A great joy when the Church repents: (Chap.7)
God’s promise over sanctification: (7:1):
The sanctification also means cleansing and separation involves 2-fold process. We need to turn away from sin and turn to the Holy God. The promises refer to God’s assurances of His presence (6:16) and fellowship (6:17-18) to those who obey Him. This obedience requires purification. Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and from every person who pollutes the truth. Body and spirit refers to the whole person in his external and internal aspects.
It is an attitude of reverence for God which produces obedience, sanctification (holiness) can be perfected, that is, completed or matured. This is maturing or growing holiness, an increased Christ-likeness. The main aspect of cleansing comes to us as we trust in Jesus and His work on our behalf; this work of cleansing is really God’s work in us, and not our work. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn.1:9)
But there is also another aspect of cleansing which God looks for us to do with the co-operation of our own will and effort; not that it is our work apart from God, but it is a work that awaits our will and effort. It is fleeing from the sin, establishing intimacy with God and in the ministry.
We cannot expect God to purify our hearts when we are continually indulging in sins and forbidden acts. The purity before the Lord is both the cleansing from all filthiness of the flesh and also the spirit. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, those who were stained by the sins of the flesh viz. harlots and tax collectors found it easy to come to Jesus. But those stained by the filthiness of the spirit viz. the scribes and Pharisees found it very hard to come to Jesus.
Our pride, our legalism, our self-focus, our self-righteousness, our bitterness, and our hatred can all be far worse to deal with than the more obvious sins of the flesh. “There is a defilement of the spirit which is independent of the defilement of the flesh. The spirit can be defiled in many ways. The sins of the spirit are more deadly than the sins of the flesh.
Paul makes a request: (7:2-4):
- He asks them a room: (7:2a): Paul was very honest in asking to reserve a room so that he can have deeper fellowship with them.
- He has not wronged them: (7:2b): The Corinthian believers believed many bad things about Paul and Paul urges to see the truth. He knew that there were some trouble makers already in the Church. Although Paul was organizing a collection for the poor believers of Judea and Jerusalem, he had shown his integrity to them. He has not taken anything for himself neither depending upon the Corinthian church. He was a Tent-maker. The believers still had inclination towards the world and open to Paul and his teaching. He is asking them to close their hearts to the world
- He has them in his heart: (7:3-4): The problem was with their heart. Paul’s desire wasn’t to condemn the Corinthian Christians, but to restore the bonds of fellowship between them again. Paul really loves the Corinthian Christians. Paul was confronting the Corinthian Christians, but he did not want to condemn It is possible to confront without condemning, though those who are being confronted rarely think so!