Sin and Degradation

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

I have been very interested lately in the degradation of our bodies, minds and hearts caused by the fall of man after the original sin. Seems we went from immortal beings to experience mortality, from clear understanding to cloudy thoughts, and from praising and communing with God to being filled by evil, all in a single misstep in the Garden of Eden. Will humanity reach a point where we can degrade no more? Is this to be the time of the Lord's return, when our bodies can no longer be defiled any further by the sins of this world? Satan could not be more pleased that God has turned the world over to his rule for a while. (John 12:21) It makes it much easier for him to infiltrate our hearts and minds. We become much more susceptible to false prophecy through the ideas of "wisdom, knowledge, and science."

Just as buildings and cars begin to decay and fall apart through neglect, so do our bodies. Sin has degraded us to early death. The mutation of genes that spread and cause our demise also affect our offspring and beyond. Our souls long to be repaired and maintained through worship and spiritual cleansing. If we do not cleanse our hearts and minds through prayer, repentance, and the study of God's Word, they will grow dark and mired with sin. Like arteries clogged by years of poor diet, soon the precious blood of Jesus no longer flows in our hearts. Instead of igniting the Holy Spirit to burn off the impurities of our life, we quench it. Jesus said "I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." (Mark 3:28-29) We fill our hearts and minds with creations of man and sinfulness of this world.

Humanity is degrading. Everywhere is sickness, cancer, high cholesterol, mental illness, obesity, heart disease, and more maladies that I care to list. Never before has so much infirmity spread through the human race and touched so many lives. We are creating new and powerful strains of mutated illness that strike the world as a plague in a matter of days instilling fear in the hearts of young and old. We feed our bodies with highly processed foods that have no nutritional value. And we feed our minds with worthless information that has no spiritual value. We must feed ourselves with the Bread of Life. (John 6:35) These earthly vessels are sure to pass away, somehow and some day. But our spirits shall remain forever in Christ our Lord and we will receive new bodies that are no longer plagued with sickness or infirmity. (2 Corinthians 5) But while we are here on this fallen earth, we must make Jesus the Lord of our life and remember that our body is a tabernacle of the Holy God. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

We would never invite company into a dirty house filled with filth and rotten infrastructure. So we should keep in mind that our bodies are home to the Holy Spirit. He fills our minds and our hearts. He cannot exist in darkness and filth, so we must be ever mindful of what we bring into our holy home for God. I have neglected my holy vessel before, but now I understand the old saying "cleanliness is next to Godliness." Having a clean mind and heart for God is like cleaning your home when company is coming. Don't just hide the clutter by stuffing it in a closet, move it out to the curb so that you can breathe easier knowing you have room for the gifts that your Holy Visitor will bring: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)