These Promises

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.

Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. 2 Corinthians 7:1-4 ESV

“These promises”—chapter 6:16b, 18. God’s promises to be the comforting Father to His faithful children. God cannot have fellowship with evil. His children must return to Him in repentance in order to be cleansed and acceptable in His presence.

We believers are saints, but not plaster saints. We live in the world, in bodies also inhabited by the old sin nature. As we deal with life in the devil’s world, we will have daily issues of personality conflicts, lust patterns, general irritations with circumstances, and we will have baggage from old religious practices and superstitions that may continue to influence our thinking. Those things defile our bodies and hinder the Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry to us. Those things neutralize our testimony and stunt our spiritual growth. God has provided not only our eternal salvation, but also the means of daily cleansing. A defiled saint is an unproductive saint. He has made a way for us to be restored to fellowship, filled with the Spirit and ready to move on to the high ground.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“If” means we may or may not do this. “Confess” means to name the personal sins we are aware of—admit them—to God, not men. “He” God is faithful to always to the same thing: forgive us! And to cleanse us from “all unrighteousness,” meaning the many sins we commit that we are not mature enough to recognize as sin. This way, we grow in grace at a regular pace and bring our holiness (separation unto God) into completion (perfection, maturity), because of our reverence for God. God doesn’t want or need sad, grievous, broken saints who know we have sinned and are wallowing in self-loathing. That accomplishes nothing for the kingdom of God. The solution is: CONFESS IT! Accept God’s Word that He has forgiven and cleansed you, and move on to the next assignment. Whining, self-pity and guilt complexes are not called for in the angelic conflict. Confession means we know what sin is, that we have grown up enough to agree with God about the sin. We don’t ignore it, because God does not. We bring it before Him and He deals with it. Then we are qualified to serve.

Paul had been under heavy criticism from the Judaizers in these Gentile congregations. They had done everything they could to undermine his authority. He reminded the Corinthians that he and his associates had not done or said anything questionable, that would in any way mislead them or hinder them from growing up in grace. His one objective with the Churches was to confirm their faith in the gospel and teach them the wonderful doctrines of the Church Age. There had been a bit of a setback with this congregation, because of overt sin within the local body, and because of the false teachers who had infiltrated, denying the grace of Jesus Christ and insisting that they keep the Law of Moses.

He assured them in verses 2-4 that all that was behind them now, and they could continue with sweet fellowship in the Word. He was overjoyed at their steadfastness of faith, after the upheaval they’d just endured. Proud of them. Comforted. Relieved to see that they were capable of renewing their fellowship with him and with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin is never OK. It will continue to be a problem for us, though, as long as we inhabit these bodies of flesh. God has eternally saved us and will daily cleanse us. He is our Good Shepherd. He cares for his sheep.

No Holding Back

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also. 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 ESV

Jesus Christ has imparted His grace to us. Those who have believed in Him are eternally saved. How, then, could it be in vain? If, having received His grace, we squander it by not following through with discipleship and evangelism, we have missed our calling. He has helped us in our desperate need, now we must pass on the grace by telling the world about our Savior. Now. Today. Any time is the right time to receive Christ. We must not hinder anyone in any way from knowing the truth about Jesus and His finished work.

It was so important to Paul and the other apostles that they endured great hardship; terrible adversities, just for the privilege of representing the Savior to the world. Those who deny the reality of Jesus’ atonement and His resurrection should refresh themselves regarding these unthinkable trials the faithful endured for the sake of the gospel. No one would go through such fiery adversity for a hoax or a pipe dream. They gave not only their lives, but their daily comforts, their dignity, their families, their ambitions, their material goods, their formerly cherished beliefs—EVERYTHING!—for the gospel of Christ, and yet were treated by some as imposters. Yes, they had sorrow, but it was overshadowed by their pure joy in knowing and sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. Yes, they were materially poor, but OH! the riches of glorious redemption they brought to their hearers. They owned nothing, but had permanent possession of Christ’s Own inheritance.

Matthew 19:29 “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Paul and his associates had given the Corinthian saints everything they knew about Jesus. They held nothing back. If the Corinthians were not getting it, it was because they themselves were hindering the Holy Spirit in their lives. I know believers like that, and you do, too. The Word is available. The Holy Spirit is in attendance. However, we must WANT the Word and the Holy Spirit’s enablement in order to receive the maximum understanding of doctrine, to achieve the maximum spiritual growth, to actually advance to the high ground of the Super-Grace Life. We, like the Corinthians, are without excuse! We must “widen our hearts” to receive the blessings He has for us. The well is gushing, brethren.

Bring a bigger bucket.