renew, make young”] in the spirit of your mind, [not the mind itself but the spirit of the mind]
24 and put on [1746- “to enter into, get into, be clothed with; used metaphorically of power”] the new [2537- “of a new kind; new as to form or quality”] self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
NASU
2 Peter 2:12-15 – Peter’s passage in chapter two is a direct parallel with the book of Jude. It describes those in the body of Christ who have gone astray from Christ, “forsaking the right way” for “the wages of unrighteousness.” They are the “stains and blemishes” in the body of Christ that will suddenly be removed from our midst in the swiftly moving, violent rushing stream of the Lord’s judgment (see the Bible study The Church Without Stain). Their removal will allow the faithful ones to shine brightly with His glory. Until then, we must reach out to those who are being led astray by the lies of those who have been given over to their sin; “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11/NIV)
12 But these, like unreasoning [249- “irrational, unreasonable, destitute of reason”] animals [NIV/KJV; “brute beasts”], born as creatures of instinct [5446- “governed by mere natural instincts”] to be captured and killed [5356- “decay, ruin, the destruction that comes with corruption”], reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction [5356] of those creatures also be destroyed [5351],
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong [see v.15, Romans 6:23. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime [like the Israelites with the Moabite women at Shittim]. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,
14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing [1185- “to lure by a bait, allure, entice, deceive”] unstable [793- “unfixed, unsteadfast; fig. vacillating”] souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;
15 forsaking the right [2117- “straight, level, upright, true”] way, they have gone astray [4105- “to wander, to roam about, to be led away into error or sin”], having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
NASU
Revelation 19:1-2 – John speaks of the judgment of God on Babylon, “the great harlot who was corrupting [5351] the earth with her immorality.” The Greek for “immorality” is porneia (por-ni'-ah).
Metaphorically speaking, it refers to “the association of pagan idolatry with doctrines of, and professed adherence to, the Christian faith (Rev. 14:8; 17:2,4; 18:3; 19:2).” (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words) This is exactly what God warned us through His law in Leviticus to be careful not to practice lest we (and the land) become defiled, causing us to be vomited out of His body. The false teachers and preachers in the body of Christ that have caused many to fall away through deceptive words will soon be removed in a sudden act of God.
1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
2 BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting [5351] the earth with her immorality [4202- “illicit sexual intercourse”], and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER."
NASU
(The following insight is from the article Exiles in Babylon.)
Daniel 1:8 – When Israel had been taken captive by their enemy, Babylon (remember the connection with the great harlot in Revelation 18), and were in the process of being “re-educated” by them, Daniel refused to defile himself with their choice food directly from the king’s table. Neither should we defile ourselves with the kings food (i.e. teachings) of the Babylonian, religious harlot system. Beware of their deceptive words.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile [1351] himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile [1351] himself this way.
NIV
Daniel was written during a time of exile when, as prophesied, Israel had been conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He took some of the Israelites with him back to his country, forcing them to serve him and his kingdom. A young man named Daniel was one of them.
In Hebrew, Babylon is defined as “confusion,” or “confusion by mixing.” She represents all origins of false religion. When her half-truth teachings are accepted as full truth, confusion and delusion are the inevitable result. The proof of this is the numerous denominations within Christianity with their countless interpretations of the same Bible. Instead of God being glorified in their midst, her satanic deceptions lead to division and self-glorification among those who walk in agreement with her adulterous ways.
In Daniel, chapter one, verse two, we see the Lord giving Israel into King Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. Because of sin and rebellion against His leading, Israel, as had been prophesied by Jeremiah, was overcome and taken captive by her enemy. Because of their rejection of Him as their King, the Lord sent someone who would rule over them with an iron fist.
