“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls”
all filthiness
Christians are in a titanic struggle against sin. Satan pulls us in one direction, and the Word of God pulls us in another direction. The filth of this world still lures the Christian away from God. She needs to do something about the “filthiness” of her life – Lay it aside.
Notice that little three-letter word “all.” The smallness of that word does not detract from the immensity of its implication. No matter how little we might deem a sin, God considers all sin as a violation of His character.
Principle:
Any sin can break our fellowship with God.
Application:
Anything that separates our soul from the Savior will disrupt our walk with God. Walking with the world and walking with God are incompatible. They cannot coexist. That is why a Christian must deal with all his sin if he wants to walk with God.
A Christian cannot minimize sin and get away with it. An Absolute Being cannot compromise Himself. A holy God cannot bargain with us about sin.
Our hearts are a filthy place because of our Adamic nature.
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:21-23).
Yet, on the other hand, the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian and gives him a new capacity to relate to God. We have a clear capacity to counteract sin.
