“In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.”
In regard to these
The “these” is the list of six values of the fast crowd of verse 3.
they think it strange that you do not run with them
“They” here is the fast crowd of verse 3.
“Run” means to run together with. Metaphorically it means to run a course of evil with others so as to be closely associated with them in a particular type of conduct. The fast crowd gathers together to live out the same values jointly. They get confidence from closely associating with each other. They justify what they do by mob thinking. The Devil’s crowd does not tolerate anyone out of harmony with it’s values.
The cults of Artemis and Demeter centred in Ephesus and the cults of Dionysius and Cybele in Phrygia and Pergamum are illustrations of these kinds of mobs.
The fast crowd depends on group influence so they want us to run “with” them. They maintain their course of evil by peer pressure. If you are going to be “with it,” you must accept their extreme values.
It is surprising (“strange”) to the fast crowd that the Christian broke away from them. They cannot imagine any value system other than their own. The fact that the Christian chooses values polar opposite to theirs’ blows apart their assumptions about life. The mob is so closed in its view of life that when one of their crowd makes a decision like this, it is astonished. It seems so strange that a person would make this decision. It is a cause for wonder. They think you are crazy for leaving this party life. They wonder at this as something unusual. The Christian’s testimony gets their attention.
Principle:
God wants the Christian to run the race of life independent from crowd psychology.
Application:
The mature Christian is free from mob thinking. Many people feel security in being herd-bound. Those who find their security in the mob will malign the person who stands independent from the mob. They deem independence to be an assault on mob values.
We are no longer the puppets of men when we stand independent from the crowd. We no longer please men as our central value. When we live for and suffer for the Lord, we free ourselves from that kind of slavery.
If we live for the Lord, who ultimately will judge us, we free ourselves from living for men. When mob pressure comes we can break away.
What gives a person this independence? Maturity comes from applying principle to experience. As we learn enough of the Word we become more independent from other influences in our lives.
Wow sounds like a true Jew… One brother told me that we should learn how to think like a Calvanist and live like a Puritan.
I appreciate your insight as it encourages me in my walk of recovery from my back slidding. I am in a recovery house and its difficult to be among the other clients but not to be with them as I am reminded that they are in darkness and I am in the kingdom of light. Please keep me in your prayers as I want to be separated, and as you have mentioned there will be persecution. The Puritans that I have read have been greatly persecuted by those who were in the camp of Satan… Praise God for the sound teaching that we are able to learn and to apply
In
His
Slavery Saint Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne, thanks for these comments. Your statements are at the heart of why this site exists.