What is this “unclean spirit†that “goes out of a man� What does it mean to have an "unoccupied" house, "swept, and put in order"? And, more importantly, what does it mean to us in the church today?
I believe the Scriptures are showing us this:
That there can be some type of contact with the Messiah through exposure to the elements or facts of the Gospel; which may even have a strong emotional impact on us as we observe the power of God and are so moved viscerally...
This event may include some form of participation on our behalf and even result in mental agreement and there can even be improvement in our lives – morally, outwardly as a result.
And yet, without continuance in communion with God; without endurance and perseverance in trials and afflictions; in the absence of a desire to seek God with all our hearts and pursue Him out of love for Him – we could be lost to a worse estate than we were before.
Bible commentator Wm. Hendriksen put it this way, “To become scared of going to hell, scared, perhaps, even to the point of confessing one's sins and accepting baptism, is not enough. It would only leave the soul empty: ‘unoccupied, swept clean, put in order.'… Harmlessness is not the same as holiness. Desisting from wrong differs by a whole heaven from being a blessing. What Jesus demands is the entire devotion of the heart…. Nothing less is required†(NT Comm.; p540).
The prophet Jonah warned, ""Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.â€
Morality, apart from a living, abiding, communal relationship with the living Lord, for us, becomes idolatry causing us to "forfeit the grace that could be ours." |
