第四章 向情绪说不

耶稣教导我们，对那些吸引堕落人类自私本性的事物说不，是我们的责任。“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。”（可8：34）

我们的主确实在这些话语中要我们接受：持续不断地抵制那些迎合肉体倾向的事物实属非常必要。我们有没有闪过这样的念头，幻想在抵制的过程中不会有奋斗或争战呢？肉体欲望的抗议叫嚣必要把每一个人生都变为战场。撒旦必定趁机在人的感官之前尽量施展那些声色吸引，6000年来的实验证明这些吸引人身体的事物在获得人类意志的许可方面是最强大有力的。无论一个人是否已经悔改，他堕落的本性总是会被那些肉体的吸引力所试探。雅各是这样描述的：“当各人被自己的私欲牵引诱惑时，就被试探了。”（雅1：14。注：根据KJV钦定版圣经直译）。这不过是换了一个方式说：有罪的本性被这样的吸引力强烈牵引，或“诱惑”着。

现在让我们回答一个重要的问题。舍己(deny self)是什么意思，并且谁有能力这样做呢？字典是这样定义“舍弃”（deny）这个词的：“制止（withhold），不准，拒绝同意(refuse to grant)，不接受(disallow)”。你难道还看不出意志是如何经由堕落的本性被吸引的吗？必须要给出某个回答——或者拒绝，或者接受。耶稣说，若有人要选择跟从祂，成为一名基督徒，那么就只有唯一一种可能的回答。自我必须舍弃。意志必须制止并拒绝同意自私本性要放纵肉体的加急请愿！

这样的舍己决不会是容易的，然而靠着上帝的恩典却是可能的。我们可以选择我们自己的主人。作为自由的道德代表，我们也可以选择该顺从哪些规则借以使我们的生活正常有序。上帝在圣经中已经为基督徒的生活赐下了一个简朴而完整的蓝图。通往天国的路线图如此清楚地摆放在我们眼前，以至任何人都可以看懂并遵照而行。因为我们拥有选择的权柄，所以我们就不是被迫接受救恩的条件。如果我们不喜欢圣经里的规则，我们完全可以拒绝接受它们。上帝从来不强迫我们遵行它们。祂给了我们完全的自由去接受任何一种我们自选的生活方式。即使我们要选择跟随宽路上的人群，以他们那种放荡不羁的标准生活，也没有任何人能阻止我们。我们甚至可以坐下来制定自己的规则――假如我们选择这样做的话。但是必须清楚地知道一个事实：我们走那条路是决不会到达天国的。我们若果得救，必是惟独在于遵行上帝的条件！

那些条件是太过分的要求吗？它们要求的比我们能供给的还多吗？不是的。若心意已降服于基督，那些条件是极其简单的，适合于每个人去履行。对每个人而言，最终只有两种选择摆在面前。有两条路在我们面前——宽路与窄路；有两种本性争着要控制我们——属灵的与属肉体的；有两个声音要吸引我们——基督与世界。这些都是动人心弦、二中择一的，不可能有它们的混合体——不会有双方相融而愉悦人心的混合部分。必须选择这个或者选择那个，决无中间地带。选择一个，就是否定另一个。

关于做出选择，我们毫无选择的余地！有些事情我们无法控制，但是关于谁来控制我们的心思和意志这个决定，是留给我们决择的。并且对此我们必须做出决定！我们并没有作出选择来到这个世界，但是如果我们没能进入下一个世界，那只能是我们自己的选择。

事实上我们所有的人都在进行一场赛跑比赛——这场赛跑将决定我们永恒的命运，这是一场没有二等奖或安慰奖的赛跑。我们最终或者就得到一切——永生，或者就失去一切并遭受永死。

在这将决定我们命运的马拉松竞赛上，每个人担负着多么重大的责任啊！有一个传说讲到一群狗正在追逐一只小兔子，其中一只狗对所有其它的同伴说，“这样吧，你们大家先退出，让我来享受抓兔子的光荣。我来给你们示范一下这件事该怎么做。”于是其它狗都退出了，而那只狗继续猛烈地追逐着那只小兔子。但兔子跑得比那只狗快，迅速就逃走了。最后那只狗一瘸一拐地夹着尾巴回来了，其它狗问，“发生什么事了？”依照传说，那只狗这样回答，“哎呀，他是在为自己性命奔跑，而我只是为了我的晚餐奔跑。”这岂不是清楚说明了一个伟大的真理吗？那只小兔子知道他的性命取决于他的速度与努力。那只狗可能不是一直深为关切，因为他所能失去的甚少。

