June 18, 2019 -- II Corinthians 7:1 -- Cleanse yourself from defilement

Since 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.

II Corinthians 7:1 English Standard Version

Here are some the promises:

We are the temple, the dwelling place, of the Living God (6:16)

Now is the day of salvation (6:2) that Christ and all His benefits are available to all who call on Him

We are, in Christ, a new creation, the old has passed away the new has come (5:17)

If the tent of our body is destroyed, because of the work of Christ we have a home in heaven (5:1)

Into our hearts God is pouring the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus (4:6)

When we forgive someone we do so for the restoration of the fellowship and the sake of Christ (2:10)

Just these six promises alone are enough to motivate us to put away sinful deeds and thoughts. (The Bible is rich and overflowing with so many promises of the mercy, kindness, and love of God which are balanced by His justice and terrible wrath which remind us NOW, TODAY is the day of salvation. Today, if we hear His voice we must not harden our hearts. Today leave your sin and follow Jesus.) These six promises show us the extravagant goodness of God to all who believe in Jesus and follow in His ways.

Ah, the confession of sin is so difficult. We want to look like we have this holy living thing in hand. We want to look good in the eyes of others.

The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner.

So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and

from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many

Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner

is discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone

in our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that

we are all sinners!

Edward T. Welch “ADDICTIONS: A Banquet in the Grave—Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel”

But thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ—we may confess our sins. We are told to confess our sins and so cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. God is working out holiness in us. Those who believe in Jesus Christ are declared to be justified, their sins have been punished in the Person of Jesus and such believers are set free to follow God. The next step is sanctification—that is, the process of being made holy. Sin is being vanquished and hunted down in the life of the believer.

So often an accusation is made against Christians that they are “hypocrites.” They claim to be holy but act in such sinful ways. The fact is: Christians have their sins punished—Jesus stepped in and said to His Father “I will take the punishment for their sins.” And the sins Christians commit we are to hate. We are to confess. We are to remove ourselves from sin and learn to grow in the holiness that is ours. Christians are not sinless—yet. That beautiful sinless state is given in eternity. Christians know they are sinners who are forgiven again and again because of the mercy of Christ. It is imperative, then, that Christians confess their sins and acknowledge their great need for on-going transformation.

This is why confession is such a huge part of the Christian life. Christ has come so that we are free to confess our sins. Christ has come so that Christians, we who still, regularly, fail in relationships and wound others, can find reconciliation in the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit Who takes the Word of God and the Work of Jesus and applies this remedy in every relationship and every place we need for healing. We just need to ask. We as believers and followers of Jesus must work to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of unforgiveness. And we do so in the fear of God. We are aware of His dreadful majesty. We are aware He holds the power of life and death, heaven and hell. We do not toy with the things of God, but urgently, in view of our allegiance to God as Sovereign King, we make effort to do the hard work of reconciliation.

Great and Glorious is the forgiveness You have won for us, Jesus. Blessed are You. Terrible in beauty are the nail scars at Your hands and feet, blessed is the spear wound at Your side. We know God has emptied all His righteous anger against sin on You and You have endured it so that we are called the God’s beloved sons and daughters. Spirit of God, help us to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit so that in us You will bring holiness to completion in the fear of God! For the glory of Jesus’ Name and to the honour and blessing and praise of the Father we pray this. Amen.