Is Abortion Wrong?

 

There are strong opinions both for and against abortion. Is the Bible silent on this subject, or does God’s Word give us the needed answer?

In a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, abortion was legalized in 1973. Since then, some 60 million abortions have taken place in the United States alone. Around the world, 40 to 50 million babies are aborted each year—about three abortions every two seconds.

The subject of abortion remains polarizing, with little middle ground. People seem to strongly support it or vehemently oppose it. Those in favor of abortion (pro-choice) base their opinion on two ideas: first, that an embryo is not a human being until it becomes a fetus several months old in the womb (or others would say until the baby can live outside the womb), and second, that a woman should not be forced to carry an embryo to term if she believes it would be bad for her or the baby.

Many of those against abortion (pro-life) say that from the moment of conception an embryo is a person, and therefore abortion is murder.

So, what does God—the Creator of life—say about the subject?

When does life begin?

The Bible plainly states that God is the source of life (John 1:1-4; 1 Timothy 6:13). As the Giver of life, only He has the right to decide when a human life should end.

Still, the question is, when does life begin? Does the Bible give us indicators of life? Yes:

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).

Both oxygen (the “breath of life”) and blood are required for life. And soon after conception these two things can clearly be identified.

Within just a few days after conception, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the mother’s uterine wall and begins receiving oxygen through the mother’s blood. Within a month, there is a circulatory system (containing oxygenated blood); and within six weeks, a distinct heartbeat can be heard.

By the time a woman realizes she is pregnant, the circulatory system has already developed, and a distinct life has begun.

How does God view unborn babies?

The Bible also shows that God sees the unborn as distinct individuals equal to those who have already been born.

God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you” (Jeremiah 1:5, emphasis added throughout).

King David also understood that God recognizes and knows individuals when they are yet in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16).

God also told the mothers of Samson and John the Baptist that He had special plans for the children that they would soon conceive (Judges 13:3-7, 24; Luke 1:13-15). Samson’s mother was told by God to abstain from certain foods during her entire pregnancy, because of the special purpose He had for her son.

And when Elizabeth (the mother of John) was six months pregnant, an incredible thing happened. When her relative Mary (the mother of Jesus) came to visit:

“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb. … ‘For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy’” (Luke 1:41, 44).

Note that the original Greek word used for “babe” (brephos) is the same word used to identify Jesus Christ as a “babe” lying in a manger (Luke 2:16). So God refers to both an unborn child and an infant child using the same word—babe.

Another striking example is the unborn children of Rebekah. Unsure about the unusual movement in her womb, Rebekah looked to God for the answer. And His answer to her was that there weren’t just twins inside of her, but two different nations (Genesis 25:22-24).

God had decided that the two boys inside her were to be the fathers of millions of descendants.

What’s important about these examples is that God didn’t say these things after the babies were born, but before.

The simple truth is that we do not have the right to define when human life begins or ends. That right belongs solely to God. And God says that even before we are aware of a pregnancy, that very tiny embryo is alive. An unborn child is to be treated as a person.

To whom do the unborn belong?

It may come as a surprise to many, but the Bible tells us that even we don’t belong to ourselves; we belong to God (Romans 14:7-8). That means the children conceived by us belong to God as well.

When the male sperm unites with the female egg, that union is smaller than the head of a pin. And in just nine months that union grows into a fully developed baby.

King David declared, “You [God] formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-14). Yes, the Creator of life is “the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb” (Isaiah 44:2).

By God’s design, the union of the sperm and egg creates a unique and distinct person unlike anyone else. Although the traits of the father and mother are passed on to this tiny embryo, it is neither the father nor the mother that causes this tiny life to grow; it is God (Job 31:15). The process of a tiny speck becoming a living being is the miraculous work of God (Ecclesiastes 11:5).

Therefore, the unborn child ultimately belongs to God. And the mother does not have the right to abort an unborn child, regardless of what the Supreme Court has ruled.