如今我已见到一些人奔跑这一生命的赛程却似乎并不在意得胜或失败。他们似乎没有什么兴趣；对自己要如何生活无动于衷；他们随着环境的刺激和潮流摇摆不定。我们应该何等热心去赢得这场永生的赛跑呀！在这场竞赛中生与死乃是我们努力的结果。我们无一例外每天都处在这场战事中，其中必没有闲散的旁观者或中间立场的人。每一生灵都要站在这一边或那一边。这场争战大多围绕着我们自己的意志。每一天，我们都必须选择去做对或错的事。每一刻，我们或是依从情绪而活，或是依从信念而活。我们肯定是靠冲动或者靠原则生活。不是基督就是撒旦在管理着我们生命的中心。

你想知道今天谁会支配你的生命吗？你最爱的那一位必然总是主管。每个人的每一个罪都涉及到两样事中的一样。我们或者努力取悦另一个人，或者努力要满足一己自私的冲动。换句话说，所有的罪都不外乎或者爱某个人过于爱上帝，或者爱自己及自己肉体的喜好过于爱上帝。认真想一想吧。每一不道德和不纯洁都根源于此。谁会占据首位？是基督？是你自己？还是另一个人？基督徒的生命要求完全降服于一位主人。如果我们愿意将一切首要的和最好的给祂——如果我们那样爱祂的话，对付罪也就没有什么问题了。事实就是，我们或者供应自我，或者舍弃自我。

但是这里要记住一个最重要的事实：惟有重生、属灵的心意才有能力向自我说不。那些有了基督的心的人，借着分享神性，才能“得胜有余”，才能“常常夸胜”，才能从撒旦最恶毒的攻击中被“拯救到底”。

“人投靠基督，便成了基督在叛逆的世界上所设置的堡垒。祂定意：除祂以外，不容许其它权威存在其中。像这种由上天权力所保护的人，撒但是攻不破的…我们若不亲自认识基督，与祂不断来往，终究必处在仇敌权下，照他所吩咐的去行。”——《历代愿望》，324面

面对试探两种可能的反应有多么大的对比呀！我们或者是仇敌所“攻不破的”，或者就“处在仇敌的权下”。不同之处就在于是否悔改心意，“与祂不断来往”。每一个基督徒持续地处于降服上帝旨意的状态中，是何等必要啊！如果没有每一天祷告读经，在灵里得着喂养，就断没有人能够向着罪成为“攻不破”的堡垒。

让我们回来再看撒旦狡诈的努力要取代上帝对各人心意的控制。虽说所有的感官都受攻击，但视觉器官似乎对试探最为敏感。耶稣说，“眼睛就是身上的灯。你的眼睛若了亮，全身就光明；你的眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。你里头的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大呢！”（太6：22~23）你明白这节经文的含意吗？――眼睛借着允许进入心思的事物，可以污秽全身。比如，仔细考虑奸淫罪。就如同其它的罪一样，奸淫罪也是从思想意念，或者说从想象开始的。保罗论到罪是“随着肉体和心中所喜好的去行”（弗2：3）。很可能，大多数罪恶的思想都是通过看不正当的事物才产生的，而公然犯罪的行为则产生于那些邪恶的思想。因此我们看什么，以及如何看，都直接关系到已经行出来的罪。耶稣说，“只是我告诉你们，凡看见妇女就动淫念的，这人心里已经与她犯奸淫了。”（太5：28）

在通过身体把罪行出来以前就能被定为有罪，想到这点几乎令人惊恐。也许意念中已经犯下了罪，而身体只在等待合适的机会去身体力行出来。记下这句话，并且永远不要忘记：大多数的罪，无论是意念还是身体上的，其根源最终都来自于感官知觉。这有助于我们明白为什么耶稣说没有控制好眼和手的人，就要被丢在地狱里。可是在基督徒中却普遍存在这样的印象，认为无需谈论这些行为领域，免得我们被看为“舍本逐末”。

为了控制意念与意志，撒旦确实不道德地利用了高级情感的身体官能吗？关于这点在《创世记》中我们有生动有力的证据。他在首次引诱第一个人犯罪时，几乎将此伎俩展露无遗。请读夏娃的故事，当她在禁树那里遇见了蛇的时候，你将发现撒旦是如何强势地以感官吸引作为那次试探的诱饵！“于是女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，也悦人的眼目，且是可喜爱的，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了，又给她丈夫，她丈夫也吃了。”（创3：6）

