“1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained” (I Timothy 4:1-6)..

     As a Pastor, I often find myself visiting people in the hospital and spending long hours there with families who have loved ones in dire life threatening health situations. I have spent whole days and long nights with families waiting for news from the doctors regarding the health of loved ones. Often I have heard the Code Blue announcement over the loud speakers and the immediate rush of healthcare personnel to a particular room. When that happens, there is often a panicked look that comes over the faces of the people I am with. A Code Blue is used to indicate a patient with injuries/illnesses that present an immediate life-threatening emergency. The family immediately think that their loved one may be the focus of this emergency attention.

     Although the attention of everyone understanding the Code Blue announcement is immediately drawn to the immediate danger of the individual to which the Code Blue is addressed, that individual is probably unconscious and not consciously aware of the danger he is in. His survival is dependant upon those conscious of the danger that individual is in and by their immediate response to that danger. A Code Blue is a warning call to all Caregivers within the immediate surroundings of the individual in danger to respond. If those Caregivers do not respond in time, or in a way that addresses the issues of what has putt that individual in danger, that individual will probably die. In other words, it is not enough that the Caregivers merely respond. Caregivers must respond to the exact conditions that are causing the threat. If the individual in danger is having a heart attack, it will do no good to begin working on an ingrown toe nail.

     Selfish people live in a Code Blue situation spiritually. They are in extreme danger and are usually not conscious of the danger they are in. Although the danger eventually may prove to be life threatening (self destructive lifestyles leading to the ultimate act of despair, i.e., suicide), the immediate danger is that of acquiring a seared conscience (I Timothy 4:2). Caregivers dealing with selfishness often merely address the outward expressions of selfishness (the symptoms) while never dealing with the actual cause of those symptoms; i.e., SELFISHNESS. These symptoms are what Paul addresses in II Timothy chapter three.

“1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (II Timothy 3:1-5).

     The Code Blue problem threatening the spiritual life of the individual in danger is SELF LOVE, which will manifest itself with one or more of the symptoms listed in verses two through five. It will do not good for the Caregivers to merely point their fingers at the symptoms or to even eradicate the symptoms externally. The source of these problems (symptoms of selfishness) must be the focus of the Caregivers.

     The source of the symptoms is SELF LOVE and it is a deep seated problem that goes to the very core of our fallen natures. The symptoms are like boils that burst forth on the surface of the skin. They are ugly and disgusting. The tendency in caring for them is to merely drain the pus or to cover them with a Band-Aid. However, to correct the problem, the infection must be dealt with at its source or at its core. The source of the corruption is the seed of Satan within our fallen natures; SELFISHNESS.

      Selfishness is like a bacteria that constantly mutates to become resistant to the antibiotics that are administered to kill it. The more rapidly a bacteria is able to mutate, the more life threatening in becomes. These bacteria are like a cancerous growth in the body. They must be killed or removed or they will eventually kill the person infected by them. Unfortunately, they are capable of mutating and hiding. The patient may think the infection has been cured (killed) only to discover that the bacteria or cancer lies dormant for awhile, then mutates or metastasizes only to flare up again at the least opportune time and is now resistant to the original prescribed medication or treatment.

     The human conscience is God’s spiritual mechanism built into the human nature intended to make us aware of actions or temptations that put us in spiritual danger. The infection of the human nature with the satanic seed of selfishness threatens the human conscience with being seared to the conviction of the Holy Spirit to what is right and what is wrong through the confrontation of our sin natures with the Truths of God’s Word. The fallen human nature is in danger of becoming unwilling to look at what God exposes to our conscience through the confrontation of His Word. When we repeatedly refuse to look at what God exposes to our conscience through the confrontation of His Word, our consciences become seared.

     The words “seared with a hot iron” in I Timothy 4:2 are from the Greek word kauteriazo (kow-tay-ree-ad'-zo). The phrase “seared with a hot iron” is a literal translation of this one Greek word. In ancient times, the sword and spear were the primary armaments of war. When someone was gashed, stabbed, or pierced by one of this sharp instruments, if the individual was not immediately killed by the wound, the danger was in bleeding to death. The bleeding had to be stopped very quickly and in a very radical way to save a person’s life.

     The battlefield surgeons would keep swords and spear tips heated red-hot in the fire in the Surgeons tent. When a wounded soldier was brought in, there would be no time to wait to get these items hot. Once on the Surgeons table, the wound would be opened and the hot metal of the heated sword or spearhead would be applied to the flesh, searing the open ends of arteries or blood veins and keeping the precious nectar of life from escaping. This would be repeated until the bleeding was stopped.

