2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Every generation has had its own identifying characteristics. The one characteristic every generation has shared is that of corruption. Two thousand years ago, Peter writes to his fellow brothers in Christ, and although his generation was not as advanced and cosmopolitan, corruption was still an evident sign of the times.
Throughout the ages the corruption that is in the world has been both constant and undeniable, because man’s fallen nature is given to its ways.
Our world is very different than that of Peter, Paul, Luke, Mark, Matthew and the rest of the Apostles. We are more informed, more connected, in our own estimation more educated, and have undeniably easier lives than they did, yet the corruption that is in the world has remained the same as far as its nature goes, only growing in size, and exponentially so.
So why talk about the corruption of the world we live in? Because it is something that we can neither ignore, nor pretend does not exist. It is because the household of faith has consistently attempted to sweep the corruption of the world that has wormed its way into the church under the rug, that the lines between the saved and the unsaved have been blurred, and rather than white as snow, many calling themselves believers today are wearing grey garments instead. We have escaped the corruption that is in the world, but we must be cautious, ever guarding our hearts, that we do not return to it; that we do not willingly put back on the shackles from which Christ through His blood freed us.
Many believers have taken the ‘ignore it and it will go away’ stance when it comes to the corruption of the world, but the evidence proves that ignoring it has only emboldened it, allowing it to spread and metastasize unchecked.
One of the most important aspects of any battle, any war, any skirmish, is that you know your enemy. If you know your enemy, the weapons he has at his disposal, and the tactics he employs, not only will you know how to defend yourself, you will also see the weaknesses in his methodology, and be able to exploit them to your advantage.
The corruption of the world is one of our enemy’s weapons, a weapon he makes use of with great success. It is a weapon that can be blunt or subtle, focused or generalized, playing the victim when it suits its interests, but also applying force when it is needed.
The nature of the corruption that is in the world can be broken down into nine different aspects.
The first aspect of corruption that we can all clearly see is its immensity. Corruption has grown out of control, it has reached a zenith, and even those who once escaped it now tolerate it for fear of being hounded and persecuted by the world. The stench of corruption is palpable, and the tentacles thereof are readily visible to anyone who has eyes to see. We see it in the home, in the streets, in the high places and the insignificant ones, in the government, in the schools, and sadly, often times even in the church. The attacks of the enemy are so pervasive, so persistent and so prevalent, corruption is so widespread, that many believers are just getting worn down, wearier with every battle fought, knowing that another will commence before they have time to catch their breath.
Yes, we have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, but we have not become immune to it. We are neither invulnerable nor are we insusceptible to the corruption of the world. We have broken out of its prison by becoming partakers of its divine nature, but those who would enslave us once more, those who would see us in shackles, drowning in the pollution they have embraced, still roam the landscape looking for their next victim, looking for the next believer foolish enough to have let their guard down.
The Bible never tells us we will not be tempted, it tells us to resist temptation. Scripture never tells us that the enemy will not attempt to mount an attack against us, it tells us to resist the devil, and upon resisting him, he will flee. The word of God never tells us that we will never have to do battle, it tells us to put on the whole armor of God that we may stand in the evil day.
Fire burns, sin kills, and corruption corrupts. The indifferent, apathetic attitude many have toward the corruption of the world, stems from the belief that they are beyond it, unaffected, and impervious.
Due to this aura of invincibility that many have, they stop watching, they stop guarding their hearts, they begin to flirt with the corruption and pollution of the world that they had previously escaped, and soon enough, the love wanes, the fire burns out, and they are once again entangled in the selfsame things they had been delivered from.
2 Peter 2:20-21, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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