2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 (Why Purity?)

[Side note: please excuse the two-week absence of mine -- lots of craziness going on!  In fact, so much stress and craziness, that I developed shingles last week and was intense pain all weekend (I thought that was a disease just for the elderly, but apparently not.)  So, I do hope to calm my life down a bit now, look more to the One who's in control, and get back to blogging. Oh my.]

As God has said:

“I will live with them
    and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.”

¹⁷ Therefore,

“Come out from them
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.”

¹⁸ And,

“I will be a Father to you,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

 1 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 (italics mine).

Today's verses are the perfect example of why we shouldn't always stop at the end of a chapter.  Remember that the chapter numbers were added MUCH later as a way of referencing specific parts of the Bible.  Sometimes, I would like to have a little chat with these number-adding people, but like today, it just doesn't make sense where they put them.  Chapter 7 starts with that word therefore, but that implies that we need to read what was just said in Chapter 6.  So, here they both are for you, so they can be read together.

As I read these verses, what stuck out to me the most was this idea that there is a reason for our purity.  Now, after my 25+ years knowing and learning about God, one might think that I know that God doesn't give commands for no apparent reason -- He has a reason for what He commands us to do.  Always.  Sometimes we may not see or understand the reason, but there is one.  If God is not one thing, that's flippant.

So, in our desire to be holy, we perfect or complete our holiness by purifying ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit out of reverence for God.  

Let's break that down a bit: in verse 17, we are told to "come out from them and be separate."  Being different than the world is our mark -- it sets us apart.  We should be more loving, more patient, more gentle, more humble, more generous -- not as a checklist, but as as the result of the fact that God has made us his "sons and daughters" (verse 18) and He's rubbing off on us as he "lives with (us) and walks among (us)."  It's not meant to add pressure, but is more the natural demonstration of the proof that God is in us.

Then, verse 1 says, since we have these promises (that God is walking with us, and that we are His children and that if we touch no unclean thing, He will receive us) because of this, let us purify ourselves.  It's not a shameful reprimand.  Rather, it is Paul saying, "Because of all the Lord has done for us, let's do this for Him!  Who's with me?"  Out of reverence for Him.

We purify our bodies.  That one seems a bit easier to understand: self control in what we eat and drink, staying away from other man-made contaminates like drugs, etc.  Watch whatever we put in!

We purify our minds.  What is coming through the screen and into our mind?  What do we allow ourselves to see that becomes a little less and less shocking each time?  These images produce changes in our thought life, which eventually produce changes in what we say and do.

But we cannot just turn away or we will fall back.  We have to turn to.  We choose to turn away from impurities, and we turn to God.  It's a choice we make, but turning away is only half of it.  We must also choose to turn to God...in moments of loneliness, we go to Him instead of what we've gone to in the past.  In moments of boredom, we turn to Him instead of what we naturally want to do.  In moments of sorrow, we turn to Him to fill us up rather than the false fixers of the world.

And none of this is because He is twisting our arm.  The power comes when we choose to change our ways, to live a life of purity out of reverence for our God.  It's our continual thank you note to Him.

So, let us stop and think...where is an area where I am not pure, complete, or holy?  May we recognize that area, and may we choose to turn away from it and turn to God.  And the bonus is that He will gladly help us do it.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (Picking a Mate)

¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them
    and walk among them.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.

When it comes to finding a spouse, there are two sayings that I really have come to love.  The first is the idea that "You don't need to be married until you don't need to be married."  Stop.  Think about it.  Read it again.  Marinate.  Basically, what it's saying is that by using all of our time and attention to find a mate, we have placed that mate-finding as the most important thing -- it has become an idol to us.  What if instead, we find that we have come to a place where we can say, "You know what, Lord?  I don't need to be married to find fulfillment or value or purpose.  If I never get married, that's okay.  I know that there are many other good and fulfilling things apart from marriage, especially if I have You."  Now that is a person who is mature enough for marriage -- they are confident in who they are as God made them (an individual) and will have a healthy perspective on what marriage is and what it is not.  God absolutely created us to want to be married.  He made marriage, so marriage is a great thing!  But it loses its greatness when it has become our ultimate thing.  Nothing can take that place in our lives but God Himself.

