Defilement (3436) molusmos by Greek Word Studies

Defilement (3436) (molusmos from moluno = stain or soil/smear as with with mud ~ defile in a religious or cultic sense - see uses of moluno in 1Co 8:7, Rev 3:4, 14:4) describes that which stains, defiles or soils and thus produces foulness; dirtiness; uncleanness. Synonyms would include contamination, corruption, pollution. Defilement is the corruption of morals, principles or character; impurity; pollution by sin. Barnes writes that molusmos... means a soiling, hence defilement, pollution, and refers to the defiling and corrupting influence of fleshly desires and carnal appetites. (Ibid) Rob Salvato says defilement speaks of "mud on our wedding garment" and recalls to mind the Bride of Christ cleansing herself in the Revelation... "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready (the verb hetoimazo here carries idea of willingness and eagerness as well as of readiness)" And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (see notes Revelation 19:7; 19:8) IVP Commentary notes that... The noun (molusmos) is found only here in the New Testament, although the verb moluno is used twice in Revelation 3:4; 14:4) and once in 1Corinthians 8:7 of defiling the conscience through the indiscriminate eating of meat sacrificed to idols (compare Jer 23:15). This brings us back full circle to Paul's opening injunction to stop entering into unequal partnerships with unbelievers (2Cor 6:14). The close association of molusmos with idolatry suggests that Paul is thinking especially of defilement that comes from dining in the local temples, membership in the pagan cults, ritual prostitution, active engagement in pagan worship and the like. John MacArthur comments that molusmos... appears only here in the New Testament. In all three of its uses in the Septuagint (Ed: only on in the non-apocryphal), however, it refers to religious defilement. Paul calls believers not only to cleanse themselves from sin and immorality but especially, in this context, from all associations with false religion. (MacArthur, J: 2Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos) Robertson writes that... In LXX, Plutarch, Josephus molusmos includes all sorts of filthiness, physical, moral, mental, ceremonial, "of flesh and spirit." Missionaries in China and India can appreciate the atmosphere of pollution in Corinth The only other use of molusmos in Scripture is in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) of Jeremiah... Jeremiah 23:15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood and make them drink poisonous water, for from the prophets of Jerusalem pollution (Hebrew = chanuppah = pollution; Lxx = molusmos) has gone forth into all the land.'" Flesh and spirit - This could be a figure symbolizing the whole person. The flesh would seem to symbolize the external and the spirit the internal aspect and thus the entire man is to be cleansed! Maclaren explains flesh and spirit this way... The former (flesh), of course, refers primarily to sins of impurity which in the eyes of the Greeks of Corinth were scarcely sins at all, and the latter (spirit) to a state of mind when fancy, imagination, and memory were enlisted in the service of evil. Both are rampant in our day as they were in Corinth. (read entire excellent message) S Lewis Johnson writes that... It’s possible to be cleansed of defilement of flesh and not of the spirit. Take the prodigal and his elder brother, the prodigal was possessed of defilement of the flesh, but his brother, his proud brother who stayed with the father, had defilement of the spirit. So let’s cleanse ourselves beloved of all defilement of flesh and spirit. (2 Corinthians 6:11-7:4 Puritanism in the New Testament) Wiersbe writes that... David's sin with Bathsheba was a sin of the flesh, a yielding to lust after an afternoon of laziness (2Sa 11:2; Gal 5:19), but the census was a sin of the spirit (2Cor. 7:1), a willful act of rebellion against God. It was motivated by pride, and pride is number one on the list of the sins that God hates (Prov. 6:16-17). "Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow," wrote William Barclay, "and the parent from which all the other sins come." Harry Ironside asks... What is the difference between filthiness of the flesh and filthiness of the spirit? There are two classes of sin, and all sin is filthy in the sight of God. Filthiness of the flesh refers to sins of the body, and there are so many of them, unholy lusts, unbridled appetites. Drunkenness, gluttony, licentiousness, inordinate affection, are all sins of the flesh, and though at the present time our abominable philosophies throw a glamour over these things they are utterly vile in God's sight... What about filthiness of the spirit? Vanity, pride, conceit, haughtiness, and unbelief are just as evil as these other things in the sight of God. Take this dainty girl who stands in front of her mirror trying to make a work of art out of her face in order to attract the attention of the opposite sex, that vanity that is so characteristic of her is as truly filthy in the sight of God as the other sins I have been mentioning. Take that man who is so haughty and proud, and is seeking power and authority over his fellows, constantly looking for admiration on the part of men who like himself are going on to the grave, that haughtiness, that pride, is in God's sight absolutely filthy. James in the context of grace given to the humble, commands an external and an internal cleansing Draw (aorist imperative) near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse (katharizo - the same verb used by Paul - aorist imperative) your hands, you sinners; and purify (aorist imperative) your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8) David mentions the need for external and internal cleansing in those who would seek to approach the holy God... Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. (Ps 24:4,5) Spurgeon comments: Outward, practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. To wash in water with Pilate is nothing (Mt 27:24), but to wash in innocency is all important. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt (Titus 1:16-note); if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day (Jn 5:28, 29, Rev 20:12, 13). It is vain to prate of inward experience unless the daily life is free from impurity, dishonesty, violence, and oppression. Those who draw near to God must have clean hands. What monarch would have servants with filthy hands to wait at his table? They who were ceremonially unclean could not enter into the Lord's house which was made with hands, much less shall the morally defiled be allowed to enjoy spiritual fellowship with a holy God. If our hands are now unclean, let us wash them in Jesu's precious blood, and so let us pray unto God, lifting up pure hands. But "clean hands" would not suffice, unless they were connected with a pure heart (Mt 5:8-note). True religion is heart work. We may wash the outside of the cup and the platter as long as we please; but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our hands are. We may lose our hands and yet live, but we could not lose our heart and still live; the very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity within. There must be a work of grace (1Cor 15:10, et al) in the core of the heart as well as in the palm of the hand, or our religion is a delusion (James 1:26, 27-see notes). May God grant that our inward powers may be cleansed by the sanctifying Spirit, so that we may love holiness and abhor all sin. The pure in heart shall see God (Heb 12:14), all others are but blind bats; stone blindness in the eyes arises from stone in the heart. Dirt in the heart throws dust in the eyes.

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Defilement (3436) molusmos

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