在此我们看到了视觉、味觉、与听觉不寻常的联合。她看到了果子显得有多么美丽。撒旦总是把罪恶的道路装点得很吸引人。正误对错是决不能用看起来怎么样、感觉怎么样、或是尝起来怎么样来试验的。感觉是可以经由我们允许自己去看或去听的事物产生并受其控制的。撒旦向夏娃说着谄媚的话，迎合她的自我与虚荣心。她所听的与看的大大影响了她的感觉，以至于开始混乱对正误的判断。抑制的力量瓦解了，蓄意的背叛随即跟来。果子尝起来如此美味以至她不相信吃它是错的。

在这个来自伊甸园的故事中，明显地阐述了撒旦将来的试探模式。旧约圣经里充满了撒旦击败人的记述，多数都是出于其同一种卑鄙的阴谋――利用感官上的吸引。正如夏娃站在树前观看一样，有一天大卫也看着隔壁的平顶，看到一个美丽的妇人在沐浴。假如大卫是被原则而非冲动支配的话，该事件也就不会被记载在圣经里了。问题是他一直看着，于是就像夏娃一样变得盲目了。这个大有力量和声誉的人如此长久盯着禁止看的事物，就落在撒旦手里成了一个人体玩偶。他差人去将妇人接来；为了得到兴奋的情绪想要的东西，他犯了奸淫罪，最后是杀人罪。

那恶者是否继续通过感官途径攻击上帝的百姓呢？我们可以谈论到许多这种妥协与失败的悲剧性经验。当以色列人向应许之地前进时，这就常常临到他们。他们多次被异教庙宇崇拜的那些耽于声色的仪式所引诱。他们容纳了巴力的祭坛，屈服于太阳神崇拜的肉欲习俗，故此不断受到惩罚。

我们只能大略描述一下这些境况，它们显明了上帝对任何牵连巴力崇拜的事物都是全然憎恶的。祂命令祂的百姓摧毁每一座异教祭坛,将所有的神像都烧成灰烬,“他们雕刻的神像，你们要用火焚烧；其上的金银，你不可贪图，也不可收取…可憎的物，你不可带进家去；不然，你就成了当毁灭的，与那物一样。”(申7:25~26)

祂同样命令“不可访问他们的神说：‘这些国民怎样事奉他们的神，我也要照样行。’”(申12:30)

上帝禁止以色列百姓将巴力崇拜的任何物品带入他们的帐篷与家中,祂特别吩咐不允许将任何异教习俗用在对祂的崇拜中。对那些富有魅力的异教附带品，上帝今日的感受依然相同吗？若果如此，祂会如何看待直接从罗马的太阳崇拜演变而来的异教太阳日呢？关于圣诞节与复活节连同它们所有与偶像崇拜及败德行为相连的象征性事物，祂是什么感受呢？还有代表向异教太阳神做特别献身的结婚戒指（译者注一），又如何呢？很难想象仅仅因为这些古代渎神行为的附带品现在渗透在基督教崇拜的现代形式中了，上帝就会允准接纳它们。

我常常在想，现代神学建树的那些豆腐渣理论，在天使们听来如何呢？这些天使们曾看着以色列人将自己出卖给假神，为假神发明了那些习俗。是否几年过去，或几百年过去了，就使天上的见证者忘记了这些事物从撒旦崇拜的仪式演变成基督教崇拜仪式的方式？是否时间也消除了上帝对那些同样曾用于巴力崇拜仪式中的象征物的剧烈憎恶呢？我们常常听到这样的解释：“我知道这些习俗是从异教来的，但我们现在遵守这些并不是为崇拜巴力或伊斯塔（译者注二）或太阳神。我们是用之来崇拜雅威（译者注三），真神上帝的。”

那或许是真的，但却忽视了耶和华上帝的再三命令――要拒绝任何与那些败德行为牵连的事物。我们不当用自己容易受影响的感觉去衡量它们，而是要遵照永不改变之上帝清楚的指示。怀旧的异教节日与习俗已经以其美丽的形式弄瞎了我们的眼睛，使我们看不见上帝曾采取的严厉措施，用来将伪宗教的每一遗物和纪念彻底销毁，正是这些假宗教尊崇了它们。

