Mark 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth these sobering words of warning regarding defiling the temple of God. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17) The religious teaching of the day was that the body was defiled by what we ate or drank, or by eating with unwashed hands. The Lord Jesus said, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” (Mark 7:15) That was a radical statement. Jesus said that what we eat or drink only goes into our stomach and then is flushed down the toilet! Those kinds of things do not defile a person morally or spiritually. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)
Jesus went on to say that what defiles the temple of God is the sin from within our very own hearts (Mark 7:20-23). And one of the indicators of the sin in our heart are the words that come out of our mouth (Matthew 15:11,18). As in His sermon on the mount, Jesus once again cites that the problems we face in society, in our families, and in the church all stem from the sin from within. And the part of the body that is most defiling and causes the most trouble is the human tongue. James 3 tells us that “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (v6). Proverbs tells us that sowing discord among the brethren is an abomination (6:16,19). Sowing discord is just as disgusting as is sexual immorality and shedding of innocent blood. When is the body of Christ going to stand up against this “fashionable vice” and say NO to gossip, slander, backbiting, whispering, and tale bearing?
Let us pray: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
