"They came in stealthily, certain ungodly men, those long ago predestined unto this condemnation, the grace of the God of us changing into sensuality and the only master and Lord of us Jesus Christ denying."1
"Do not wonder that I said to you, 'It is necessary for all of you to be born from above.'"9
Redeemed
There are a few things in this verse to notice; these people were not of God, they enter in stealthily, they are ungodly and deny Jesus Christ. This word for sensuality is aselgeia, (from aselgēs/"brutal") wantonness, lewdness; properly, violent spite which rejects restraint and indulges in lawless insolence. This sensuality is outrageous conduct, conduct shocking to public decency.
When I think of this type of sensuality I immediately think of the recent news. Suddenly I am awestruck by what Jesus said, "For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil... All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man".2 If I kill someone in defense, I am reacting to protect myself or others, I do not defile myself as it is coming from without. But when hatred becomes murder, this is evil coming from within. With this understanding Jesus begins to lay the foundation of a new covenant, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”3
"What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person."4 We can easily associate sensuality with wanton sexuality, this sensual enemy would be obvious to see and defend against, one would hope. But there is a more stealthy enemy. It is the other extreme, the legalist, the one who is clean outside but inwardly unclean. Like the Pharisee of Jesus's time, they look righteous on the outside, even extravagantly so, but they reject the authority of Jesus and defile themselves inwardly.5 Whether to one extreme or the other, both have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, the grace of God into sensuality, and they are devoid of the Spirit.6 Being born from above, of the Spirit, this is a requirement of the new covenant as it is established within us.
"What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person."4 We can easily associate sensuality with wanton sexuality, this sensual enemy would be obvious to see and defend against, one would hope. But there is a more stealthy enemy. It is the other extreme, the legalist, the one who is clean outside but inwardly unclean. Like the Pharisee of Jesus's time, they look righteous on the outside, even extravagantly so, but they reject the authority of Jesus and defile themselves inwardly.5 Whether to one extreme or the other, both have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, the grace of God into sensuality, and they are devoid of the Spirit.6 Being born from above, of the Spirit, this is a requirement of the new covenant as it is established within us.
"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."7
Jesus begins this new covenant within us, replacing our heart of stone. The Pharisee's understood what Jesus said but the disciples did not, as they thought the Pharisee the righteous example, explain the parable to us, they asked. And Jesus replied, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil... "8
"Do not wonder that I said to you, 'It is necessary for all of you to be born from above.'"9