And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
When the unclean spirit comes back, it finds the person like a house swept and garnished, outwardly put in order and appearing to be connected with Christ, yet empty of His grace and without a living connection to Him. Church membership and a profession of piety do not by themselves make a person a member of Christ's body. Without that vital connection to Christ, the person bears no good fruit.
Without being filled with Christ's grace, such an empty but ordered life is not secure but remains open to the spirit's return to a worse condition. Continuing without that connection leads to separation from Christ. There is no neutrality in serving Christ; the soul needs entire consecration of thought, voice, spirit, and every power.
When the unclean spirit comes back, it finds the person like a house swept and garnished, outwardly put in order and appearing to be connected with Christ, yet empty of His grace and without a living connection to Him. Church membership and a profession of piety do not by themselves make a person a member of Christ's body. Without that vital connection to Christ, the person bears no good fruit.
Without being filled with Christ's grace, such an empty but ordered life is not secure but remains open to the spirit's return to a worse condition. Continuing without that connection leads to separation from Christ. There is no neutrality in serving Christ; the soul needs entire consecration of thought, voice, spirit, and every power.