In order to discuss pleasant subjects, like the removal of sin from our lives, we must also discuss
unpleasant subjects such as what
is being removed and why.Other gospels, which are not good news at all but the devil's own work, try to convince us that God loves us just the way we are, which leads to stench-permeated 'service' to God. The Bible is clear that such worship is condemned by God and that he hates it. (Isaiah 61:8, Amos 6:8, Zechariah 8:17, etc.) Those who practice evil will get their just reward whether or not they claim to love God; whether or not they appear to be Christians. (Romans 2:11-16, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Colossians 3:25, 1 Peter 1:17, etc.)
Until a person is convinced of their own stench, they are without hope. Many who suspect they stink put on religious perfumes, combined with scrubbing, sanitizers and stain removers. The Bible says their efforts are futile and incur the wrath of God. (Exodus 30:38, Jeremiah 2:22, Amos 5:21, etc.). They do not understand (nor care) that the stench comes from their unregenerate nature. Paul the apostle simply calls this condition 'the flesh'. This is no quibbling of words. It is a simple explanation of why the stench cannot be removed. It is a simple observation that the human race is indeed flesh, not spirit. The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, says Paul. The two are opposed to one another. (Romans 8:1-13, Galatians 5:16-24, etc.)
The false gospels make much of the flesh, even if they are supposedly against the flesh. The law-keepers are entirely under the flesh. These are those who are the scrubbers and the perfumers, who hope to purify themselves by outward means. But they do not understand that the flesh goes all the way to the bone, right into the marrow, and it is impossible to rid oneself of bondage to the flesh by one's own effort (even if they say they are obeying God's rules to do so).
Another false gospel, closely related to the legalism bunch, consists of platitudes and slogans that if slung around with appropriate smiley faces, allows the slinger to indulge in his stinky flesh. The Bible calls this wickedness "turning the grace of God into lasciviousness" Jude 1:4. Most of the modern church falls into this category. This explains why homosexuality is flooding into the church. These defilers of the flesh have been given over to unnatural acts because they did not worship God, but liked the creation better. All the religions centering around nature, goddess worship ('the Da Vinci code'), mother earth, holistic health, etc., etc., etc., all come from
following after the flesh.
But the smell of the unregenerate flesh goes up into the nostrils of God and he hates it. How did the flesh get into such a state? Genesis tells us how Adam and Eve disobeyed and that's what did it. The unregenerate man twists this simple doctrine to mean something else, because he loves his flesh.
The God who hates the tainted flesh also loved the world and provides a way to remove the stench. He destroyed the works of the devil, and put the flesh to death when he brought his dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. His death provides the only way for us to become clean before God. This is all covered in the New Testament. The Old Testament sacrifices and ordinances were never able to make anyone clean, but were instituted to show that the flesh cannot do the will of God.
But our flesh is not just put to death and that's it. We have a new man, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, that is able to please God. Only those who have believed in Jesus Christ as the only way of coming to God can partake of the new nature that is "Christ in us". The unregenerate try to fake this because they are jealous of the inheritance that the children of God obtain through faith. So they fake faith, love, hope, etc. This accounts for all the smiley faces. They persecute the children of God, because they know that only one of us is correct. If they can get rid of their enemy, then they must be right. This has been the story of the Church since it began.
So the righteous ones, those that have been regenerated by faith in Christ, are looking and smelling good before God. This may not appear to the wicked, who have clothed themselves with the goods of this earth to fight against faith, but the Father who sees in secret knows his own..
The smelly unregenerate man continues in his perversity and disbelief, putting on perfume and scrubbing himself with lies, heaping up to himself wrath against the day of wrath, in which he does not believe.
As for those of us who have the fragrance of Christ, let us put aside the sin that so easily besets us and run the race to win. Let us stop trusting in the flesh. Let us trust in the word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, the sword that divides between the joints and the marrow.
There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:9-16)
- Chris Simonson
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