Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
II Corinthians 6:17 – 7:1
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In the middle of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we find an important invitation. One that we might, unfortunately, read over too quickly and miss its full weight.
The Holy Spirit tells us:
Since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves.
What promises? Well, Paul has just listed quite a few important ones in the previous chapter: He will live with us, He will walk with us, He will receive us, and will be a Father to us.
Really, when you think about it, it is unbelievable! The holy, perfect, all-consuming Creator of the Universe wants to be with us, and walk with us, and accept us into His presence.
We know, of course, there are countless other amazing promises from God to us all throughout the Bible. He offers us His never-ending presence, a peace that transcends understanding, abundant joy, everlasting hope, provision for our daily needs, and even the gift of eternal life in heaven to those who accept Him.
These promises form the foundation of our faith.
But we cannot miss how Paul exhorts us to respond to these promises.
These promises are not just a safety net for when we fail. They are a catalyst for pursuing change!
They are not a license to sin. Just the opposite. They are a call to purity and to separate ourselves from the ways of the world.
Even more, the promises of God are not a pathway to complacency. Oh, is there any incorrect response to faith more prevalent in America today? But to believe that God’s promises mean we just sit back, show up when it’s convenient, or even partake in the world until we die and enter His kingdom is to miss the heart of God’s invitation entirely.
The promises of God are not a loophole for sin or complacency. They are a call to diligently pursue Him each day, purifying ourselves from all unrighteousness, and perfecting holiness in our bodies out of reverence for God.
May all of us who have chosen to partake in the promises of God and understand their fullness, consider our proper response to them.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious promises that offer us hope, comfort, forgiveness, and eternal life. Help me to see these promises not just as gifts, but as a call to action — to purify myself and pursue holiness. Teach me what that means and give me the strength to pursue it.