For those with ears to hear, the church in America has suffered the same fate. The deceitfulness of sin and rebellion has hardened many hearts and she has now been given over to her stiff-necked desires. Without repentance, she will die in her place of exile. Fortunately, the Lord has His modern-day Daniels in their midst that will soon, at the appointed time, be brought into prominence through divinely orchestrated events. While in religious Babylon, they will not compromise their commitment to the Lord nor bow the knee to her blasphemous images she has established within her midst…
Interestingly, we are told that, like Jesus with His disciples, Babylon’s king commanded that the Hebrew young men be trained for a period of three years. The Bible says;
“The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king's personal service.” (Daniel 1:5/NAS)
They could not enter the king’s service until finishing a three-year period of training that involved daily food and wine straight from his table. In truth, all disciples chosen by the Lord must also spend a similar time eating and drinking that which comes directly from our King’s table (see the Bible study The Daily Portion). It is our education period known as discipleship which prepares us for the time when we will be called to serve before the King of kings. (See chapter two, Early Interaction, in my book Walking In The Light for more biblical insights on the significance of discipleship in the first three years of every believer.)
Today’s “kings” in Babylon have also mandated the training period to be three-plus years in their Divinity schools and seminaries through which they will earn a degree that qualifies them to be their leaders. In this manner, and of like kind, they become the official task-Masters of Divinity in the houses of religious bondage.
Like King Nebuchadnezzar, they also feed their servant leaders from their tables a daily ration of their mind-altering food and drink. These modern day kings train their disciples to serve them and their kingdoms (i.e. denominations), requiring them to be trained under their confusing mix of truth and lies to ensure the continuation of their rule over those held captive under their spell. They will soon be removed by God from leading His sheep astray. In the difficult times that are quickly coming upon earth, all self-serving, hireling hearts will be exposed and judged.
The Lukewarm Will Be Vomited Out Of Christ
Revelation 3:14-16 – See the note below.
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 'I know your deeds [i.e. works], that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit [1692- “to vomit, vomit forth, throw up”] you out of [1537- “from out of, out from, forth from, from”] My mouth.
NASU
Jesus’ message to the lukewarm Laodicean church was that He would spit them out from His mouth. Other versions say “vomit” them out. To be spit out or be vomited out is to be separated from the body. Vomiting is the body’s way of ridding itself of harmful substances from the stomach, or it may be a reaction to something that has irritated the gut. According to an article titled “Throw Up Science,” by Mike Szydlowski in the Columbia Daily Tribune;
“After receiving the vomiting signal [from your brain], your stomach muscles contract all at once, which squeezes everything while increasing the pressure. Then all at once the ‘cover’ on your stomach relaxes and the contents of your stomach erupt out. As horrible as it is, your body does help make things just a little better… the vomiting process releases chemicals in your body to make you feel better. So that “I feel better” feeling after throwing up is not just your imagination – it’s your biology working.”
The signal to vomit comes from the brain, or the head. In the case of the Laodicean Christians, the metaphor of being spit, or vomited out of Christ, who is the Head of His body, is a reaction to the irritation of those of His own within Him who walk in apathy. It caused their “cover,” so to speak, to be removed, resulting in their being “thrown up,” and out.
According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the Greek interpreted in English as “out of” “denotes exit or emission out of, as separation from, something with which there has been close connection.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance states that it’s “a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause).” I don’t think it could be any clearer what Jesus is saying here. To be out from Him is to no longer be found in Him.
America’s Defiled Land
As with Israel’s migration into Canaan, the Promised Land, the Lord brought His chosen servants into the wilderness of America, also dealing harshly with the previous indigenous tenants. The way our government, and at times the church dealt with them wasn’t right, but the Lord desired to rid the land of pagan practices and usher in His ways for His purposes. Unfortunately, we, again like the Israelites, have forgotten the One who gave us this land by His strength, not ours. We too, the church, have been involved with practices that we, His people, were told to not participate in, thereby defiling ourselves and the land.
In the Revolutionary War we defeated England, the world’s super power at that time through many Divine interventions, for our independence. Through many atrocities against the Lord, we now stand as the Israelites did in the Promised Land, without His favor. God’s people in this land that was given to us by Him have been practicing wickedness and idolatry, customs and manners of the world, without repentance, causing our land to moan under the heaviness of the sin on it. Will it reel in “natural” convulsions, “vomiting out” many from it? I believe it will.
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