The apostle Paul described those who oppose the Truth as “men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” in the Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 8. If a fish has rotted, it gives off nothing but a foul stench and becomes completely useless, so it should be thrown away. Just as anything that has become corrupt or rotten should be thrown away, the one whose thoughts and mind have become corrupt is useless before God.
Through our thoughts and hearts, we understand facts, and discern what is right and wrong. However, when the heart becomes corrupt, it can no longer properly perform the functions as God created it to perform.
In other words, a person whose heart has become rotten and corrupt can no longer function wholly as a human being and becomes completely useless.
Satan, the devil, and demons corrupt our hearts. First Timothy Chapter 4 verse 1 to 2 says, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose conscience have been seared as with a hot iron” Here, the expression “having their conscience seared with a hot iron” means that the heart has become corrupt.
Nothing becomes corrupt from the very beginning. Rather, it gradually changes until it becomes rotten.
Even someone who has lived sincerely by faith can experience corruption in the heart when they get offended or are deceived by evil spirits. Such a person gradually attends worship services less frequently, until they come to church only on Lord's days. Even then, they do not come out of faith but out of habit. If they do not repent and turn back at this point, the worst can happen. They eventually oppose the church and leave the faith.
Once they start being depraved things become out of control. If a person misses the opportunity to repent at that point, they become not able to return to God or be recovered. Thus, the expression “a corrupt heart” also carries the meaning of being “beyond restoration.” When people whose hearts have become so corrupt that restoration is impossible come to the end of their physical lives, their destination is the lake of fire in hell.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #970
