The title pretty much says it all, but on this blog we like to delve into the “deep things of God.” Most Christians make a cursory pass through the Book of Proverbs, especially the chapters consisting of scores of one verse axioms. Is that really how the Lord wants us to study His precious Word? No, it isn’t. We are admonished over and over again throughout the Bible that His Word is paramount to knowing and serving Him. Each Word. Not just the easy passages which “speak to your heart.”
Proverbs 10:9
He that walketh uprightly walketh surely:
Merriam Webster: upright – marked by strong moral rectitude <an upright citizen>
Marked by “strong moral rectitude?” That means it should be observable by others. No one should ever be able to say – “why would I want to be a Christian – you’re no better or different than anyone else!” The public failures of prominent Christians have done great damage to the furtherance of the Gospel. We have a great obligation – famous or not – to walk uprightly. Not only for our own safety and well-being; but for a walking testimony. Christians will be held to a higher standard because we are a target of the evil one. Do not let the lusts of this world spoil your testimony! Walk surely and safely on the narrow path – for your own sake, as well as the sakes of those watching you.
but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
Merriam Webster: pervert
a : to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right : corrupt
b : to cause to turn aside or away from what is generally done or accepted : misdirect
This second part of the Proverb is interestingly phrased. How often the sinner thinks that he’s “getting away with it.” The idea of “secret sin” is a misnomer if there ever was one. It is sold to us as a “guilty pleasure,” and that you have a “right to indulge yourself.” One of the most over-used copouts of the porn addict is that “it’s not hurting anyone.” Prominent pastors caught in adultery never go into the affair with the idea that they will be found out!
Famous pervert, Oscar Wilde, gave the practice of “secret sin,” the literary treatment in his classic – The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Wilde and his friends knew the effects of the libertine, perverted lifestyle only too well. In this fantasy novel, the beautiful Dorian Gray makes a deal with the evil one, which would cause all the excesses of his licentious activities to only appear on his portrait – not his own face or body. The catch to this was, that the more his sins were hidden, the more perverted he became, even offending his libertine friends. It has long been a trick of Satan to sell the bills of goods, without revealing the “side effects.” Those most deeply immersed in a sinful lifestyle, are usually the last to know how their choices have caught up with them. There is no hiding it – the Proverb says – “his ways shall be known!”
If you are struggling with an addiction, please realize that it is rooted in sin. And sin is sin is sin. Calling it something else does not change what it is. Face up to it, and call on the Lord Jesus Christ to free you from that bondage. Bondage to sin and perversion is not freedom, even though at the outset – it may seem very freeing to be released from moral constraints. But it is not freedom at all – rather – it is the worst kind of bondage to a very harsh taskmaster known as the Father of Lies. And he does not love you or care whether you live or die. But Jesus Christ loves you so much that He died for all the terrible things you’ve done – so that you can live forever and spend eternity with Him.
The Vine Vigil 