[Put to death] … evil desires …
Summary: Paul’s instruction to put evil desires to death forces us to confront ourselves in the mirror of God’s truth.
When Paul talks about putting “evil desires” to death, he opens the door to an important and fascinating conversation.
Who decides what “evil” is?
That sounds like a simple question. Evil is “evil,” right? After all, everybody knows what “evil” is, don’t they?
The answer is “No.”
Think about this: People who do evil believe they are doing good.
“What?!” you ask. “How is that possible?”
Let’s start to answer that question with a look in the mirror. Paul writes, “There is no one righteous, not even one …” (Romans 3:10). Jesus himself confirms this when he says “No one is good — except God alone” (Mark 10:18).
Each of us has an idea of what “good and evil” is, but what is that based on if we are not good? Don’t we define good and evil based on what we think is right and wrong?
The essence of sin is our awareness of self apart from God. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, the Bible tells us, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked …” (Genesis 3:7). Suddenly, they were self-aware. In that moment, they were separated from God in a way that they could not understand. Even now, it is hard for us to comprehend what it is like to be at one with God.
If we are to “put to death … evil desires,” we need to be able to recognize what an evil desire is.
It is not enough to mark desires that “feel bad” as evil. As we have seen in our discussions of sexual immorality, impurity, and lust, evil desires can feel “good.” At the same time, these same feelings are spiritual poison.
Only God knows what is good (Mark 10:18), so only God knows what is not good. This is why he gave us the Law in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:1-17). Jesus expanded on this and pointed out that it is not just our actions that break God’s Law, but our thoughts as well (Matthew 5:21-22).
Only by getting to know God can we begin to recognize the opposite of God. Fortunately, he is willing to teach us about himself. We have his Son, Jesus; his Word, the Bible; and he gives us his Holy Spirit as our personal tutor.
Once we learn to recognize evil, we can start to put evil desires to death.
Application: Get to know God personally.
Food for Thought: How is swatting flies like putting evil desires to death?
How is swatting flies like putting evil desires to death?
There’s the gratifying feeling that you just eliminated another one before it landed on your strawberry rhubarb pie and not looking at the inappropriate commercial on the TV. Both a win…. but there’s always going to be more.
1 Peter 5:8. And I’m not sure why but 1 Timothy 5:20
Thanks T. I like your statement that there is going to be more. In this world thoughts and temptations that harm ourselves or others are abundant. Once one is dealt with, another is waiting.
I did a brief word study on the Greek word for evil. This is the description from Strong’s on the usage of the word: “The Greek word “kakos” is used in the New Testament to describe that which is morally or ethically wrong, harmful, or evil. It often refers to actions, thoughts, or behaviors that are contrary to God’s will and character. “Kakos” can describe both physical harm and moral evil, emphasizing the destructive nature of sin and wrongdoing.”
It was used of wood that rots, poison, etc. It is that which harms us of harms others through us.
As Jeff said, looking in the mirror is probably the best starting point. We all have the capacity for sin, and sin is evil (Romans 3: 23).
James 1: 13 – 15: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
So as long as we are in this world, this will be a battle. That is why we need to put it to death every day.
Luke 9: 23: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Thank you, Rich!
I appreciate the deep dive into the Greek. Our anti-evil motto could be “Rot Not!”
🙂
Thank you, Tim!
The pie is a great illustration as are inappropriate ads on TV. Interesting verses, too. (I added a link to your comment so people can easily access the verses.)
How is swatting flies like putting evil desires to death?
In the Old Testament, we see flies are often portrayed as carriers of disease and death. Flies are mentioned in the Bible as symbols of impurity and decay.
In Exodus 8:21-24, during the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh, God sends swarms of flies as one of the ten plagues upon Egypt. This plague of flies represents divine judgment and the consequences of disobedience.
In Ecclesiastes 10:1, flies as a metaphor for the spread of sin and corruption. Just as flies are attracted to decaying matter, sin can spread and infect the soul, and warns that “dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench and suggests that even a small amount of sin can corrupt a person’s good reputation and influence.
Swatting flies is like attempting to cleanse ourselves of sin. It will not work. Only the power of God will destroy the flies and take away the sin in our lives. He sent His Son Jesus who is the power to do this very thing.
Ron,
Pulling examples of flies out of the OT was a brilliant idea. I hadn’t made that connection yet. Very interesting! Thank you!
That’s a very interesting question, and very good and interesting responses. I think the responses answered the question well, but this thought keeps coming to my mind:
The question makes me think of two things, the occasional fly, and a swarm of flies. The occasional fly is like an single intrusive thought that doesn’t measure up to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14). The Holy Spirit is there to guide us to truth, and in doing so we recognize that entertaining such thought leads to destruction (John 16:13). But we have to squash the fly, not shoo it away. If instead of squashing the fly, we wave it away, and it comes back, and we wave it away, and it keeps coming back, it may be a sign that deeper reflection is needed before we are hit with a swarm. The single fly may have been testing the perimeter. And I say it like that because the Bible tells us to “captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Take it captive like in fortifying the stronghold in a war. Evil desires take root when we let down our guard, tolerating a fly or two. Christ wants us to live “fly free,” so that we can remain in His presence.
I may or may not have gone too far into the analogy. I think I got the point across.
Chris,
I really appreciate the distinction you draw between shooing a fly away and killing it. The first continues to irritate, the second brings peace. Well said!