Topical Encyclopedia
The term "dissipated" refers to a lifestyle characterized by excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, often leading to moral and spiritual decay. In the context of the Bible, a dissipated life is one that is marked by a lack of self-control and a pursuit of worldly desires, which ultimately leads one away from God.
Biblical References and Context1.
Proverbs 23:20-21 : "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags." This passage warns against the dangers of overindulgence, highlighting the physical and spiritual poverty that results from a dissipated lifestyle.
2.
Ephesians 5:18 : "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Here, the Apostle Paul contrasts the effects of a dissipated life with the fullness of life in the Spirit, urging believers to seek spiritual fulfillment rather than temporary pleasures.
3.
Galatians 5:19-21 : "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." This passage lists behaviors associated with a dissipated life, warning that such practices are incompatible with inheriting God's kingdom.
4.
1 Peter 4:3-4 : "For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. Because of this, they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you." Peter acknowledges the past lives of believers and encourages them to live differently, even if it results in social ostracism.
Theological ImplicationsA dissipated lifestyle is often seen as a manifestation of living according to the flesh rather than the Spirit. It reflects a heart that is turned away from God and focused on self-gratification. The Bible consistently calls believers to a life of holiness, self-control, and spiritual discipline, contrasting the fleeting pleasures of a dissipated life with the eternal joy found in a relationship with God.
Moral and Spiritual ConsequencesThe Bible warns that a dissipated life leads to various negative consequences, including spiritual death, broken relationships, and a loss of purpose. It emphasizes the importance of repentance and turning away from such a lifestyle to embrace the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. Believers are encouraged to live in a manner worthy of their calling, reflecting the character of Christ in all aspects of life.
Practical ApplicationChristians are called to exercise self-control and to avoid situations that may lead to a dissipated lifestyle. This involves making conscious choices to pursue righteousness, engage in community with other believers, and seek accountability. By doing so, they can resist the temptations of the flesh and live a life that honors God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
imp. & p. p.) of Dissipate.
2. (a.) Squandered; scattered.
3. (a.) Wasteful of health, money, etc., in the pursuit of pleasure; dissolute; intemperate.
Library
On Dissipation
... of this is, that, although the thing has been long among us, especially since the
time of King Charles the Second (one of the mostdissipated mortals that ever...
Go Forth, O Ye Daughters of Zion, and Behold King Solomon with the...
... In this way, instead of becoming interior and collecting all the forces of his soul,
as David did, to call upon God, his strength isdissipated and wasted....
Lukewarmness. The Loss of Grace. Inconvenience of Laxity in...
... 10. So, then, when I began to indulge in these conversations, I did not think, seeing
they were customary, that my soul must be injured anddissipated, as I...
In the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius C??sar and under the Pontificate...
... The free citizens were idle,dissipated, sunken; their chief thoughts of the theatre
and the arena; and they were mostly supported at the public cost....
The First Kings.
... Eli, whose sons weredissipated, and slain by God's revealed purpose on account
of their enemies, preceded him, so that Samuel saw the last of the Theocracy...
History of Public Speaking
... Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, my understanding is sharpened, and all
dismal thoughts and temptations aredissipated." What the great Reformer...
The Sermon that the Reverend Father in Christ
... beginneth: There was a certain rich man that had a steward, which was accused
unto him that he haddissipated and wasted his goods....
The True Doctrine is to be Sought in the Prophets.
... For falsehood is notdissipated by the bare presentation of the truth, but by the
practical improvement of the truth it is ejected and put to flight....
The Importance of the Death of Christ in Preaching and in Theology
... and who are only too ready to believe that if the familiar form in which the truth
has been expressed is varied, the substance is being injured ordissipated....
The Method of Prayer
... exercise should consist in the contemplation of the Divine Presence: we should be
also exceedingly watchful and diligent in recalling ourdissipated senses, as...
Thesaurus
Dissipated (1 Occurrence)... 3. (a.) Wasteful of health, money, etc., in the pursuit of pleasure; dissolute;
intemperate. Multi-Version Concordance
Dissipated (1 Occurrence).
...Vanish (21 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To pass from a visible to an invisible state; to go out of sight; to disappear;
to fade; as, vapor vanishes from the sight by beingdissipated; a ship...
Gathering (71 Occurrences)
... Luke 15:13 And after not many days the younger son gathering all together went away
into a country a long way off, and theredissipated his property, living in...
Gay (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (superl.) Brilliant in colors; splendid; fine; richly dressed. 3. (superl.) Loose;
dissipated; lewd. 4. (n.) An ornament. Multi-Version Concordance...
Fast (157 Occurrences)
... 13. (v.) Given to pleasure seeking; disregardful of restraint; reckless; wild;
dissipated; dissolute; as, a fast man; a fast liver. 14....
Thoughtless (17 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (adv.) Lacking thought; careless; inconsiderate; rash;
as, a thoughtless person, or act. 2. (adv.) Giddy; gay;dissipated....
Dissipation (4 Occurrences)
Dissimulation (3 Occurrences)
Dew (35 Occurrences)
... into vast snow-white clouds, which presently break into separate masses and rise
up the mountain-sides, to disappear in the blue above,dissipated by the...
Dissolve (4 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To annul; to rescind; to discharge or release; as, to dissolve an injunction.
7. (vi) To waste away; to bedissipated; to be decomposed or broken up....
Resources
Was Jonah truly swallowed by a whale? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Obed-Edom in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho was King Elah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgDissipated: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus