What Comes Out

What goes up, must come down. That's one of God's Natural Laws called Gravity.

There are also biological and physiological processes that are designed by God to work on an "in and out" principle to avoid poisoning the human body.

However, when it comes to what constitutes sin and what makes a person spiritually "unclean", Jesus explains it a bit differently.

We have heard the term "garbage in, garbage out", right? Well, that certainly makes good sense. Again, pertaining to things of a spiritual nature (which can also physically effect a person in many ways), we know that if we look at pornography for instance, it will effect the way we think, how we view the opposite sex, etc. Eventually it may parlay into how we act in real life. If we read hateful and poisonous literature, it will eventually start to dictate into how we act toward some groups of people, etc. 

Jesus, during a discussion with the disciples, Jesus reveals an interesting view.

Mark 7:17 - "After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. (18) Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? (19) For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean)."

Jesus is speaking of the conformed to God, born-again mind. The carnal mind will run with whatever is poured into it, but the Holy Spirit guided mind will not. Jesus initially had said it to the crowd in Verse 15. He was repeating it again because His disciples were to dull to grasp it.

"Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "

In other words, we have power in Christ to deal with whatever gets introduced into our mind (soul), and to deal with it supernaturally so that it does not effect our actions.

Basically it is the process of temptation and sin. Temptation is not sin. It becomes sin when it is acted upon ("comes out of a person"). Sin has to be wooed and dated like a relationship.

Jesus explains a little deeper:

(20) He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' (21) For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, (22) greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (23) All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

James would write about it years later in his epistle:

James 1:13-15 (Amplified Bible)"(13) Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. (14) But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). (15) Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death."

We have some control over what we watch, what we listen to, and what we participate in, but ultimately what Jesus is saying here is that at the end of the day we have control over our actions. The evil we had been exposed to never had to be replicated in our actions. 

Jesus is clear. NOTHING that has entered into the blood-washed, born-again, Spirit-filled person EVER HAS TO manifest in evil actions! NOTHING!

No true disciple of Jesus Christ has to steal, cheat on their spouse, be greedy, speak or act lewdly, or commit any other actions that offends God.

We choose how we will act.

The simple question is before us today. What do we desire? Who and what do we love?

The answer reveals the condition of the heart. What comes out of it makes the difference.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com