Corrupt Nature
Do you live in corrupt nature as St Paul described it in Galatians? I still catch myself venturing into that wasteland. I recently returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic. The resort was an all-inclusive one, meaning everything was available to indulge in unlimited quantities-food, alcohol, exotic scenery. The place had seven restaurants, a bar every 20 yards, skimpy clad woman in bikinis and some woman with no tops at all, single woman and married women with and without their husbands. Don’t get me wrong the place was fabulous, marble floors everywhere, pools and fountains everywhere, palm trees and lush flowers and shrubs, beautiful white sand beaches with cabanas and tiki huts, crystal clear blue and turquoise waters, waiters and butlers serving you hand and foot, a paradise of sorts. But this place so easily allows one to slip back into corrupt nature.
What is corrupt nature? It could be described as an over indulgence of the senses in this earthly world. Listen to what St. Paul had to say about corrupt nature. “Formerly you had no knowledge of God; you lived as the slaves of deities who were in truth no deities at all. But freedom claimed you when you were called. Only, do not let this freedom give a foothold to corrupt nature. See what effects proceed from corrupt nature; they are such things as adultery, impurity, incontinence, luxury, idolatry, witchcraft, feuds, quarrels, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, dissensions, factions, spite, murder, drunkenness, and debauchery.” St. Paul acknowledges that Christ frees us from corrupt nature and all of the afflictions and impure traits flowing therefrom. We can transform our corrupt nature, but we must acknowledge and comprehend it before we can conquer it.
“Christ made available to us a new nature. The whole of the law is summed up in one phrase, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Learn to live and move in the Spirit; then there is no danger of your giving way to the impulses of corrupt nature. Whereas the Spirit yields a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forbearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy, temperateness, purity.” This new nature, that of the Spirit, is a sort of paradise in this earthly world without the corruption of the human heart brought about by the overindulgence of worldly pursuits through the five senses. The Spirit allows us to tame and conquer corrupt nature. The Spirit transforms and bring reality to a new and higher plane.
The battle lines have been drawn. We must come to realize the weaknesses in our defenses, the things in this world that have the ability to corrupt us. “The impulses of nature and the impulses of the spirit are at war with one another; either is clean contrary to the other, and that is why you cannot do all that your will approves. It is by letting the Spirit lead you that you free yourselves from the yoke of corrupt nature. Those who belong to Christ have crucified nature, with all its passions, all its impulses. Since we live by the Spirit, let the Spirit be our rule of life. We must not indulge vain ambitions, envying one another and provoking one another to envy.” Alcohol, sex or food can be fuels which ignite the flames of corrupt nature. And going to an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic sure can add fuel to the fire of the passions of corrupt nature. It’s hard to live in the Spirit while on vacation in the Dominican. Heck, it’s difficult to live in the Spirit in Baton Rouge. But when you come to know Christ and have a brush with His Spirit, the battle becomes winnable. Ask that the Spirit invade you and displace all of the passions of corrupt nature. The Spirit can and will dislodge and supplant all of these evil desires and passions within your soul if you ask.
“Make no mistake about it; you cannot cheat God. A man will reap what he sows; if nature is his seed-ground, nature will give him a perishable harvest, if his seed-ground is the spirit, it will give him a harvest of eternal life.” I have planted the seed of the Spirit. Yet in this world it is difficult to tend and grow because corrupt nature is all round about. We must shield ourselves from corrupt nature and then we must nourish and water the Spirit in us. Consider life in the Spirit as plants in a pristine, totally enclosed botanical garden free from all bugs and disease and full of oxygen, nutrients and water. Corrupt nature is the bugs, disease, drought and starvation in the outside world of the sealed botanical garden. We can live within that pure botanical garden but first we must claim the Spirit and plant it inside our heart. Have you been successful at removing corrupt nature from your environs?
What is corrupt nature? It could be described as an over indulgence of the senses in this earthly world. Listen to what St. Paul had to say about corrupt nature. “Formerly you had no knowledge of God; you lived as the slaves of deities who were in truth no deities at all. But freedom claimed you when you were called. Only, do not let this freedom give a foothold to corrupt nature. See what effects proceed from corrupt nature; they are such things as adultery, impurity, incontinence, luxury, idolatry, witchcraft, feuds, quarrels, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, dissensions, factions, spite, murder, drunkenness, and debauchery.” St. Paul acknowledges that Christ frees us from corrupt nature and all of the afflictions and impure traits flowing therefrom. We can transform our corrupt nature, but we must acknowledge and comprehend it before we can conquer it.
“Christ made available to us a new nature. The whole of the law is summed up in one phrase, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Learn to live and move in the Spirit; then there is no danger of your giving way to the impulses of corrupt nature. Whereas the Spirit yields a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forbearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy, temperateness, purity.” This new nature, that of the Spirit, is a sort of paradise in this earthly world without the corruption of the human heart brought about by the overindulgence of worldly pursuits through the five senses. The Spirit allows us to tame and conquer corrupt nature. The Spirit transforms and bring reality to a new and higher plane.
The battle lines have been drawn. We must come to realize the weaknesses in our defenses, the things in this world that have the ability to corrupt us. “The impulses of nature and the impulses of the spirit are at war with one another; either is clean contrary to the other, and that is why you cannot do all that your will approves. It is by letting the Spirit lead you that you free yourselves from the yoke of corrupt nature. Those who belong to Christ have crucified nature, with all its passions, all its impulses. Since we live by the Spirit, let the Spirit be our rule of life. We must not indulge vain ambitions, envying one another and provoking one another to envy.” Alcohol, sex or food can be fuels which ignite the flames of corrupt nature. And going to an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic sure can add fuel to the fire of the passions of corrupt nature. It’s hard to live in the Spirit while on vacation in the Dominican. Heck, it’s difficult to live in the Spirit in Baton Rouge. But when you come to know Christ and have a brush with His Spirit, the battle becomes winnable. Ask that the Spirit invade you and displace all of the passions of corrupt nature. The Spirit can and will dislodge and supplant all of these evil desires and passions within your soul if you ask.
“Make no mistake about it; you cannot cheat God. A man will reap what he sows; if nature is his seed-ground, nature will give him a perishable harvest, if his seed-ground is the spirit, it will give him a harvest of eternal life.” I have planted the seed of the Spirit. Yet in this world it is difficult to tend and grow because corrupt nature is all round about. We must shield ourselves from corrupt nature and then we must nourish and water the Spirit in us. Consider life in the Spirit as plants in a pristine, totally enclosed botanical garden free from all bugs and disease and full of oxygen, nutrients and water. Corrupt nature is the bugs, disease, drought and starvation in the outside world of the sealed botanical garden. We can live within that pure botanical garden but first we must claim the Spirit and plant it inside our heart. Have you been successful at removing corrupt nature from your environs?
RSS Feed