Rotting inside out

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

There is a section of houses in my neighborhood that were made using Chinese drywall. In case you have not been watching the news, this drywall has many unhealthy components to it's makeup. The "filler" was made from trash dump material. The unexpected consequence of this "recycling attempt" is that the dry wall is emitting dangerous gasses. The many gasses are doing everything from corroding wiring to stimulating skin disease and the long term damage has yet to be seen. In a sense these houses are rotting from the inside out and it wreaking havoc on the lives of the people living in them. I feel for my neighbors, as they are being attacked quietly and invisibly each day by the danger that is coming from inside their homes.

I do believe that these houses that are quietly and invisibly poisoning and corroding their inhabitants from the inside out, are a great picture of our sin nature. In Adam we all, die the bible says. Sin, like a corrosive invisible gas, eats at our souls and corrodes our spiritual wiring. Its unhealthy damage is stealthily undetectable to our natural senses, as they are effected by its effects as well. Make no doubt about it, we are evil and rotting from the inside out just like these homes in our natural state. Not the best mental picture of ourselves huh?

It is when we see this picture that we can clearly see the tremendous need for the salvation offered by Christ. Not a salvation made by us on our own time line, by our words as we chill in our nice homes. The salvation of Christ is by his power, on his time, and by His work alone. We are like the houses that are wasting away, and Christ work enables the sinner to beg for His mercy and need of a new spiritual nature. When that all comes together in God's grace, then and only then the Holy Spirit can begin his renovation project in us by gutting and sanctifying the rotten materials in our hearts and souls.

If you think all of this talk about your soul being rotten to the core does not apply to you, pick up the word of God and read it thoroughly. If you have no desire to do that then prop your feet up and enjoy the poison of sin that is steadily consuming you and your family.