Again, the Bible leaves no doubt that children belong to God. The ancient Israelites once sacrificed their babies and small children to pagan gods. Notice what God said about this deplorable practice:

“Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and … you have slain My children” (Ezekiel 16:20-21).

We may call them our children, but in reality, they are God’s children.We may call them our children, but in reality, they are God’s children. He graciously allows us stewardship of them (Psalm 127:3). God became angry at our ancestors who murdered His children. And God is angry today when we murder His children by abortion.

What about birth defects?

In the ongoing debate about abortion, some suggest that there may be occasional or unusual times when abortion is acceptable or even preferable. Perhaps the most obvious of these are babies in the womb with birth defects.

Many claim that it is unfair to the child to allow him or her to be born with potential lifelong problems. Yet the Bible clearly states that those with birth defects are not “rejects,” unworthy of life. In John 9:1-3 the example is given of a person born blind. In that example Jesus Christ says that God had a special purpose for that individual—that his life was very important to God. From our limited human perspective, we are simply unable to know what God may have in mind for that child and his or her family. Therefore we should not take it upon ourselves to decide whether the child should live or die.

Abortion as birth control?

Now that it is becoming more convenient to cause the body to abort a fertilized egg with over-the-counter drugs, is abortion just another form of birth control?

God is not against family planning, as long as it is safe and prevents the sperm from uniting with the egg in the first place. But any birth control method that comes after conception and destroys a fertilized egg is wrong because it is taking a human life. (For a biblical study on this subject, see our article “Is Birth Control Wrong?”)

No matter how careful a man and woman are, unexpected pregnancies can and will happen. This is part of the reason God says it is wrong to have sex outside of marriage. God wants children to be cared for in a loving, committed relationship. (See our articles “Why Sex Is Never Casual” and “Living Together Before Marriage.”)

The sanctity of life

Even considering the idea of abortion should take on a new meaning when we consider the incredible purpose of human life.

The creation account records that God made the animals “after their kind” (Genesis 1:21, 24-25, King James Version). But mankind is different.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (verse 26). Mankind is made after the God kind!

The Bible reveals that God is creating children through mankind! God’s intention is to bring “many sons [and daughters] to glory” (Hebrews 2:10).

God is very concerned with every life, not wanting anyone to perish—to miss being in His eternal family (2 Peter 3:9).

Even the analogy of becoming a child of God is likened to a pregnancy. We are begotten of the Father before we are born into His family (1 Peter 1:3). Even in this begotten state, when we aren’t yet composed of spirit, God calls us His spiritual children (1 John 3:2). God will not abort His begotten children, and neither should we abort our begotten children.

We started this article with the question about abortion, “Does God’s Word give us the needed answer?” Yes, it does. The Scriptures show us that abortion is a sin, breaking the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not murder.”

What if you already had an abortion?

The unfortunate reality is that a large number of women who have had an abortion come to regret it. Even “Jane Roe” (which was not her real name) regretted being part of the famous Roe v. Wade court case because she later changed her mind and took a position against abortion.

What if you are one of those women or one of the fathers who participated in deciding on an abortion? What can you do now? Is there hope for you and the life that you ended prematurely?

The answer to both questions is yes!

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for all of mankind’s sins so there could be a future for all of mankind, because all have sinned (Romans 3:23). And when one genuinely repents of his or her sins, God is willing to forgive those sins (1 John 1:9).

Upon repentance, we no longer have to have that guilt hanging over our head. With God’s forgiveness, we can move forward, no longer held captive by past mistakes. There is hope in your future.

But what about the unborn child that was aborted?

As we showed earlier, God recognizes the unborn as distinct individuals. And since everyone who has ever lived will have a chance for salvation, doesn’t it make sense that God will give unborn babies a chance for salvation as well?

