2nd Corinthians 7:1 -- Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Before this in ch 6, Paul is talking about not being yoked with unbelievers but also this general idea that good does not have anything in common with evil. Light cannot fellowship with darkness. Righteousness has nothing in common with wickedness. We are the temple of the living God and therefore we should not yoke ourselves to anything that is impure. As the temple of the living God, as His people, He has promised to recieve us and to make us His sons and daughters.
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Verse 1 of chapter really seems to be the climax of what Paul was talking about at the end of chapter 6. He starts with 'therefore' indicating that what he is about to say is a logical following of what he said previously. The promises he is referring to in this verse are that we are His sons and daughters, holy temples of the living God, and that He will recieve us. Therefore, because of these promises, Paul calls us to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
I really feel like Paul starts of specifically by explaining that we should not be yoked with unbelievers and then explains why by generalizing that we should do because we need to separate ourself from defilement. He ends by saying that we cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, thereby perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This isn't to suggest that we can make ourselves perfect by separating ourselves from defilement. I think what Paul is saying is that we do this because it is a part of the sanctification process.
It's not that we should not love or associate with unbelievers. I don't think that's what Paul is saying at all. What he's saying is that we need to be careful not to become too tied to them because we don't live life the same way or have the same worlviews or practices. If we are around that and are a part of that we will naturally become defiled.
I think we can see this practically. When we spend a lot of time with a certain crowd, we naturally adopt their style of speech, their attitudes, beliefs, etc. This is why it is important that we surround ourselves with good solid people. We should consider it of utmost importance to yoke ourselves with solid believers who will naturally impact us in a positive way by leading us closer to God and being a part of the sanctification process. I truly believe that God works through people to impact our lives and this is one of those ways.
06.04.11
2nd Corinthians 7:2 -- Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.
At first glance, Paul seems to start talking about an entirely new topic in verse two--as if he wrapped up a previous sermon on the dangers of being yoked with unbelievers in the first verse and were beginning something new with the second. However, a second glance reveals this isn't the case.
He starts off by saying, make room for us in your hearts. As I recall, the word 'heart' in the context of their culture and language really meant a person's whole being. It was not referring to a person's physical heart or their emotions or something of that nature. It was referring to a person's whole sense of being. Paul is saying make room for us in your whole being which is a lot like saying, let us be a part of your life.
His support for this request is that 'we' (which if you go back to 1:1 in 2nd Cor, you'll know that 'we' refers to Paul and Timothy) wronged no one, corrupted no one and took advantage of no one. In context, he is effectively saying to the Corinthians that they have done the Corinthians no harm. They are not like the unbelievers whom Paul warns not to be yoked with. They corrupted no one; they did not lead anyone to become unpure. They treated everyone well and took advantage of no one. Paul is really arguing that he and Timothy have done nothing that should keep the Corinthians from being yoked with them.
The Corinthians should accept Paul and Timothy into their hearts because they have been good influences.
12.03.11
The next two verses, I think, should be talked about together. They are vs 3-4, "I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction."
In my studies, I must admit that verse three has me somewhat perplexed. Paul starts by saying, "I do not speak to condemn you." This sentence can only be understood in reference to what Paul was saying previously. Those things he spoke, he did not say to condemn the Corinthians. The NIV translation hints at this more clearly by saying, "I do not say this to condemn you." His usage of the word 'this' clearly refers to the previous statement.
No we remember that the prior statement in verse two was this, "Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one." This may seem like a long-winded way of explaining that Paul did not say, "Make room for us in your hearts," to condemn the Corinthians, which is the logical interpretation. However, we need to take the utmost care when interpreting the text lest we make it out to say something that the author did not intend for it to say.
I really would like to do a word study on 'condemn' in this passage. I think it would give us a much clearer picture about what Paul is saying here. Having not done such a study yet, my assumption is that Paul was trying to clarifying the intent of his prior words. He was trying to say that he was not condemning them for having not made room for Tomothy and him. He's simply urging them to do so now and explaining why they should do so.
He follows this up by saying that the Corinthians are very important to them, so important, in fact, that they would live and die with the Corinthians. This, I believe, is to say that they would go through anything with the Corinthians and not leave by their side, no matter what. No trials, not even death would separate Paul and Timothy from the Corinthians; that's how deep their bond is. They are truly yoked. They are invested in the Corinthians.
Not only that, Paul writes about his pride for the Corinthians. He is proud of them and he has been encouraged by how they are doing. Even in all the persecution and trials that Paul was facing, he was overjoyed.
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