Cleansed from All Filthiness and Perfecting Holiness 2 Corinthians 7:1

As Paul the apostle completed the last chapter, he instructed the church members in Corinth to, “come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord”, and he reminded them how God said, “and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”. In chapter seven and verse one of Second Corinthians, Paul exhorted the church members to be, “cleansed from all filthiness” and to be “perfecting holiness” where we read:

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves

from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The verse begins, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves

from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,...” Paul began with the words, “having therefore” which means “holding, owning and possessing then, verily and wherefore” “these promises” or “the assents, messages and pledges that God would receive and make them sons and daughters”, “dearly beloved” which means “esteemed, dear, favorite and worthy of love”, “let us cleanse” or “allow Paul, his companions and the church members to remove defilement and purify of sins, faults and wickedness” “ourselves” which means “Paul and the church members” “from all filthiness” or “separating and departing from each, every and the whole defilement, stain and immorality” “of the flesh” which refers to “the sensuous nature of man which denotes mere human nature and the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God” “and spirit” or “the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one”. Paul appealed to the Corinthians to rid themselves of all “defilement” and “stain” attached to the “flesh” and “spirit” within them.

The verse continues, “...perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Paul continued with the word, “perfecting” which means “bringing to an end, accomplishing, executing and completing” “holiness” or “moral purity and majesty” “in the fear” which means “in the dread, terror, fright, reverence and awe” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and they Holy Spirit”. “Revering” God should be the motivation for “holy living” within the church members.

When we think through these words of Paul, we understand his incitement for the Corinthians. They were given great promise to be God's family when they believed, and they were no longer give in to “fleshly” “defilement”. They were to “complete and accomplish” “holiness” while remembering the “fear and awe” of the Lord. Jesus Christ desires to save people from their old lives of sin and darkness, and once they receive Him as “Savior and Lord”, they should leave “immorality” and cleave to “holy living”. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit of God, and as Christians are being “cleansed” from their old habits and lifestyles, and the “reverence” of God must be paramount in their hearts and minds.

Next time Paul exhorts the church members to, “Receive us; we have wronged no man”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.