Let no corrupt word
proceed out of your
mouth, but what is
good for necessary edification,
that it may impart
grace to the hearers. And do not
grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of
redemption.
Ephesians 4:29–30
When it is
said to not allow any word to proceed out of your mouth, it is first speaking
of that which in Greek, “στόματος,” (Strong’s
Concordance #4750, 2991, p. 1381), or that which comes out of mouth, or
by
implication a language that is coming forth and it is not to be corrupt, “σαπρὸς,”
which is much different from the word for evil or bad. This word, “σαπρὸς,” has
to do with putrid as with a decaying vegetables, and it expresses that which is
of poor quality, unfit for use; (Strong’s Concordance #4550, 2001, p. 1359).
Yes, what may be said is evil, and bad, but more than that it is a word unfit
in any case and must be avoided. Am I speaking of some jokes or funny things?
NO! But we do must be careful in their use, timing, etc. for they can be
corrupt used in the wrong way. Remember we are Christians and we are not of
this world, therefore we must not allow the culture of this world to be our
culture. They may use words that are unfit and think nothing of it; but we are
not to do so. We are to be: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children”
(Ephesians 5:1). After enumeration those things that we are to avoid and
not participate in; i.e., lying, stealing, fornication, uncleanness or
covetousness, nor coarse jesting, or foolish talking, we are to: “Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God
comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6). Deception can be from
the outside in, and it can come from the inside out, that is, from those who
are calling themselves “Christian,” or who may have good intentions only to be
led away and become deceived, either from the teachings of others, or by
allowing false seeds to grow within a person as they attempt to prove their
presuppositions, or that which the postulate as Scriptural. An example is
Pelagius (fl. c. 390-418), who was an ascetic who opposed
the idea of predestination and asserted a strong version of the doctrine of
free will. It was not due to his belief in God, it was his desire to prove that
man by himself could become good enough to be saved, that is, from within man
himself. God was not the One who saved according to predestination, it was man
who decides to be saved or not and if he decides to be saved, then and only
then does God save a person. Pelagius denied the doctrine of original sin, and
his doctrine became and known as “free will.” Many Christians today many people
believe as Pelagianism, or as Jacobus Arminius (1560 A.D. – 1609 A.D.),
proposed and purported inasmuch the same doctrine as Pelagius, now known as
Arminianism which teaches the same doctrine as Pelagius; free will of man and
that man can by his own free will choose to believe in God and be saved.
Pelagius was opposed by Augustine (354 A.D. – 430 A.D.), who taught that man
had within himself original sin and due to that sin would not be able to save
himself unless God intervened which according to Augustine God did before the
creation of the world; predestined some to salvation and others to damnation.
Many opposed that thinking. Pelagius declared a heretic by the Council of
Carthage, (397 A.D). Later Jacobus Arminius was condemned by the Synod of Dort (1618
A.D.–1619 A.D), convened and condemned Arminius' theology, declared it and its
adherent’s anathema.
Why take
the time to reiterate history? It is because the doctrines of Christianity met
with much opposition at times, and even making cause for divisions, and yet
there were studied and Scripture was used, at least by many, to come to a
conclusion as to what the Bible spoke in regards to any doctrine. This meant,
at times putting away personal presuppositions, and allow the Bible to make
cause for any presupposition. We are either a believer in one doctrine or the
other and we must know, as any sane and honest person would want to know; is
the doctrine I adhere to really Scriptural? The Holy Spirit is one such article
of the Christian faith that has and is under scrutiny so that the truth in
regards to the Holy Spirit: is He God, a god, or just a power, or source of
power? The Holy Spirit is, or should be, the object of our faith. When we are
baptized is thing not the faith that we profess as we are baptized in the name
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We stand, therefore, in relation
to the Holy Spirit and can only sustain that the Holy Spirit is a person, the
third Person of the Trinity. It is this connection or association of the Spirit
with the Father, and the Son, that shows us that if one is a person, if two are
considered persons, then when all three are associated for the same purpose as
in baptism then it is only appropriate to declare that the Holy Spirit too, is
a person. The Greek words: “εἰς τὸ ὄνομα” “into the
name,” and this is applied to each name named then the only conclusion is that
all are the same, a person. By our baptism, we profess acknowledgement to the
fact that the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are bound to us equally. We
profess to be their disciples, the disciples of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit, not making them three different person, rather that they are all
God, the Godhead, equal in essence, in purpose, and we stand as saved eternally
due to our relationship with the Trinity.
When the truth is set forth from
Scripture then we are bound to apply that truth in our lives. The truth sets us
free. We are free to become the image of the Son, our Bridegroom. The question
for each of us: Will we?
Finally,
my brethren, rejoice
In the Lord. For me to
Write
the same things to you
Is not tedious but for
You
it is safe.
Philippians
3:1
Pray
and thank God for the Holy Spirit
Richard
L. Crumb
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