The other idea I like is a picture that was told to me in high school about whether or not someone is a "good pick" regardless of if you're just dating or looking toward marriage.  The picture is this image that we are running a race (the race of life), and if we are trying to be linked to someone running behind us (so we're always looking back trying to get them to catch up) or way in front of us (and we're always striving to somehow catch up to them), that is not a "team".  Instead, we should be running along right where are are, looking in the direction of where we want to go and who we want to become; and as we are running along there, we look next to us and see someone who is right with us already -- we smile, say, "oh, you're going this way, too?" and decide to link up and continue together in the race of life in the direction we were already going.  We aren't trying to change the person's mind to get them to catch up to us, slow down for us, or turn a direction they weren't already planning to go.

And though is might seem simple or silly, that is what this verse is talking about!  It doesn't work to  try to link elbows with someone who is not beside us -- be that spiritually, emotionally, or priority-ally.  It just doesn't work!  And the foundation of that is whether the person is a Christian or not.   If we follow Christ and make all decisions based on the Bible and what Christ would have us do, we cannot possibly fool ourselves into believing that someone who attends church only on Easter and Christmas is going to be equally yoked with us.  That's not being self-righteous or judgmental -- that's being wise!   We are in for a long, tumultuous road if we decide to link ourselves for the rest of our lives with someone who does not share our convictions and beliefs and our God, and the Lord knows that, so He's trying to show us how to choose the right partner for this journey.

The most powerful picture from these verses though is one Scripture uses.  It says, "And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."  As believers, we are not just bodies -- we are the dwelling place of God.  We are to be kept pure for Him.  We want to be as perfect for God as we can be out of respect for Him!


Listen to these words, and heed this advice.  It comes from your Father who loves you and wants what is best for you.  Be patient, and just keep running the race confidently as you continue to grow yourself in Christ.  And as you do, just keep looking to your right or left and see who's there with you already, then flash that pearly smile...and the rest is matrimony...I mean...

2 Corinthians 6:3-13 (Stumbling Block)

³ "We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we present ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹² We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also."

 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.  Why should we live a life of purity?  Paul is concerned here that he live an exemplary life because he does not want his ministry to be discredited.  I'm sure we can easily think of others we've seen who claim to love Jesus, but who gossip, speak negatively most of the time, cheat, lie, etc.  It's the most discrediting picture, and it pushes us far away from those people.  But has that ever been us?  We ought to live perseveringly, faithfully, and lovingly toward others so that they will see our ministry and be pointed to Christ!  Our lifestyle is a big deal!

Rather, as servants of God we present ourselves in every way...   And now Paul will list the ways that his life has been different from the false apostles by whom the Corinthians were so enamored at the time.  The false apostles were self-servers, but Paul is showing how he is a God-server.  That is ultimately how we can tell the difference between true servants of Christ and not.  Jesus Himself said the world would know we are Christians "by our love" and love comes from a place opposite of self-service.  

I challenge all of us to read this list slowly, and see if we can say the same thing -- are we God-servers or self-servers?  Would we stick it out during all of these things?  I'm biting my lip as this could get a bit uncomfortable...

in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Or here is the list from The Message, and again, I ask us to read it slowly...

in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

In our ministry to those around us, can we say we faithfully give no one reason to discredit our love for Jesus Christ?  Perhaps we have not received physical beatings for our faith, but could we continue even then?  The Lord is really challenging me on this the last few days.  I hear Him say, "Just how serious are you, Molly?"  And I so badly want to say that I would never deny Him!  That I would remain faithfu 'til the end no matter what.  That I would die for my faith in Him.  Easy to say, as I sit here comfortably with my coffee at my computer.  But this is what God is stirring in me this week.

So we end the passage with these words from The Message.  Hear the passion and urgency in Paul's tone:

Dear, dear Corinthians (or perhaps insert your name in there instead), I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

With all that craziness Paul listed, he still feels that his life is spacious, expansive, worthy of living, "terrifically alive" and worth all of the crazy!  He is such a picture of faithfulness, perseverance, and God's power, isn't he?

Oh, Lord, that I could be like Paul.  I give you my life.  Keep making me into the person you made me to be.  Help me to claim and know Your presence despite the chaos in the world around me, and may I be your faithful servant, putting no stumbling blocks in anyone's path to You.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (The Only Reason I Beg)

"As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.  For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you.  On the day of salvation, I helped you.'  Indeed, the "right time" is now.  Today is the day of salvation."  -- 2 Cor. 6:1-2

I beg you...Why are you waiting to follow Christ with your whole being?  Whether you have accepted Christ but put Him on the back-burner, or you've never made the choice to say, "Yes, Jesus, You are my God, and I will follow and serve You.  Forgive me of my sin, for I am unclean and lost without You.  Thank you for this gift, Lord.  Take control of my life, and make me the kind of person You want me to be"...no matter where you are, it's never too late to start going a different direction.