The Bible is a book about life. God wants to give all people the opportunity to live forever in His eternal family. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Three Ways Pride May Be Infecting Us All

 

The Bible specifically warns us to avoid pride and arrogance. How do we recognize and purge this dangerous and infectious sin from our lives?

The late New Testament scholar John Stott said, “At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.”

He also said, “Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin.”

God reveals that He considers a proud look and a proud heart to be an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-17; 16:5). God also inspired Solomon to write, “Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

So, why does God hate pride so much?

The Bible defines pride as arrogance, haughtiness and conceit. Pride emphasizes the self over others, and it rejects God’s greatness.

Pride occurs when sinful human beings subconsciously aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. Pride contends for supremacy with Him.

Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That’s the motive and ultimate purpose of pride—to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person considers himself better than other people, and even seeks to glorify himself instead of God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive.

A proud person has a distorted view of himself, not accepting Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:26, 29: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. … that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

Putting ourselves in the place of God is truly prideful, but pride also includes deciding that we know better than everyone else when we should be esteeming others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). Even comparing ourselves too favorably over others would be prideful and certainly is not wise to do (2 Corinthians 10:12).

Ungodly and hateful pride is a growing reality in the modern world. Instead of emphasizing personal responsibility and gratitude, this world emphasizes self-worth and self-centeredness. From the time when Lucifer developed pride because of his beauty (Ezekiel 28:17) to today, when modern political candidates and celebrities flaunt their greatness, the entire span of history shows us how infectious and dangerous pride can be.

Pride can also affect us in subtle ways. It is always lurking in the background of our lives, and we might not even be aware of it.It’s no wonder God listed pride as something He hates and inspired multiple scriptures to be written showing why all humanity should overcome it. We are even told, “God resists the proud” (James 4:6). This alone should be a warning that pride has to go.

But pride can also affect us in subtle ways. It is always lurking in the background of our lives, and we might not even be aware of it.

Three ways pride may be infecting us

1. Social media.

Facebook and other social media can be amazing tools for staying connected with friends and family. However, social media can also be a breeding ground for personal pride. Here is one way pride can reveal its ugly face on social media outlets:

Constantly checking to see how many people liked or commented on something we posted, or how many “hits” we receive, and feeling upset if “not enough” people responded.

Challenge: Review past posts and comments and see how much attention we tried to pull toward ourselves. Also, we could go through our personal photo albums and see if we have an excessive number of “selfies” posted.

2. Conversations with friends.

There’s nothing like getting together with friends and having great conversations. But what happens when pride creeps into our conversations? It is easy to spot in others, but much harder to see in ourselves. Notice these examples:

One-uppers: Trying to beat the stories or experiences other people are relating (“My day was worse” or “I had a bigger problem”). This is an attempt to bring the focus back on us, no matter what other people are saying.

Conversation dominators: When one person dominates a conversation to the extent that the other person cannot get a word in edgewise. Conversation should be give-and-take, not just give.

Know-it-alls: Never admitting wrong and always pointing out wrong in others. Unfortunately, too often this goes beyond just conversation and turns into a full lifestyle of pride. It is very important to have the ability to admit when we are wrong.

Challenge: Ask a friend or family member—someone close enough to us to be honest despite hurting our feelings—to answer this question gently but truthfully: “Do you sometimes think I’m being arrogant or boastful in what I say?” If we are not comfortable doing this, we can still try to evaluate our own conversations.

3. Our spirituality.

Jesus Christ warned against pride in our own spirituality (Matthew 6:1, 5). Though Christ wants us to practice righteous living, He doesn’t want us to live righteously just to attract attention to ourselves or appear righteous to others. Constantly calling attention to our personal righteousness is an easy way to fall into pride (the epitome of unrighteousness).

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly corrected the Pharisees for practicing religion just to be seen by others.

The most famous example is in Luke 18:9-11: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.”’” (For more details, read our article “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.”)

Challenge: As we post things online or speak to others, we need to keep this instruction in mind: “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).