上帝为了保护祂的子民不被那些异教崇拜仪式强烈的声色吸引所败坏，就不允许他们和周围的民族有任何连结。与异族通婚是被禁止的。所有住在迦南地的民族都要被赶出去，或者被完全歼灭。我们几乎要因上帝为了保护以色列人，不使他们因接触而沾染邪恶所采取的激进步骤而颤栗。有时候全族都要受命被杀死——包括妇女、儿童和婴儿。他们久已因悖逆与罪恶刚硬了心肠，所以就不允许再被留下来作以色列人的试探之源。我们只能从上帝分别为圣的亮光来理解这种严厉的举措。上帝只有一种途径把祂的真理传达给地上的居民——祂的子民，以色列人。为辨明祂的圣德必需有一班将胜过罪恶的子民，并且向世界彰显祂的公义。上帝明白堕落人性的软弱，明白其对外在的刺激有强烈的反应，因此为以色列人预备了环境，使他们在此环境中可以保持一种得胜的、成圣的经验。祂命令他们远离外邦国家那些腐败的影响。

上帝对现代的以色列人也有同样的宗旨与心意吗？祂仍然寻求预备一班余民，就是将来证明撒旦对祂的控告是错误的余民吗？为了彰显上帝完美的公义，祂的子民今日是否有必要从堕落、邪恶的肉欲世界中截然分别出来呢？

“那从前警戒希伯来人不可与外邦人同化的话，与现今禁止基督徒不可随从不敬虔之人的精神和习惯的话，是一样的肯定而明确。”——《先祖与先知》，458面

没有人能相信现今的世俗社会与古以色列邪恶的邻国本质上会大相径庭。我们最高的社会与行业领袖们已经赞同了那些导致古时民族被毁灭的同样的罪恶。同性恋、luànlún、淫乱、魔鬼崇拜、占星术以及其它许多现在的罪恶，都是旧约时代神权政治下招致死罪的主要成分。

由于新约时代没有颁布立即的处决，我们就该相信那些罪今日在上帝眼中就较蒙悦纳了吗？我们的确能找到耶稣所吩咐的、防止人被那些习惯玷污的类似的严厉措施吗？毫无疑问，祂认出了感官试探的危险性，并制定了安全措施，听起来几乎与管束祂古时子民的措施一样严厉。“若是你的右眼叫你跌倒，就剜出来丢掉，宁可失去百体中的一体，不叫全身丢在地狱里。若是右手叫你跌倒，就砍下来丢掉，宁可失去百体中的一体，不叫全身下入地狱。”（太5：29~30）

在这些经文中，耶稣谈论的是眼睛所专注的以及手所占有的事物；但这强而有力的表达方式说明为保持洁净，这些肢体都需要严格地加以约束自制。这与现在多数宗教信徒那种随大流妥协的精神形成多么大的反差呀！那种随众妥协的精神毫不强调尽力控制我们行为的方式、我们所看的、以及怎样吃穿等等。反倒以高调的灵性来告诫年轻人说，注意这些事就是“行为主义者”或“功劳导向”。这种顾虑能破坏因信称义的美好经验，我们蒙告知，这经验仅仅是由相信十字架上耶稣的真实功劳组成的。

主的话指出，祂看出了撒旦在试图征服人的意念与意志时仍会继续沿用的攻击路线。同时也指出，剜出或砍下任何一种可能导致罪的影响力，需要采取何等紧迫而必需的行动。的确，宁可失去身体的感觉器官，也强于全部身心灵都下入地狱的火里。

注一：戒指源自古代太阳崇拜。古代戒指以玉石制成环状，象征太阳神日轮，认为它象太阳神一样，给人以温暖，庇护着人类的幸福和平安，同时也象征着美德与永恒，真理与信念。婚礼时，新郎戴金戒指，象征着火红的太阳；新娘戴银戒指，象征着皎洁的月亮。

注二：伊斯塔（Ishtar）是古巴比伦爱情、生育和战争女神。早在基督降世之前，庆祝和给伊斯塔女神做礼拜已经在许多国家进行了几个世纪。复活节(Easter)这个字和日子就是来自Ishtar 这个字和日子

注三：Yahweh音译“雅威”，即耶和华上帝。

Chapter 4   SAYING NO TO THE EMOTIONS

　
　　JESUS taught that it is our responsibility to say no to those things which appeal to the self-nature of fallen man. "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34.

