2 Corinthians 7:1–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

Posted by Seth on Oct 30, 2009 in Bible Study, Daily Devotions |

2 Corinthians 7:1–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering 2 Corinthians 7:1 wherein we are challenged in the area of holiness in every facet of life.

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.

The said promises are ones of God declaring that He would be near His people, a nearness that required them to be separate from all uncleanness. We read at various points in the Scriptures the call for us to be holy, to be set apart from sin and unto God. The words here are much the same but with a specificity that helps us to better comprehend this familiar command.

First of all, we are to be cleansed in light of the promise that God has given to be present with His children: I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people (6:16). It stands to reason then that this is something much to be desired and worth the changes that we might need to undergo in life in order to enjoy close fellowship with Him. There is a great disconnect with this concept today. We tend to feel very little need to be close to God since we can’t reach Him in ways that still allow for our distance from Him. We can do this with people and have devised a thousand methods through which separateness and hiding can take place in our relationships with our fellow man. In other words, we can pretty well be whoever we want to be in certain corners in our life and generally still interact with whomever we please. And because of this ability, we have become quite savvy in filling up the emptiness inside with trivialities galore. Nearness to God? Who needs it?

But before answering this question, let us consider the next portion of this verse. Christ followers are called to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion… The cleansing here spoken of is one aimed at the purity of the entire person, the terms body and spirit, describing such a requirement. What this means is that if there are things that we are doing with our hands and feet and sexual organs and mouths and eyes are not actions blessed by God as revealed through His Word, we are defiled. But then also, when our considerations and desires and ambitions are out of step with God’s design, we are likewise defiled. Holiness is brought to completion when we are completely devoted to the Lord. Now to be sure, positionally all are accepted as pure who are identified with Christ, but those identified with Him will be pursuing holiness, struggle that it certainly is.

Now returning to the question of, “Who needs nearness with God?,” there is a key phrase we have yet to consider: the fear of God. We are called to pursue holiness in such and this is something that we are all too often unwilling to do. Reverencing Him in such a way that we would never want to consider even thinking or moving apart from His pleasure is so very far from our minds. But instead of fearing the One who is good, gracious, and patient with His children, we choose another fear, the fear of being exposed and known, and all because we think that such hiding will bring us happiness, even if just for this life. This then leads to a road of self-convincing that God either does not exist or can be redefined, followed by thoughts of either a non-existent afterlife or one of human imagination. What road are you on?

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