     However, the treatment that would save the life often scarred the flesh around the wound so badly that all feeling was lost in the area of the wound. If the sense of feeling was not completely lost, the area of the wound became severely desensitized. Most soldiers would be wounded many times over their lifetimes. Men would completely lose the feeling in injured arms or legs to the point they could no longer use those parts of their bodies. Although they survived, they were often rendered useless as soldiers and ended up becoming beggars or, killing themselves rather than becoming beggars.

     Paul is using this well known example from a common cultural experience of his day to reveal what happens spiritually to the individual that repeatedly refuses to heed the warnings of the Word of God. Selfishness will wound us often. Unless we deal with this problem internally, eventually the external wounds caused by the symptoms will inflict so much damage that our consciences become “seared with a hot iron.” The use of this metaphor focus attention upon the OUTCOME of repeatedly refusing to respond to God’s exposure of faults in our character (the symptoms) that are deeply wounding us spiritually to the place where our hope of spiritual life and living in harmony with God is rapidly draining away. When the heat of God’s Word has to be applied over and over again, and the sinner does not make the necessary corrections to avoid the repetition, eventually all sensitivity to God’s workings will be gone. The facts of this metaphor would have presented very basic truths that even the most juvenile of Christians at the time of the Apostles would have understood and, you can be sure they would all have taken it very seriously. So should we!

     What are some things that those of us infected with Satan’s seed of selfishness can do to avoid having our consciences “seared with a hot iron”? God has issued a Code Blue warning regarding our consciences being “seared with a hot iron.” The solution is simple: REPENTANCE. There is a universal call from God to repentance to all those with a fallen nature. It is not a one time call or a one time act. Repentance is the CONTINUAL dying to Self (the satanic seed of selfishness). Repentance is not just something we HAVE DONE in the past. Repentance is something true believers are CONSTANTLY DOING. There is a beginning to true repentance, but there is no ending of true repentance in this life.

“24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (II Timothy 2:24-26).

     The fact of the matter is that professing Christians who do not live within the realm of Christian experience that results in a life of moment-by-moment, continual repentance are people who ought to question the reality of their salvation. Salvation begins with “repentance toward God” and then “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Having been “born again” is manifested by that BEGINNING (“repentance toward God” and then “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”) CONTINUING throughout the believer’s life. The Bible clearly teaches that “righteousness of God {imputed to the repenting/believing sinner is} revealed from {saving} faith to {living or practicing} faith: as it is written, The just{ified} shall live by faith {fidelity to the Truths believed}” (Romans 1:17).

“5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:5-8).

     The focus of the proclamation (preaching) of God’s Truths begins first with a call to “repentance toward God” and then a call to “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). God’s commands regarding repentance have almost been eradicated from the message of modern day evangelicalism. The degree modern day evangelicalism distorts, minimizes, or removes the importance of God’s commands regarding repentance from the message of God to sinners is the degree that evangelicalism moves into heresy.

     Water baptism is a physical portrayal of the testimony of a believer to live CONTINUALLY within the daily, moment-by moment commitment to “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). It is much more than merely a look backward to a NEW BEGINNING. It is also a look forward to a CONTINUITY of that New Beginning. Baptism is intended to portray a lifelong commitment to “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). For this reason and because of inadequate teaching regarding the purpose of water, I have often said many people never really got baptized. They just got wet.

“1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:1-6).

     Christians who understand the Truths regarding “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) are not deceived into thinking that people who make professions, but who continue to live in unrepentant sin, are saved. If those people refuse to return to live a life of “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,” it must be presumed that they are in fact not saved because that is not how true Christians live their lives.

“1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” Galatians 6:1-2).

     Yes, we all need to be gentle, loving, and kind in partnering with God to call a sinner back to live a life of “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,” because the question of the genuineness of a person’s profession of faith in Christ is not something we can know for sure. However, if a person fails to return to live a life of “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,” we should not fool ourselves into thinking he is surely saved based upon some past action. He may be saved, but the evidence is pointing in a different direction.

     We should not be asking such a person, “how can a Christian live in such obvious unrepentance and unbelief.” We should be declaring that a true believer lives a life of “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” We should be emphatic to any individual, that is not living in the reality of “repentance toward God” and “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,” that the evidence of Scripture is that their testimony of salvation is a lie and that their testimony of water baptism is a lie. The fact of the matter is that they now have two witnesses against them confirming that their testimony is a false testimony and that they are still lost in their sins.

     It is one thing to know that our human nature has been corrupted by the satanic seed of selfishness, but it is another thing altogether to somehow think that we can continue to allow that satanic seed to have dominion over our lives and still think we are saved. Saved people may slip back into the mire pit occasionally for a short time, but they will no longer feel comfortable wallowing there. If you can enjoy wallowing there, you do not have a new nature “in Christ” and you most probably are not saved.

“20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (II Peter 2:20-22).