　　Surely our Lord establishes in these words that there must be a constant resisting and rejecting of those things which cater to the physical propensities. Do we imagine for a moment that there will be no struggle or battle involved in this process? The clamor of fleshly desires will turn every life into a battlefield. Satan will take the opportunity to display before the senses those physical attractions which six thousand years of experimentation have proven to be the most powerful in securing the consent of man's will. Whether a person is converted or unconverted, his fallen nature is tempted by those appeals of the flesh. James describes it this way: "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." James 1:14. This is just another way of saying that the sinful nature is strongly drawn or "enticed" by such attractions.

　　Now let's answer an important question. What does it mean to deny self, and who has the power to do it? The dictionary defines the word "deny" in this way: "withhold, refuse to grant, disallow." Can't you see how the will is being appealed to through the fallen nature? Some answer is required-either to refuse or accept. Jesus said that if any man chooses to follow Him and be a Christian, there is only one possible answer to be given. Self must be denied. The will must withhold and refuse to grant the urgent petitions of the self-nature to indulge the flesh!

　　This self-denial will never be easy, but it is possible, by the grace of God. We can choose our own master. As free moral agents, we can also decide which rules to order our lives by. God has given a simple and complete blueprint in the Bible for living the Christian life. The road map to heaven is laid out so clearly that anyone can understand and follow it. Because we have the power of choice, we are not forced to accept the conditions of salvation. If we don't like the rules in the Bible, we can simply reject them. God will never compel us to follow them. He gives us perfect freedom to accept any lifestyle of our choice. If we decide to go along with the crowd in the broad road, and live by their uninhibited standards, no one can stop us. We can even sit down and make up our own rules if we so choose. But one fact must be clearly understood: we will never get to heaven by that route. If we are saved IT WILL BE ON GOD'S TERMS ALONE!

　　Are those terms too demanding? Do they require more than we can give? No. They are simple enough for every person to fulfil if the mind is yielded to Christ. Only two choices finally present themselves to each individual. There are two roads before us-the broad and the narrow; two natures struggle to control us-the spiritual and the fleshly; two voices appeal to us-Christ and the world. There can be no mixture of these two inviting alternatives-no pleasant blending of portions from both sides. It must be one or the other and nothing in between. To accept one is to deny the other.

　　We have no choice about making the choice! Some things we can't control, but this decision about who rules the mind and will has been left for us to settle. And settle it we must! We didn't make the choice to come into this world, but if we are not in the next world, it will be our decision alone.

　　The truth is that all of us are running a race which will decide our eternal destiny, and there are no second prizes or consolation prizes. We either get everything in the end-eternal life-or we lose everything and suffer eternal death.

　　What a tremendous responsibility rests upon everyone who is engaged in this great marathon event which will determine our destiny! There is a legend about a pack of dogs who were chasing a little rabbit. According to the story, one of the dogs said to all the others in the pack, "Look, you fellows drop out and let me have the glory of making this catch. Let me show you how this thing should be done." So all the others dropped out and the one dog kept on in hot pursuit of that little rabbit. But the rabbit was faster than the dog and made a rapid getaway. Finally the dog came limping back to join the pack with his tail between his legs, and the other dogs asked, "What happened?" According to the legend, the dog gave this answer, "Well, he was running for his life, and I was just running for my dinner." Doesn't that bring a great truth into focus? The little rabbit knew that his very life depended upon his speed and effort. The dog might not have been deeply concerned because he had very little to lose.

　　Now I've seen some people running this race of life as though they didn't care whether they won or lost. Their interest seemed to be very shallow; they were apathetic about the way they lived; they were swayed by impulse and tides of circumstance. How very earnest we should be about winning this race for eternity! Life and death are the results of our efforts in this contest. Everyone of us is in the midst of battle day by day. There can be no idle bystanders or neutrals in this fight. Every soul will be on one side or the other. Much of the struggle revolves around our own will. Every day we have to choose whether to do right or do wrong. Every moment we are either following emotion or following conviction. We must live either by impulse or by principle. Either Christ or Satan will be at the control center of our life.