A hard road

Pride is not an easy sin to overcome, mainly because it is so easy to see in others, yet so painfully difficult to see in ourselves. Benjamin Franklin once stated: “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”

Seeing the danger that pride brings—destruction (Proverbs 16:18)—should make us that much more eager to fight against this sin at every turn.

One of the best ways to deal with pride is to replace it with an attitude God constantly emphasizes in the Scriptures—humility. “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

Another antidote to pride is to remember to give thanks to God (Colossians 3:15-17). Being thankful to Him helps us to realize that everything we have—including our lives and our blessings—comes from God, and He deserves all the credit and glory.

So, let’s crush insidious pride in all of its forms and replace it with humility and thanksgiving!

To learn more about overcoming pride, read the blog post “Overcoming Pride.”

Sins of Omission: Do They Exist?

 

What does the Bible say about sins of omission? Can you really sin by forgetting or failing to do something? Does God care?

We all know there can be serious consequences for leaving something undone. One of Aesop’s fables tells the story of the ant and the grasshopper. In the story, the ant spends all summer storing up food for the winter, while the grasshopper spends each day chirping and singing.

“Why bother about winter?” asks the grasshopper. “We have plenty of food.”

When winter finally arrives and the grasshopper is starving, he asks the ant for food. The ant reminds the grasshopper of his failure to prepare during the summer and suggests that the grasshopper now dance the winter away, as he did the summer.

Too late?

In His famous parable of the 10 virgins, Jesus Christ talked about the perils of leaving something undone until it is too late. The parable talks about a coming kingdom and a returning bridegroom, along with 10 virgins who are to take their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five “wise” virgins take extra oil for their lamps, and five “foolish” virgins take no oil (Matthew 25:1-4).

The following verses tell how the bridegroom is delayed and all 10 virgins fall asleep. Finally, at midnight, the bridegroom comes and all 10 virgins are awakened by a cry upon his arrival (verses 5-6).

The difference between those who had prepared and those who hadn’t is described next: “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you’” (verses 7-12).

The profound teaching from Jesus’ parable: Clearly there comes a time when it is too late to prepare for His Kingdom! Failure to do what we should be doing now can have far-reaching consequences.

But is it a sin?

Is a “sin of omission” just a regrettable lack of action on our part? Or can it really be a sin if we leave something undone?

Let’s begin with a definition of sin. The apostle John writes, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). The same verse in the King James Version ends with “sin is the transgression of the law.”

Put simply, sin is a failure to obey the laws of God.

Now consider the 10 Commandments—the most well-known of God’s laws for mankind. When we think of the 10 Commandments, we often tend to think of the phrase “thou shalt not,” which comprises the first few words of most of the commandments in the King James Version.

Not all of the commandments, however, command against certain actions. Two of the commands require us to do something, rather than not do something. These are the Fourth and Fifth Commandments.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). This is the Fourth Commandment. The Fifth Commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (verse 12). So, failure to do what these commandments say—the omission of these actions—is a sin.

Other scriptures further show that failure to do what God commands is a sin. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Consider also Jesus Christ’s statements about how He will judge the nations when He returns. Matthew 25:31-34 pictures Him returning, being seated on His throne and judging the nations. It talks about how He will put the “sheep” on His right hand and the “goats” on His left.

The “goats” are those who saw others hungry and didn’t feed them, or saw them thirsty and didn’t give them drink, or didn’t visit them in prison (verses 35-40). His judgment on the “goats” is a harsh one: “Then He will say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me’” (verses 41-43).

Statements from Paul

When the apostle Paul reflected on things left undone that he should be doing, together with things he shouldn’t be doing but found himself doing anyway, he categorized both as sin.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. … But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:15, 17).

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me” (verses 19-20).

Clearly Paul knew that doing the things we should be doing is as important as not doing the things we know we should stop doing.

