SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/2/2025 7:44 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “A Cleansed Life”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Timothy
2:21a
Message of the verse: “Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor,
This is the first of nine characteristics that mark
the faithful, godly believer who is the vessel of honor as seen in 2 Timothy
2:20 “20 Now in a large house there are not only gold
and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to
honor and some to dishonor.”
I begin with a quote from MacArthur’s
commentary: “You do not expect
unbelievers to think, talk, and behave like Christians, and your guard tends to
be up against their influence. But, like
‘worldly and empty chatter’ that leads ‘to further ungodliness’ and spreads ‘like
gangrene’ (2 Timothy 2:16-17), willing association with ungodly believers,
vessels of dishonor, inevitably will cause some of their sin to infect you,
whether you realize it or not. ‘Do not
be deceived,’ Paul therefore warns; ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’ (1 Cor.
15:33). Fellowship with defiled church
members develops tolerance for their defilement.”
Paul is saying that faithful believers are not to associate
with those who can contaminate you. Let
us look at what God told Jeremiah in 15:19 “Therefore,
thus says the LORD, "If you return, then I will restore you —
Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not
turn to them.” MacArthur adds “In
other words, the influence should be but one way. If those unfaithful Israelites were led to
repentance by Jeremiah’s preaching and example, the Lord would be pleased. But the prophet was never to allow their
corruption to infect him.”
Now we will look at what the writer
of Hebrews says as he gives this sobering warning: “See to it that no one comes short of the
grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it
many be defiled.” MacArthur writes “Unchecked
bitterness, even in a believer who otherwise is upright, is not a trivial and
purely personal sin. It is highly
destructive and can seriously demoralize and weaken an entire congregation.
“Refusing to associate with sinning
believers is also for their own benefit.
If they are not disciplined and are readily accepted into the church
fellowship, they will become more comfortable in their sin. Being ostracized from the church, on the
other hand, may help them become ashamed and repentant. ‘If anyone does not obey our instruction in
this letter’ Paul instructed the Thessalonian church, ‘take special not of that
man and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame’ (2 Thess.
3:14).
“No Christian should associate with professing
Christians who are morally and spiritually defiled. We should not want to be around those whose
language and lifestyle do not honor Christ.
We should not want to associate with those who have a critical tongue,
who tolerate evil in their lives and in the lives of other believers, or whose
commitment to the Lord is shallow and artificial. A vessel of honor cannot remain honorable and
unable if it is continually contaminated by vessels of dishonor. It cannot remain pure apart from pure
fellowship.”
3/2/2025 8:09
AM
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