Today is the day.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (Are You on God's Team?)

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  At the end of last week, we talked about our bodies, and how we are thankful that the Bible addresses our bodies, but we now know that our bodies were never meant to be the focus (as is prevalent in our culture).  So, as we continue in this verse with that mind set, we are reminded that we no longer look at people from a worldly point of a view.  That is, we don't judge people by the way they look.


Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Paul reminds us that to look at Christ and judge Him mere by what we see, we would not have thought highly.  Isaiah 52:2 tells us that "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."  Can you believe that?!  Did you know that Jesus was probably not the handsome character that we see painted all over the place?  Nothing about Him physically would have been attractive to us!  Yet, He was God!  I can't point fingers at the people back then, because I'm sure I would've dismissed Him, too, based on looks alone.  How sad.  But that's why it's about SO much more than just looks.  God didn't want us to come to Him based on His looks!  He wants us to come to Him based on who He is and what He did for us.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  Anyone who is united with Christ through faith in Him and commitment to Him can be reconciled to (at peace with, on the same team as) God, and a total renovation happens and continues in us.  We are no longer identified by our past, our looks, or anything else -- we are identified as His.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  And God initiated this.  This struck me in a fresh way this morning!  We didn't even have to ask Him to consider to help us, excuse us or save us.  He came up with the idea millenia before we would ever think of it.  This is all from Him!  He chose that He would not count our sin against us if we would trust Him and choose to love and follow Him.  And now, He has asked that we continue to spread this Good News!

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  It is a choice.  We must choose to be reconciled.  He can dangle the carrot in front of us, have person after person tell us what this means, surround us by a church of people who love us, and yet, if we have never chosen to follow Him, we are still lost.  And so I join with Paul, my friend, and I implore you: be reconciled to God this moment.  Confess your sins to Him, believe He is the Lord, and then choose to follow Him from now until forever.  It will be the best decision of your entire existence!

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  This is the sacrifice He made for you and me.  Though it wasn't a lamb on the altar this time; it was God Himself.  He died to pay for my sin and for yours.  God put the wrong on Jesus who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Become friends with God; He's already a friend with you.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (Beautiful Bodies, Part 2)

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

 Therefore we are always confident...  Other translations change the word confident to "of good cheer" here, and since we've just talked yesterday about our earthly bodies versus our heavenly bodies, it does make me smile.  We can be "of good cheer" or "confident" about our bodies as they fall apart before our very eyes because of the confidence we have in what's to come.  This is SO not the end!

...and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight.  Being reminded that we are away from the Lord as long as we are in these bodies is not meant to weigh us down, but instead is meant to give us hope -- that one day we will be with Him and in our new bodies!  We keep this faith alive in our hearts, despite what the world around us tells us about our bodies: that they're too wrinkly and shouldn't be, that gray hair is the devil, and that a few extra lumps and bumps need to be exterminated right now or people will find out that we're not going to live forever on this earth!  And most of society believes these lies, or wants to at least.  Instead, we don't focus on what we can see because it means nothing to us.  We are headed for a place that will absolutely blow our minds if we could only catch a glimpse, and we'll be in bodies that will do the very same thing.  The lame will walk, the mute will speak, and the blind will see...and so much more!


We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  And when we really believe this, it changes everything!  For most of my life, I have feared going to Heaven someday because I was just so comfortable right where I am (I say that about a lot of things, unfortunately).  But I wanted the confidence to say that, I really did.  And when my mom died, and I was forced to deal with the concept of Heaven face-to-face, I came to understand that now I, too, am very confident and can say that I would prefer to be away from this raggedy body, yes, and at home with the Lord!  It is this that we don't see that keeps me going even now!


So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  And again, he reminds us that the bodies are not the main focus and concern.  Instead, our sole goal is to please the Lord -- that is our spiritual act of worship.  No matter where I am, what I'm doing, or who I'm with, I want my focus to be that, to be always asking, Am I pleasing you, Lord?  That is what matters most.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  A reminder that when we do die and appear before the Lord, our lives (our words and actions) will be judged.  We may have eternal life, but we will need to make an account for our actions.  That's not to intimidate, but rather to hold us accountable.  We represent Christ, so we do need to be held accountable that we're representing Him well! 

One question might be: how did you use your body?  

