Articles
Conquering Disgust
A person can feel disgusted by: odors, tastes, behaviors, visible signs of dirt or infection, etc. When humans are repulsed they will display it non-verbally and typically will do what they can to get away from what is disgusting them. Biblical examples can be seen in the priest’s and Levite’s reactions during the good Samaritan parable in Luke 10. God shows humanity a better way to manage and even conquer disgust: love.
God is revulsed by sin. During the time of Noah, God flooded the world due to its inhabitants and saved Noah because of his righteousness. Yet, no matter how much God is disgusted by sin, His love for you and me is more. After the flood, He showed Noah a rainbow as a promise to never destroy the world again with water. As an example in the New Testament, Romans 5:8 reads, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus came down to this Earth to teach mankind about God and redeem us from our sins by shedding His divine blood on the cross. God and His son Jesus Christ are the greatest and only perfect example of genuine love because they made the ultimate sacrifice for our sakes even though we did nothing to deserve it (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
When God had every reason to be disgusted with humanity and not want anything to do with us, He chose to forgive and embrace us instead. The waters of baptism represent Jesus’ divine blood on the cross. When you submerge yourself in the waters of baptism, Jesus’ blood is washing away your previous sins and you become a child of God who vows to follow Jesus’ teachings. Romans 12:9 reads, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” In Jesus’ good Samaritan parable, the person who displayed His teachings was the one that was least expected. The Samaritan not only bandaged the wounded man up, but he went out of His way to show him brotherly love till he was all better. Not only did Jesus willingly die on the cross to give us the opportunity to be baptized for the remission of sins, but He also continues to be there for us till we reach Heaven (Matt. 28:20 and John 14:26). The next time we feel disgusted as a result of someone else, let us all strive to remember the love that God and His son have shown us.
