Don’t Defile God’s Creation || 2 Corinthians 7:1 || Manna for the Mind #96

Welcome to Day 96 of the “Manna for the Mind” devotional! This series is about taking scripture passages (typically 1-3 verses) and building our understanding of their teachings through their context and connecting scripture. I believe that doing this helps us understand how to be the type of human that God created us to be.

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 7:1. We’re discussing the cleansing we must take to keep our body and spirit holy.

2 Corinthians 7:1

AMP	1 Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecreated life – a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God.
NLT	1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
MSG	1 With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

Immediately, I’m wondering what promises Paul is referring to here. We’ll need to go back to the end of 2 Corinthians 6 to see. Paul’s letters were one piece of literature, not broken down into the different chapters and verses we know.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 shares with us the promises that Paul talks about. I will share this from the AMP translation to get a close understanding of what Paul said in the original Greek.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14          Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteous have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

15          What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

16          What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said: “I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17          “So come out with unbelievers and be separate,” says the Lord, “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will graciously receive you and welcome you [with favor],

18          And I will be a Father to you, And you will be My sons and daughters,” Says the Lord Almighty.

What are the promises?

• God will live among us and walk alongside us.
• We have a relationship with God.

This happens through living a pure and holy life. This cleansing is twofold: turning away from sin and towards God. We do this work to get towards complete holiness. We perfect the holiness that God created us to have. In this context, Paul told the Corinthians to have nothing to do with pagan temples or feasts. They were to make a clean break from their past and completely give their lives to God. Paul didn’t mean they would become sinless, for none of us can. Paul states many times that he wasn’t perfect. Instead, he encouraged them to work on maturing their faith.

God gave them everything they needed, and the Spirit of Christ empowered them to become Christlike. The same is true for us. God has provided everything we need to become Christlike. We might have to go out and get those resources, but God has provided everything we need to survive. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us utilize those resources to the best of our ability. This discernment is how we can keep our body and spirit clean, holy, and pure.

Peter goes into more in 1 Peter 1:15-16, which says this (Verse 14 is provided for context).

1 Peter 1:14-16

AMP	14 [Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation]. 15 But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by our godly character and moral courage]; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy (set apart), for I am holy.”
NLT	14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
MSG	14-16 Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

We must be holy because God is holy. We do this by setting ourselves apart through our conduct based on our godly character and moral courage.

The God of Israel, and the God we know today, is holy. Because God is perfectly moral, good, and just, and has no corruption, he sets the standard for morality. Unlike the gods that the Romans worshiped, the Israelite God isn’t violent, adulterous, or spiteful. Unlike the gods of the pagan cults that were popular in the first century, he’s not bloodthirsty or promiscuous. God rules with mercy and justice, caring personally for those who follow him. God wants us to imitate him by following his moral standards and reflecting them to the world to encourage others to follow him and build the kingdom of God. We share these standards with the world by being merciful and just through our servanthood.

Peter’s words discuss how every part of our lives and personalities should be molded, inside and out, to God’s standard. We’ll face continuous temptation, even when we are Christians. No matter how long we’ve been Christians or how many ways we’ve learned to avoid temptations, there will be a pull to return to our ways. Peter reminds us to be like God and holy in everything we do.

Holiness means being fully devoted and dedicated to God, set apart for his particular use. It’s setting ourselves separate from the world’s ways and bondage of sin. We’re to be built different, in a positive way. We are to live lives that are upside-down from the world, loving and serving others in the name of Jesus. We focus and prioritize the things that Jesus focuses on and prioritizes. Shifting our minds to this process is complicated and not something we obtain ourselves. I’ve often heard people and preachers pray, “God, break our hearts for what breaks yours.” I don’t know if we can withstand that pain, at least not by ourselves. Yet, through the Holy Spirit, we can receive what those things are and, through the gifts he’s given us, work towards mending the heartbreaks and helping others learn about who God is and how he can save them from their sins.

Don’t use the excuse that you continue to struggle with sin, can’t help others with theirs, or work to become holy. Sometimes, we learn a lot more when we work simultaneously with someone on the same journey than we can on our own. God will give us the power needed to free us from the chains of sin so that we can make a difference in our community and help others make a difference. Together, we will separate the community of believers from the world.

Father God, thank you for never leaving us. We are broken and tempted to stay that way through what the world deems successful and helpful. We know your ways are the best, stronger than anything the world teaches us. They help us discern what defiles our body and spirit and what can help us be set apart from the world and become holy as you created us. They also help strengthen the community in which we’re influenced. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.