“Since then we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
In this passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthians. If you check out 1 Corinthians, you’ll get an idea of where this church has been, what it has been doing, and why a couple of intense letters from Paul (along with a good deal of prayer and supplication) were necessary to get it back on the right track. The Corinthians were sinning hardcore: disgusting sexual relations, defiling the Lord’s Supper, and allowing divisions in the church, just to name a few.
Paul’s first letter is very confrontational. However, in 2 Corinthians we see a shift in attitude and in message. Paul is encouraging them and praising them! Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to instruct and teach. Titus was very encouraged by there progress and evident love for the Lord and willingness to repent of their sinful ways.
In chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds the church that the body of believers is a temple of the Lords, and because of this, believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Whether this yoking refers only to marriage or to both marriage and dating, I’m unsure. But the main idea is that believers are light and unbelievers are darkness, and the two do not and should not blend. Believers must continually separate themselves from sin and darkness by striving to become holy as God is holy. Remeber that God commands us to be salt and light in darkness, so living among and spending time with unbelievers is very necessary! However, conforming to the patterns of a fallen world is not. Love the unbeliever, but do not become like him.
So then we reach 2 Corinthians 7:1. This verse stuck with me this morning as I did my devotions. God promises in the previous chapter that He will dwell among His people and that He will make us sons and daughters! How awesome is that! What does God require in exchange for this love and endearment? That we, with fear and trembling, cleanse ourseleves from EVERY defilement of body and spirit (physical and spiritual) and that we become transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ, God’s Son.
The words that stood out to me most were the words “beloved” and “fear of God”. God uses a term of sweet endearment and love to remind us that this transformation is for our good and God’s glory. He is not demanding perfection as an angry father would, continually disciplining and rebuking his child as he messes up and fails. He has called us beloved. Beloved. Beloved of God. We are loved with a love that cannot be marred, destroyed, or taken away. We are truly loved. All rebuking and discipline is done in love.
The second phrase is “fear of God”. Often times I forget who I’m talking of and reading about. Just as C.S. Lewis described Aslan in his Chronicles of Narnia series, God is not a tame God, but He is good. Often I forget that God is a God of wrath, of jealousy, of righteous anger, and of perfection. He is a loving father, but He is also a just and holy God. When we strive to conform ourselves to the image of God’s Son, we need to do it out of the fear and respect for God, knowing that He commands obedience and holiness from his Church. His beloved.
So what is my response? After I finished my devotions, I grabbed a yellow index card from my moms desk and marked down five things that I need to change.
1. Continually assault my sins (the nit picky ones that I so often let go)
2. Don’t defend yourself
3. Always make time for God
4. Stop searching for and stressing about your future (school, jobs, men, etc). Wait for God’s perfect timing.
5. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. (condensed version of Proverbs 3:5-6)
On the top of the card I wrote: “Lord, give me strength to change. I can’t do it on my own.” And on the back I wrote 2 Corinthians 7:1.
How are you going to cleanse yourself from every defilement of body and spirit today?
In this passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthians. If you check out 1 Corinthians, you’ll get an idea of where this church has been, what it has been doing, and why a couple of intense letters from Paul (along with a good deal of prayer and supplication) were necessary to get it back on the right track. The Corinthians were sinning hardcore: disgusting sexual relations, defiling the Lord’s Supper, and allowing divisions in the church, just to name a few.
Paul’s first letter is very confrontational. However, in 2 Corinthians we see a shift in attitude and in message. Paul is encouraging them and praising them! Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to instruct and teach. Titus was very encouraged by there progress and evident love for the Lord and willingness to repent of their sinful ways.
In chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds the church that the body of believers is a temple of the Lords, and because of this, believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Whether this yoking refers only to marriage or to both marriage and dating, I’m unsure. But the main idea is that believers are light and unbelievers are darkness, and the two do not and should not blend. Believers must continually separate themselves from sin and darkness by striving to become holy as God is holy. Remeber that God commands us to be salt and light in darkness, so living among and spending time with unbelievers is very necessary! However, conforming to the patterns of a fallen world is not. Love the unbeliever, but do not become like him.
So then we reach 2 Corinthians 7:1. This verse stuck with me this morning as I did my devotions. God promises in the previous chapter that He will dwell among His people and that He will make us sons and daughters! How awesome is that! What does God require in exchange for this love and endearment? That we, with fear and trembling, cleanse ourseleves from EVERY defilement of body and spirit (physical and spiritual) and that we become transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ, God’s Son.
The words that stood out to me most were the words “beloved” and “fear of God”. God uses a term of sweet endearment and love to remind us that this transformation is for our good and God’s glory. He is not demanding perfection as an angry father would, continually disciplining and rebuking his child as he messes up and fails. He has called us beloved. Beloved. Beloved of God. We are loved with a love that cannot be marred, destroyed, or taken away. We are truly loved. All rebuking and discipline is done in love.
The second phrase is “fear of God”. Often times I forget who I’m talking of and reading about. Just as C.S. Lewis described Aslan in his Chronicles of Narnia series, God is not a tame God, but He is good. Often I forget that God is a God of wrath, of jealousy, of righteous anger, and of perfection. He is a loving father, but He is also a just and holy God. When we strive to conform ourselves to the image of God’s Son, we need to do it out of the fear and respect for God, knowing that He commands obedience and holiness from his Church. His beloved.
So what is my response? After I finished my devotions, I grabbed a yellow index card from my moms desk and marked down five things that I need to change.
1. Continually assault my sins (the nit picky ones that I so often let go)
2. Don’t defend yourself
3. Always make time for God
4. Stop searching for and stressing about your future (school, jobs, men, etc). Wait for God’s perfect timing.
5. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. (condensed version of Proverbs 3:5-6)
On the top of the card I wrote: “Lord, give me strength to change. I can’t do it on my own.” And on the back I wrote 2 Corinthians 7:1.
How are you going to cleanse yourself from every defilement of body and spirit today?
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