Monthly Archive for January, 2011

³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

inventors of evil things,

These people have an ingenuity in inventing wrong. They go beyond the normal trails of evil. They want to launch out toward new evils because old evils became boring.

PRINCIPLE: Some people become bored with old sin so they seek new thrills in sinning.

APPLICATION: Ultimate creativity belongs to God alone. Inventors of evil things seek to usurp God’s creativity, but they do it with the purpose of inventing new forms of evil. The old evil becomes boring. They are discontent with the old ways of sinning. Sin grows old. These men grow tired of illicit sex with women, so they try homosexuality.

³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

proud,

The Greek for “proud” is to appear above others. The “proud” are arrogant people. They have a sense of self-sufficiency and lift themselves over others. Scripture uses this word in three passages:

Ja 4: ⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

1 Pe 5: ⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Pr 3: ³⁴ Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.

PRINCIPLE: Some people have the sin of being “stuck up.”

APPLICATION: Many people have a sense of personal superiority over others. It is a belligerent attitude. This person regards himself superior to others. This is the opposite attitude to humility.

³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

haters of God,

God-haters are people hateful to God. The Greek word appears only here in the New Testament.

PRINCIPLE: Men hate God because they know they violate ultimate authority.

APPLICATION: Most people today do not hate God but rather tolerate Him. However, negative orientation to God comes from a corrupt mind.

Ro 8: ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

they are whisperers,

“Whisperers” are gossips. These are people who love to slander both in a secret sense and in an open sense. These people collect lies and distortions about others. Their primary method is to secretly slander others.

PRINCIPLE: Slanderous gossip hurts others; it is the revenge of the coward.

APPLICATION: Some people vilify others. They love to hurt the reputation of others. There are many warnings in the Word of God about this. Talebearers and rumormongers spread their mean ideas without regard for others.

People can defend themselves against open slander, but secret whispering is much more difficult to defend.

As the proverb goes, he who blackens others does not whiten himself.

²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

deceit,

The word “deceit” was used for bait for fish; thus, it carries the idea of deceiving the fish with a lure. Desire in this context is to bait or deceive people. There is little that is straightforward about deceitful people.

The Greek word was used for watering down wine and corrupting precious metals such as gold.

PRINCIPLE: Deceit is the cunning or treacherous aspect of man.

APPLICATION: Fallen man loves to use words as treachery whereby they snare the unsuspecting. This is done for personal gain. They cunningly deal with others. This is the opposite of Nathaniel, in whom was no guile. A deceitful person cannot act straightforwardly but is devious and underhanded. He operates with intrigue and ulterior motive.

Jn 1: ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

There are always people who will stoop to any means to reach their ends. They will use underhanded and devious methods to get their own way. These people are double-dealers. “O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

1 Pe 2: ²² “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;