Mark 7:15 There is nothing outside of a man which entering into him can defile him, but the things coming out of a man are the things which defile a man. 18 …Do you not understand that everything that enters from outside into a man is not able to defile him, 19 Because it does not enter into his heart, but into the stomach, and goes out into the drain? (In saying this, He made all foods clean.) 20 And He said, That which goes out of the man, that defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings, fornications, thefts, murders, 22 Adulteries, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness. 23 All these wicked things proceed from within and defile the man.
Here the Lord is indicating that the things that defile a man are the things that come out from his heart. Therefore, we should not be concerned for outward things, because these things cannot defile us. Instead, we should be very concerned about the inward things, for these are the things that defile us. Jeremiah said that the condition of man's heart is incurable (Jer. 17:9). The heart of fallen man is corrupt, full of defiling germs. In verses 21 and 22 the Lord goes on to list a number of defiling things in the heart of man: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, a wicked eye, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness." Then in verse 23 the Lord concludes, "All these wicked things proceed from within, and they defile a man." The wicked things which proceed from within are the evil issues of man's fallen and sinful nature (Rom. 7:18). It is a great matter that in chapter seven of Mark the Slave- Savior in His gospel service comes to the matter of analyzing the inward condition of man. The Lord did this for the benefit of His disciples, His intimate followers. He wanted them to know that anything that proceeds out of their heart defiles others. The Lord seemed to be saying to them, "Beware of defiling others, and beware of being defiled by others. No one among you is clean. No matter how much you may wash your hands, you cannot cleanse your heart. The things that defile you are the things in your heart. You need to see that whatever comes out of your heart is unclean and is defiling to yourselves and to others." (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Mark, pp. 186. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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