"Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?" (Romans 2:22, KJV)
Definition of Sacrilege
According to the KJV Dictionary, Sacrilege is defined as the following:
The crime of violating or profaning sacred things; or the alienating to laymen or to common purposes what has been appropriated or consecrated to religious persons or uses.
"And the hid treasures in her sacred tomb with sacrilege to dig."
For additional context, Wikipedia gives the following definition of sacrilege: "Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offense is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical, it is often called desecration."
Bible Meaning of Sacrilege
Sacrilege is an act of disrespect toward a sacred person, place, or object. Sacrilege happens when someone intentionally mistreats a sanctified object, defiles a sacred place, or talks in an impious manner of something associated with God. The term "sacrilege" has Latin origins: sacer (“sacred”) and legere (“to steal”).
Originally, the word sacrilege seemingly applied to acts of grave robbers who desecrated tombs but has come to refer to any “stealing” of sacredness from a spiritual place, object, or person.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their sacrilegious practice of hypocritic oath-taking. In their oaths, the Pharisees tried to make a differentiation between the temple and the gold in the temple treasury and between the altar and the gift on the altar, giving preference to the gold and gift of the altar.
Jesus preached that the temple and everything connected with it was ordained to God, so any oath made on any part of the temple was binding before God (see the following Bible text).
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it" (Matthew 23:16-22).
Modern Examples of Sacrilege
One of the most common forms of sacrilege today is the profaning of God’s holy name and the name of our Lord Jesus. This is in blatant violation of Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” and Psalm 139:20, "They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain!"
The New Testament forbids “corrupting talk” which surely includes using God’s name as a swear word. "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29).
Another form of modern sacrilege is blasphemous media such as movies, television shows, music, or artwork that dishonor the sanctity of Jesus, God, or the Bible. While sacrilegious artwork may be legally permitted in modern liberal countries, all sacrilege and blasphemy will ultimately be judged by God. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).
Bible Verses about Sacrilege
"You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (Romans 2:21-24).
"They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain" (Titus 1:11).
"If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:17).
"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away" (1 Peter 5:1-4).
"For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves" (1 Corinthians 11:29).
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