Freeing Ourselves from All Defilement

Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.

Mark 7:15 (NIV)

When Jesus speaks of what enters a person, He is referring to food. This means that no food we ingest can defile us or make us evil. The food we consume cannot make us proud, arrogant, adulterous, greedy, or envious, nor can it give rise to the other flaws He describes as defilements. As for the influence of those around us: it is not others' fault that we are the way we are; it is simply our true nature waiting for the right moment to reveal itself. It had not yet found the trigger to manifest openly.

Jesus wants us to understand that our sinful, corrupt nature cannot remain hidden for long. Sooner or later, it will be brought to light. The food we consume cannot corrupt us to the point of separating us from God; it is our nature that causes this. It is not an external trait that can be concealed, but an inner tendency to sin. No matter how hard you try, you will eventually become outwardly what you truly are deep down. Such is the consequence of our sinful nature.

When Jesus speaks of what defiles a person, He refers to what defines our innermost being; once we begin to act in a certain way, we take pleasure in it and can no longer stop. That is how we defile ourselves. What emanates from us turns into a habit. From that habit, a way of life is born. It is this way of life that reveals our sinful nature—and thus our defilement. However, Paul shows us the way to escape this life of defilement when he exhorts us, in the Epistle to the Galatians (5:16), to walk by the Spirit. God gives you the Holy Spirit to guide you and the Word to instruct you; so make room for the Holy Spirit and renew your mind through the Word, and what enters you will set you free from all defilement.

May the grace and peace of God be with you.