Did we shriek at every sign of age, wear, and tear, or did we thank Him for the body He gave us that shows signs of use?  Did we spend all our time, effort and money making our body beautiful down here, or did we spend some time, effort, and money using our body to serve others, which in turn beautified our heart?  After all, that is the only thing we get to take with us when we go.

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (Beautiful Bodies)

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

I have a love-hate relationship with my body.  It's not the "oh, I hate the way I look" kind of hate, on most days anyway, though like many of us, I often think I could probably lose a couple pounds.  No, most days I feel pretty okay with the body I've been given because it works.  It does what it was made to do: walk, eat, move, etc, and every little part performs its job fairly well.  But, the dislike has begun in the past year or two, and is most noticeable whenever I suddenly feel a new ache in my leg, see a wrinkle that wasn't there last year, and most noticeably this summer, observed the surprising breadth of the freckles and moles that are beginning to show on my once porcelain skin (okay, let's be honest, it never really was the porcelain kind).  Now, I know, some of you reading this may be thinking, "Oh girl, you ain't seen nothin' yet!  Just wait until you turn ____!"  And, I am aware of this.  I think that's why I don't totally hate my body, because right now its doing well compared to where it will most certainly be some day.

In our society, so much emphasis is placed on beauty and looking young.  I know I don't have to tell you this because you'll see hundreds of images today that will back me up before you close your eyes tonight.  But, that's why I really liked reading this verse this morning.  Because we absolutely do need to pay attention to our bodies, but our current bodies should not be our sole focus.

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."   I like how it says "if" we die.  Umm, we're all gonna die, is what I was thinking.  But what if the "if" means sooner than we think -- because we never think we're going to die soon.  But it says we don't need to fret, because it reminds us that if we do die soon, we have a place to dwell that is not built by human hands (thank goodness, because things made by humans always eventually break).  And I like the word "tent" used to refer to our bodies as if we are nomads -- and we are -- moving around from place to place until we are in our final home with the Lord.  But picture a tent with me.  Any tent I have ever stayed in is a cheap one, so it's thin, frail, cramped, cold, and requires mending on occasion.  It is all these things and is not meant to be lived in forever.  It wasn't built that way, right?  Just like our bodies.

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling... My parents raised us to like camping, or they tried at least.  We would go once a year in the fall as kids.  And I can remember that the entire time I was camping, I was longing for my warm, plush bed and a hot shower.  I really want to like it, but it's just not my favorite.  I would moan, complain, and whine on occasion in my own mind, wishing I could be back home.  Don't we do the same things with our bodies: moan, complain, and whine, wishing they were a little more comfotable?  Again, I think I have only seen the tip of the iceburg when it comes to watching and feeling my body deteriorate, but I've seen it in other people, too.  I watched my mom's body deteriorate in a way I didn't even know bodies could do!  Hers was a very ragged tent by the end, and we longed for her to be in her beautiful, hand-made, perfect body from God so badly.

 ...so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Mortal, mortality, mortician.  In case you forgot your fifth-grade Greek and Latin roots, mort = death.  Even our name (mortals) signifies that we are not ever-lasting...but we know the One who is!  It's not that we want to be "unclothed" as the verse says, meaning we don't want to die.  But when we know what is to come, we just want these dying bodies to be swallowed up, and we want to be immortal, just like the action-heroes.  Immortal sounds like such a science fiction word to use, but that is exactly how we were originally created.  In the Garden of Eden, we were not created to die, but to live with God forever there.  But sin brought death upon us.  And now we await the day when death is swallowed up and all we ever experience is life once again!

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  There it is: God fashioned us for the very purpose of life.  And His Spirit within us is why we have this notion that we aren't supposed to die...because we weren't originally made to die!  I would imagine that before the fall, Adam and Eve had some pretty awe-inspiring bodies that were perfectly made, functioned without a flaw, and were just beautiful...and someday, that is what we will have again.  Because it is this groaning in our soul, this desire to stay beautiful and youthful and live forever, that God's Spirit stirs in us.  It says, "There's more coming, and it will be awesome...this desire for life and beauty will be fulfilled."

So, in the meantime, we take care of the tent we have been given.  We are thankful for it because it allows us to live on this earth.  And when the aches, pains, sags, wrinkles, spots, bulges, and hairs starts to tiptoe into places where they weren't before, may we chuckle to ourselves and be reminded that this current tent is not built to house us forever; but very soon we will see the bodily home created for our soul as it was meant to be...immortal, beautiful, and perfect...and we'll live in the presence of The Creator Himself.