“For to everyone who has …”

Jesus requires His disciples to actively produce good works with the abilities we’ve been given, rather than simply avoiding bad works. He made this message clear in the parable of the talents:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money” (Matthew 25:14-18).

The parable goes on to describe how the servants were rewarded when the master returned. To each who had produced something, a reward was given. Both servants who had doubled their talents were made rulers over many things.

For the man who had produced nothing with what he was given, the judgment was a harsh one.The last servant, who had produced nothing with what he was given, then came and reported that he had simply buried his talent in the ground.

For the man who had produced nothing with what he was given, the judgment was a harsh one: “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

“‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (verses 26-30).

Do the things you know are right

Are there sins of omission? Clearly there are. To the apostle Paul, they were weighted equally with the things he actively did that were wrong. Jesus’ further message to His disciples is this: Avoiding the bad is not enough. A profitable servant actively produces good fruits with what he or she is given.

Actively choosing to do the right thing can be difficult in many circumstances, but it is necessary. What are you doing with what you have been given?

For further study about what God wants us to do, please read our article “Seven Steps for Overcoming Sin.”

Hoarders: Buried Alive

 

Some harbor a compulsion to hoard physical things, often to their own hurt. But even more common is the human tendency to mentally hoard destructive sins.

Over the past decade reality TV has become one of the most popular genres of programming. There are shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, Chopped, The Biggest Loser, Duck Dynasty, among many more.

One of the most shocking is the TV show Hoarders on A&E. There is also a similar show on TLC called Hoarding: Buried Alive.

Hoarders begins with this statement: “More than 3 million people are compulsive hoarders. These are two of their stories.”

The people in the show hoard books, clothes, trinkets, magazines. They hoard nearly any object you can imagine—junk mail, cigarette butts, even burned-out light bulbs. As a result of their compulsive hoarding, they face the threat of eviction, condemnation of their property, divorce and abandonment.

Quite literally, the things in these people’s lives are ruining their lives! In fact, living in a hoarder’s home has been likened to be being buried alive.

A parallel for Christians: the need to clean up our lives

Of course, the show Hoarders is not about all the hoards of junk people have collected. It’s about people cleaning up their lives—getting rid of the garbage, healing their relationships and creating the hope of a renewed and better life.

This dynamic of people struggling within themselves to clean up their lives provides an insightful parallel for all Christians. While we may not be compulsive hoarders as depicted on television, we can all find ourselves mentally hoarding things equally as destructive—watching or listening to unchristian materials, harboring vengeful attitudes or acting out of selfishness without regard to the interests of others.

Famous hoarders: the Collyer brothers

One of the most famous examples of compulsive hoarding is that of Langley Collyer and his blind brother, Homer.

The Collyer brothers were from a wealthy New York family, and they lived in a mansion on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Between the years 1933 and 1947 the two brothers amassed over 120 tons of refuse, junk and human waste.

Their stash—collected largely from dumpster diving—included newspaper, rope, baby carriages, rakes, umbrellas, rusted bicycles, old food, potato peelers, X-ray machines, a horse’s jawbone, human organs pickled in jars, six U.S. flags and one U.K. flag, 14 pianos, a clavichord, two organs and thousands upon thousands of books.

To God, you are worth so much more than the sinful junk of this world.

King Hezekiah’s hoarder intervention

When Hezekiah became king over Judah, God’s house could almost have been compared to the Collyer brothers’ home. The interior of the temple was trashed.

One of the first things Hezekiah did was open the doors of the temple. And the Levites began to take out the trash. First, they cleaned up the temple. Then they began to clean up their nation.

 You see, just as God’s temple had been cluttered with junk, the people of Judah had filled their lives with garbage. They had adopted the sinful ways of the surrounding nations. And their lives were full of filthiness.

Because of their immorality, the people faced eviction from their land and condemnation by God. So when Hezekiah came to power, he launched a nationwide intervention to clean things up. You could consider it like a Hoarders episode, but on a nationwide scale.

