Christ Versus Belial
"What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?..." (2 Corinthians 6:15)
This is a sequel to yesterday's lesson. Here, Apostle Paul poses a rhetorical question to contrast Christ with Belial. We can only understand Paul's point better if we isolate and study each party in detail.
Remember first of all that from the previous verse, Paul begins to contrast opposite concepts in a series of rhetorical questions. The first is righteousness and wickedness, then light and darkness. Christ and Belial is the third in the series. This suggests that the two concepts are being projected as opposites of each other.
Christ, the anointed one, is a representation of God. Belial, on the other hand, personifies the devil. But its root meaning is more revealing. The word 'Belial' is a compound Greek word which means "without worth or use" or "worthless." The devil is appareled in the cloak of worthlessness.
Now, here is the crux of today's message: beware of any habit, behavior or activity that brings you no value, worth or positive impact. The devil resides in worthlessness. That is why Paul says…
"Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial…" (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Be wary of anything that is not beneficial. It could be countless hours on social media, many worthless movies, or numerous moments of hanging around with friends of no positive influence.
It is the devil's trap aimed at good Christians who will do well to avoid plain evil but get caught up in worthless habits. Remember that there is no harmony between Christ (the anointed one of God) and Belial (worthlessness).
Remain inspired!
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