Let us purify ourselves
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Perfect holiness isn’t something that will ever be achieved, but it should be a constant pursuit in our lives that is driven by our reverence for God.
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“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.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV
When Paul wrote these words in his second epistle to the Corinthians, he had just finished writing about how the members of the church needed to separate themselves from worldly influences in order to live more closely with God. In 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, Paul had quoted both a commandment and a promise from God.
The commandment (2 Corinthians 6:17 - originally in Isaiah 52:11):
“Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.””
and the promise (2 Corinthians 6:18 - originally in 2 Samuel 7:14)
“And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
The point is quite clear: if we do not act or think in the same evil manner as the rest of the world, God promises us that He will form a close personal relationship with us. That’s quite the promise, and we know that God will keep it. So “since we have these promises”, what are we to do?
We need to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit”, or as it is noted in the NKJV translation, “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit”.
Purifying or cleansing ourselves isn’t just sitting around; it’s an action we need to take in order to participate in an intimate relationship with God. Part of this purification comes from having faith in Jesus and the work He performed on the cross on our behalf. That is God working in us, as explained in 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
But God also wants us to purify ourselves in a way that requires our will and effort. This is the part of purification that God really wants us to take part in to demonstrate our usefulness for serving Him.
Notice that Paul calls out “everything that contaminates body and spirit” as requiring cleansing. We often think that if we “cleanse the body” by eliminating bad habits like drunkenness, pornography, cursing and so on, we’re fine in the Lord’s eyes. But there’s also contamination in our spirit that we need to purify ourselves from.
In his commentary on Enduring Word, David Guzik notes that:
i. Sometimes it is easier to deal with the filthiness of the flesh than the filthiness… of the spirit. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, those who were stained by the filthiness of the flesh (such as harlots and tax collectors) found it easy to come to Jesus. But those stained by the filthiness… of the spirit (such as the scribes and Pharisees) found it very hard to come to Jesus.
ii. 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. I sometimes think that the sins of the spirit are more deadly than the sins of the flesh.” (Morgan)
iii. “I wish we were more concerned about cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the spirit. I am inclined to think that some men heedlessly pollute their spirits; I mean that they do it willfully.” (Spurgeon)
Paul says that we should be “perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” This is not saying that we need to be perfectly sinless; the only being to ever do that was Jesus! The ancient Greek word that Paul uses here for “perfecting” was ἐπιτελέω (epiteleō), which is better translated as “to fulfill further”. It is impossible for a human to be in a state of sinless perfection, and Paul is stating that we need to work at getting closer to a complete state of holiness.
How do we do that as Christians? By purifying ourselves from evil, and always trying to do and become good. By the way, did you notice that Paul uses the term “ourselves” in this verse? He’s including himself as one who needs to be purified. He knows that he is far from perfect. If this saint is aware of his own sinfulness, what does that say about the rest of us?
Charles H. Spurgeon, cited in the Enduring Word commentary, had these things to say about the verse:
i. “I suppose that, the nearer we get to heaven, the more conscious we shall be of our imperfections. The more light we get, the more we discover our own darkness. That which is scarcely accounted sin by some men, will be a grievous defilement to a tender conscience. It is not that we are greater sinners as we grow older, but that we have a finer sensibility of sin, and see that to be sin which we winked at in the days of our ignorance.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “I remember hearing a man say that he had lived for six years without having sinned in either thought, or word, or deed. I apprehended that he committed a sin then, if he had never done so before, in uttering such a proud, boastful speech.” (Spurgeon)
iii. But we must take care that we cleanse ourselves and not concern ourselves with cleansing others. Most of the time we are more concerned with the holiness of others than our own holiness! “It were more in accordance with our tastes to cleanse other people, and attempt a moral reformation among our neighbors. Oh! it is easy to find out other men’s faults, and to bring the whole force of our mind to inveigh against them.” (Spurgeon)
Paul goes on in this chapter of his letter, apologizing for having been rather blunt in correcting them in his first epistle and this, then noting that he and Titus (who had visited the Corinthians) both feel that they are making solid progress as followers of Christ. As a lesson for both the church of Corinth and modern Christians, he is trying to point out that perfect holiness isn’t something that will ever be achieved, but it should be a constant pursuit in our lives that is driven by our reverence for God.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank You for the promises You have made to me. Help me to cleanse myself of all impurities of both spirit and body. Guide me in my journey to ever more perfect holiness out of reverence for You. Keep me mindful of my actions and thoughts so I may honor You in all I do. Strengthen my resolve to resist temptation and live a life reflecting Your love and grace. AMEN.