2 CORINTHIANS 7:1: COMPLETE
HOLINESS
It is no secret that we are not yet
complete. The day of completion comes when we are with Christ. Until that day,
nonetheless, God continuously making us like him through the various
circumstances and consequences in our lives. This is the idea of progressive
sanctification. We are progressively being made into the likeness of Christ or,
as Paul puts it, being transformed from one degree of glory to the next until
one day we are completely holy and like Christ, not in power but in
righteousness. Paul clarifies this idea further in 1 Corinthians 7:1. Working
this particular verse backwards, we see this idea revealed.
2 Corinthians 7:1
English Standard Version (ESV)
7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from every defilement of body[a] and
spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
God Is Working to Bring Our Holiness
to Completion
Ultimately
it is a promise and a blessing that God is working to bring our holiness to
completion. Without his work, our holiness would be impossible. We must keep in
mind that holiness is not the result of anything we do but only because of what
Christ has already done and what he continues to do. God is currently and
actively at work to complete our holiness in the fear of God.
Complete Holiness Requires Cleansing
of Defilement
Although
holiness is not a result of our action, God’s work requires and demands a
response on our part, namely the cleansing of defilement in our lives. It is
not that we cleanse ourselves only out of obligation, but we cleanse ourselves
as the natural response to God’s working in our lives. The more God works, the
more holy we become. Paul tells us that we are to cleanse ourselves of every
defilement of both body (or flesh) and spirit. In other words, every external
and internal thing that looms in the way of holiness must be severed from our
lives. God does his part, and as a result, this is our part.
Our Action Is Based on a Foundation,
Namely the Promises of the Gospel’s Power
The
action we have just seen is based on something, and that is the promises of the
gospel’s power. In the previous chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul discusses the
work of the gospel and its power. He then says that it is because we have these
promises that ultimately our holiness is being completed. The promises of the
gospel’s power form the foundation our action and God’s working is based upon.
If we base our actions on anything of this world, including our own personal
ambitions, we risk incomplete holiness, but if we base our actions on the
promises of God, we are promised that our holiness will be made complete.
Conclusion
This
verse should be a flood of hope for us. God is at work in us; because of his
work, we are moved to action; and both of these facts move us to complete
holiness. We are being made complete in Christ. We are blessed for that very reason,
and our lives must exemplify this fact.
