WARNING! WARNING, WILL ROBINSON (or whoever reads this post).
THIS IS REALLY GROSS.
I am about to say some disgusting things, and those of you who are weak of stomach may not want to read this. My intent is not to offend or shock, but to make a point. Even then, my analogy does not begin to tell the tale.
There are Misophobes who live among us. There may be one in your family or household. In fact, you could be one.
A PERSON WITH THE FEAR OF DIRT OR GERMS, sometimes referred to as "germaphobes."
Of course, most people do not like germs or dirt, and they take steps to avoid contamination. However, Misophobes are fanatical, unreasonable in their fear of dirt and germs.
Now, for this little article, imagine such a person is the main character in the following scenarios. We will call her Missy (we could have called him, "Mistuh").
MISSY IS REALLY MESSY
While Missy is walking to the corner cafe for lunch, she steps on a piece of discarded chewing gum, covered in chewing tobacco juices. Missy sits down on a park bench and carefully scrapes the filth off of her shoe, slides it into her mouth, and begins to chew as she resumes her walk.
A few minutes later she arrives at the cafe and finds a table that has not had the dirty dishes, from the previous patron, removed. She carefully sits down, keeping her sleeves from brushing across the spilled coffee. Missy notices that there is a little bit of spaghetti thrown in with the leftover salad. Missy moves the salad and spaghetti away from the cigarette butt and ashes that were dumped into the bowl, and eats them quickly before the busboy removes the filthy tableware.
While she is waiting to be served, one of the servers stands over her and explodes with a very wet and messy sneeze. Missy takes the napkin, which she found crumpled on the table, and wipes the debris from her jacket, then wipes her mouth to remove the remains of the salad and spaghetti, before gulping down the glass of milk, and backwash, that was sitting there.
OKAY, I could go on, and make it really sickening, but I think you get the picture.
BUT WHAT IS THE POINT?
If you knew Missy you would be shocked to find out that she is a Misophobe. It does not make any sense that Missy is a clean fanatic, while wallowing in the filth of society. It is a total contradiction.
BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WITH PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS.
They verbally denounce sin and sing the praises of righteousness. They judge others for minor infractions of personal behavior, which does not match their own strict code of conduct. Yet Missy is constantly picking up phrases, attitudes, world views, relationships, habits that are from the world, from a fallen society. Missy sings, "Holy, Holy, Holy" and then parrots the lewd and offensive things she hears at the office or in the shop or at the garden meeting. She spews criticism and gossip and breaks into vile attacks against other believers, calling them terrible names and falsely accusing them of crude action. She rails against and abuses her family members.
Instead of associating with fellow followers of Christ, instead of taking loving and godly counsel from spiritual leadership, instead of allowing the Holy Bible to fashion and form her, Missy is allowing the world to squeeze her into the mold of carnal Christ-less-ness.
Romans 12:2
(2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As I said, the material filth of the world is simply allegorical for spiritual filth, but it is not really sufficient to show the depths of degradation.
Isaiah 64:6
(6) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
1 Peter 1:13-16
(13) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
(14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
(15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
(16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
2 Peter 1:3-11
(3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
(4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
(6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
(7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
(8) For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
(10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
(11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:19-22
(19) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
(20) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
(21) For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
(22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
I am about to say some disgusting things, and those of you who are weak of stomach may not want to read this. My intent is not to offend or shock, but to make a point. Even then, my analogy does not begin to tell the tale.
There are Misophobes who live among us. There may be one in your family or household. In fact, you could be one.
A PERSON WITH THE FEAR OF DIRT OR GERMS, sometimes referred to as "germaphobes."
Of course, most people do not like germs or dirt, and they take steps to avoid contamination. However, Misophobes are fanatical, unreasonable in their fear of dirt and germs.
Now, for this little article, imagine such a person is the main character in the following scenarios. We will call her Missy (we could have called him, "Mistuh").
MISSY IS REALLY MESSY
While Missy is walking to the corner cafe for lunch, she steps on a piece of discarded chewing gum, covered in chewing tobacco juices. Missy sits down on a park bench and carefully scrapes the filth off of her shoe, slides it into her mouth, and begins to chew as she resumes her walk.
A few minutes later she arrives at the cafe and finds a table that has not had the dirty dishes, from the previous patron, removed. She carefully sits down, keeping her sleeves from brushing across the spilled coffee. Missy notices that there is a little bit of spaghetti thrown in with the leftover salad. Missy moves the salad and spaghetti away from the cigarette butt and ashes that were dumped into the bowl, and eats them quickly before the busboy removes the filthy tableware.
While she is waiting to be served, one of the servers stands over her and explodes with a very wet and messy sneeze. Missy takes the napkin, which she found crumpled on the table, and wipes the debris from her jacket, then wipes her mouth to remove the remains of the salad and spaghetti, before gulping down the glass of milk, and backwash, that was sitting there.
OKAY, I could go on, and make it really sickening, but I think you get the picture.
BUT WHAT IS THE POINT?
If you knew Missy you would be shocked to find out that she is a Misophobe. It does not make any sense that Missy is a clean fanatic, while wallowing in the filth of society. It is a total contradiction.
BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WITH PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS.
They verbally denounce sin and sing the praises of righteousness. They judge others for minor infractions of personal behavior, which does not match their own strict code of conduct. Yet Missy is constantly picking up phrases, attitudes, world views, relationships, habits that are from the world, from a fallen society. Missy sings, "Holy, Holy, Holy" and then parrots the lewd and offensive things she hears at the office or in the shop or at the garden meeting. She spews criticism and gossip and breaks into vile attacks against other believers, calling them terrible names and falsely accusing them of crude action. She rails against and abuses her family members.
Instead of associating with fellow followers of Christ, instead of taking loving and godly counsel from spiritual leadership, instead of allowing the Holy Bible to fashion and form her, Missy is allowing the world to squeeze her into the mold of carnal Christ-less-ness.
Romans 12:2
(2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As I said, the material filth of the world is simply allegorical for spiritual filth, but it is not really sufficient to show the depths of degradation.
Isaiah 64:6
(6) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
1 Peter 1:13-16
(13) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
(14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
(15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
(16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
2 Peter 1:3-11
(3) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
(4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
(6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
(7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
(8) For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
(10) Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
(11) For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:19-22
(19) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
(20) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
(21) For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
(22) But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
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