“Since we Have 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.” (2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV)

I know that we are told that the Bible is “full of promises” for those who believe in Jesus. Still, it doesn’t get any plainer than this first verse from 2 Corinthians Chapter 7, “Therefore, having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  

First, we need to ask ourselves what promises Paul is talking about. If we back up and reread Chapters 1-6, we can see many wonderful promises from God. To name a few,  let’s start with Chapter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort:”, 2:15 “Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.” 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 5:7-8 “for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” 6:18 “and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”  

Then Paul says, “Since we have these promises, beloved….”

One of the great privileges and powers of the believer is to know the promises that God has given to his people. We do not have to earn God’s love; He freely gives it to anyone who will accept it. We do not have to try to live a “pure” life to earn His approval; we already have His approval in Christ, not in our own ability to live a holy life.  We have all the promises that Paul speaks about, because of what Jesus has already done, not because of what we might be able to do. No “but”, “and” or “however”, God’s love and care cannot be earned by any of us, no matter what.’ Once we understand the saving and sustaining power of God’s grace, we begin to enjoy the life God has given us.

Now Paul does go on in 7:1 and says, “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.”  It is true that God wants us to live a life that brings honor and glory to our Savior. Remember in Ephesians 2:10 (all of us are familiar with 2:8-9 “for by grace are you saved….”), but verse 10 says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  Clearly, God desires that we perform good works that will bring honor and glory to our Savior, and that we “cleanse ourselves, from all defilement of the flesh and spirit”. But this is just our reasonable service for one who has demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Our service to our Savior isn’t about trying to get or keep his approval; we already have His approval. We are loved beyond measure, and we serve our risen Savior out of appreciation, not out of obligation.

So, when the evil one comes knocking at our door, we need to remember the promises of God; they are true and powerful and will bring us comfort in the midst of the battle.

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"