　　Would you like to know who will dominate your life today? The one who is loved the most will always be in charge. Every sin of every person involves one of two things. Either we are trying to please another person or else we are trying to gratify our own selfish impulses. In other words, all sin revolves around either loving someone else more than God, or loving ourselves and our own flesh-pleasing more than God. Think about it for a moment. Every immorality and impurity is rooted here. Who will take the first place? Christ? Or you? Or another person? The Christian life demands total surrender to one Master. If we are willing to give Him first and best of everything-if we love Him that much, there will be no problem with sin. The fact is that we either accommodate self or deny self.

　　But here is a most important fact to remember: only the regenerate, spiritual mind has the ability to say no to self. Those who have the mind of Christ, by being partakers of the divine nature, can be "more than conquerors," can be led "always to triumph," and can be "saved to the uttermost" from Satan's most virulent attacks.

　　"The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan.... Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end." The Desire of Ages, p. 324.

　　What a contrast in the two possible responses to temptation! We are either "impregnable" to the enemy or we are "at the mercy" of the enemy. The difference is conversion and being in "continual communion." How very necessary it is for every Christian to be in a state of constant surrender to the will of God. Without a daily feeding of the soul through prayer and Bible study, no one can be that impregnable fortress against sin.

　　But let's return to the crafty attempts of Satan to displace God's control of the mind. Even though all the organs of perception are assailed, it is the organ of sight which seems to be the most responsive to temptation. Jesus said, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." Matthew 6:22, 23.

　　Do you understand the implication that the eye can defile the whole being by what it allows into the mind? Consider adultery, for example. Like all other sins it begins with the thoughts or the imagination. Paul speaks of sin as "fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind." Ephesians 2:3. It is very likely that the largest number of evil thoughts are generated by illicit looking, and the overt acts of sin proceed from those wicked thoughts. So what we look at and how we look has a direct bearing on the actual physical sins committed. Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:28.

　　It is almost frightening to realize that guilt can be imputed even before the act is carried out by the body. The sin may already be mentally committed and perhaps the body is only waiting for an opportune moment to execute the physical violation. But mark this down and never forget it: MOST SIN, WHETHER OF THE MIND OR BODY, HAS ITS ULTIMATE ROOTS IN THE SENSORY PERCEPTIONS. This helps us understand why Jesus said people could be cast into hell who did not control the eyes and the hands. Yet the impression is quite general among Christians that little needs to be said about these areas of conduct lest we be found "majoring in minors."

　　Has Satan indeed exploited the highly emotional physical senses in order to gain control of the mind and will? We have dramatic evidence on this point in the book of Genesis. He used it almost exclusively in his first temptation to make a human being sin. Read the story of Eve as she confronted the serpent at the forbidden tree and you will see how powerfully Satan baited that temptation with sensory appeal. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Genesis 3:6.

　　Here we have the unusual combination of sight, taste, and hearing. She saw how beautiful the fruit appeared. Satan always makes the path of sin attractive. Right and wrong can never be tested by what it looks like, feels like, or tastes like. Feelings can be generated and controlled by what we allow ourselves to look at or listen to. Satan spoke flattering words which appealed to Eve's ego and vanity. What she heard and saw influenced her feelings to such a degree that she became blinded to right and wrong. Inhibitions fell away and deliberate disobedience followed quickly. The fruit tasted so good that she could not believe that it was wrong to eat it.

　　In this story from the Garden of Eden, the pattern of Satan's future temptations is clearly set forth. The Old; Testament is filled with recitals of Satan's conquests and the same sordid plot of sensual appeal lies behind most of) them. Just as Eve stood before the tree looking, so David looked one day onto the roof next door, and saw al beautiful woman bathing. The incident wouldn't even be recorded in the Bible if David had been ruled by principle instead of impulse. The problem was that he kept looking until he was blinded just like Eve. This man of strength and character gazed so long at that which was forbidden, that he became a puppet of clay in Satan's hands. He sent for the woman, committed adultery, and finally murder, in order to get what his excited emotions demanded.

　　Did the evil one continue to attack God's people through the avenue of their senses? We could talk about dozens of such tragic experiences of compromise and defeat. It happened often to Israel as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. Many times they were enticed by the fleshly forms of pagan temple worship. Repeatedly the nation was punished for accommodating the altars of Baal and bending to the sensual customs of sun worship.

　　We can delineate only briefly the circumstances which reveal God's utter abhorrence for everything that related to Baal worship. He commanded His people to destroy every pagan altar and burn all the gods to ashes, "The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee.... Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it." Deuteronomy 7:25, 26. He also commanded "that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise." Deuteronomy 12:30.