This amazing renewal initiated by King Hezekiah is recorded in 2 Chronicles 29:4-6:

“He [Hezekiah] brought in the priests and the Levites … and said to them: ‘Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and turned their backs on Him’” (emphasis added).

Notice how God’s temple is referred to as the “house of the Lord” in the Old Testament. Now consider God’s house under the New Covenant.

The temple of God under the New Covenant

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The apostle Paul calls each one of God’s people His temple! 

A person’s dwelling place is a person’s home. The temple is where God’s Spirit dwells. And so if you have God’s Spirit dwelling in you, that makes you God’s temple and also His house.

“If anyone defiles [pollutes or makes unclean] the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (verse 17).

The life of a Christian—like the temple of God (or, for that matter, the Collyer brothers’ home)—is a house that can either be kept clean or be filled with garbage.

God requires His house to be clean. And if a Christian’s house becomes too cluttered with garbage, he or she will be condemned as uninhabitable and will eventually be destroyed.

Filthiness and uncleanness in a person’s life is thus like hoarded garbage in God’s house. This garbage must be continually taken out for the house to remain inhabitable.

As a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, we must therefore continually be repenting and cleaning our lives from the filthiness of sin.

Are you keeping your spiritual house clean?

Returning to the Collyer brothers’ story, sadly in 1947 the two brothers were found dead in their home. Langley was crushed by a falling heap of junk he had rigged as a booby trap. Quite literally, the garbage in his life is what killed him.

After their deaths, most of the items in the brothers’ home were deemed worthless and disposed of. The salvageable items were sold for less than $2,000.

Ironically, what should have been the most valuable of their possessions—their house—was deemed unsafe and a fire hazard. In July of 1947 the mansion was destroyed. 

Consider the Collyer brothers’ story as an analogy for your life: 

• Do you recognize that your most valuable belonging is having a clean spiritual life where God’s Spirit can dwell? 
• Or are you so consumed by the worthless things of this world that you fill this house—your heart and mind—with junk (2 Chronicles 36:14-16; Nehemiah 10:39)?

Entering a hoarder’s home

In one of the Hoarders episodes, a friend of the hoarder summarized how God must view us when we fail to remove sin from our lives.

In this particular episode the hoarder’s home was such a health hazard that the city was on the verge of evicting the woman.

The friend of the hoarder knew her friend had a problem, but she had never seen the hoard herself. So in this episode the friend stepped inside the house for the first time.

As the two women weaved their way through hoarded piles of junk, the scene was absolutely appalling! Not only was garbage piled up to their eyeballs, but there was animal excrement all over and roaches running about. And yet the hoarder had this powerful attachment to her stuff.

You could see that the friend could hardly believe her eyes. And while she was completely disgusted by what she saw, at the same time she was moved with a deep compassion for her friend. 

Looking around at all the filth and junk, the friend of the hoarder thoughtfully turned to her friend and said, “You’re worth more than this. Why do you do this to yourself? Humans shouldn’t live like this.”

Her words resonated: “You’re worth more than this.”

The two women hugged and cried. 

Putting it into perspective

Imagine this woman holding on to all that garbage! That must be how God sees us when we don’t remove sin from our lives.

To God, you are worth so much more than the sinful junk of this world. That is why Jesus Christ came and died for your sins. He died so that your life could be cleaned out and become a fitting home for God’s Spirit to dwell (1 Peter 1:18-19).

In 2 Corinthians Paul once again calls God’s people the temple of God. He shows how God’s Spirit must live in a temple that is clean. Like oil and water, God’s Spirit and sin simply don’t mix.

“For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? … And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. …

“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 6:14, 16; 7:1).

Don’t be like the Collyer brothers and let hoarded garbage destroy your life. Rather, follow King Hezekiah’s example, recognize the value of God’s temple, and clean it out. When it comes to the sinful pulls of life, always remember that you are worth more than this.