　　God forbad Israel to bring any of the objects of Baal worship into their tents or homes, and He especially commanded that none of their pagan customs ever be used in connection with His worship. Does God still feel the same toward those glamorous appendages of heathenism today? If so, how does He relate to the pagan Sunday which was transferred directly from Roman sun worship? And what does He feel regarding Christmas and Easter with all their symbolic links to idolatry and immorality? And what about the wedding ring which represented special devotion to the pagan sungod? It is hard to imagine how divine approval could ever be extended to these accessories of ancient blasphemy just because they are now attached to modern forms of Christian worship.

　　I've often wondered how the watery rationalizations of modern theologians sound in the ears of angels who watched Israel sell out to the false gods for whom those customs were invented. Has the passing of a few years or a few hundred years caused the heavenly witnesses to forget the way in which they evolved from the rites of Satan-worship to rites of Christian worship? Has time removed the revulsion which God expressed for those same symbols as they were utilized in earlier orgies of Baal worship? We often hear this explanation: "I know these customs come from paganism, but we aren't observing them to honor Baal or Ishtar or Mithras. We are using them to worship Yahweh, the true God."

　　That may be true, but it ignores the repeated commands of Jehovah to reject everything related to those despised practices. We are not to measure them by our easily impressed senses, but by the declared counsels of the unchanging God. The beautiful forms of nostalgic pagan holidays and customs have blinded us to the extreme measures which God used to utterly annihilate every vestige and reminder of the counterfeit religions in which they were honored.

　　In order to preserve His people from being overcome by the highly sensory appeal of those pagan forms of worship, God allowed them to have no relationship with the nations around them. Intermarriage was forbidden. All the tribes who inhabited Canaan were to be driven out, or else totally exterminated. We almost shudder at the radical processes by which God protected Israel from contamination by contact. Sometimes entire tribes were ordered killed-including women, children and infants. They had become so hardened in rebellion and sin that they could not be permitted to remain as a source of temptation for Israel. We can only understand such drastic action in the light of God's concept of holiness by separation. God had only one way to communicate His truth to the inhabitants of the earth-His people, Israel. The vindication of His character required a people who would overcome sin, and reflect His righteousness to the world. Because He understood the weakness of fallen human nature and its powerful response to external stimuli, God provided the conditions under which the Israelites could maintain a victorious, sanctified experience. He ordered them to remain apart from the corrupt influences of the heathen nations.

　　Does God have the same plan and purpose for modern Israel? Is He still seeking to produce a remnant who will disprove Satan's charges against Him? Is it necessary today for His people to maintain a distinct and absolute separation from the fallen, satanic world of the flesh in order to reveal His perfect righteousness?

　　"The warnings given to the Hebrews against assimilating with the heathen were not more direct or explicit than are those forbidding Christians to conform to the spirit and customs of the ungodly." Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 458.

　　No one can believe that the nature of today's carnal society is measurably different from the perverse neighbors of ancient Israel. Our highest social and professional leaders have given approval to the same vices which led God to destroy those nations. Homosexuality, incest, fornication, Satanism, astrology and a dozen other current evils were the basis for capital punishment under the theocracy of the Old Testament.

　　Because immediate execution is not decreed in the New Testament, are we to believe that such sins are more acceptable to the same God today? Do we indeed find similar drastic measures commanded by Jesus in avoiding pollution by those practices? There can be no question that He recognized the dangers of sensory temptation, and laid down safeguards that sound almost as extreme as those which governed His people of old. "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29, 30.

　　In these verses, Jesus was talking about the things the eye focuses on, and the occupation of the hand, but the forceful language indicates that the faculties will need to be rigorously curbed and disciplined in order to remain pure. What a contrast to the easy-going, accommodating spirit of many present-day religionists! No emphasis is placed on such efforts to control the way we act, what we look at, how we eat or dress, etc: With an air of great spirituality, young people are admonished that to give attention to these things is "behaviorism" and "works oriented." Such concern can be destructive of the beautiful righteousness by faith experience, which, we are told, consists of nothing more than belief in the objective work of Jesus on the cross.

　　The words of our Lord indicate that He recognized the avenues of attack which Satan would still be following in attempting to conquer the mind and will. They also reveal the urgent necessity of strong, determined action in plucking out and cutting off every influence which might lead into sin. Indeed it is better to lose the physical organs of perception than to lose both body and soul in the fires of hell.