Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.Having therefore these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
3 sermons cite this verse
… sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord. Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God." I don't know if you've thought of this passage in the context that we're addressing at this moment, but that's how you should think about it. Righteousness, light, Christ, believers, and God. On the other hand, you have in this passage lawless, darkness, Belial, unbelievers, and idols. Those are defining terms of the two kingdoms. There is no possibility of those two kingdoms working together in a partnership, no possibility for fellowship, no possibility for common agreement. And compromise only invites the devil in, not God. You have the old and the new, the earthly and the heavenly, the deadly and the life-giving, the material and the spiritual, the deceptive and the truthful. So the command is obvious, do not be bound together with unbelievers. It doesn't mean divorce because in 1 Corinthians 7, 13 and 14, it says if you're married to an unbeliever who wants to stay, then stay married. …
… is all wrapped up in the first verse of the seventh chapter. He says, therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, what in the world is he saying? Don't be bound. Look at all the contrast he mentions here. God says, I'm going to be with you. I'm going to be waiting when your friends turn your way. He says, I'm going to be your father. He said, on the basis of all this, notice what he says. He didn't say you all. He said, let us cleanse ourselves. Paul never puts himself above other people as being sinless. There's no such thing as a sinless person. We're talking about all of us living in a dirty world and attempting to keep clean. Now, he says, this is the third way, not only to develop and realize who I am with a new nature, but second, developing wise relationships. But thirdly, he says, here's something that's very important. And that is assuming personal responsibility for dealing with sin in our life. That's the third step. …
… Chapter seven, verse one. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Now, the question is, how do we live clean in a dirty world? And I don't have to tell you and wouldn't spend time talking about how dirty it is. We all know that. But how do we live godly? How do we live holy? How do we live clean in a dirty world? Well, Paul gives us, I believe, three steps here, three principles, three things that are so very, very important. And I want you to jot them down. I'm going to ask you about them in a few moments. But the first one is this. When we ask the question, how do we live clean in a dirty world? The basic foundation truth is this, and that is that we as believers must recognize that our true nature is different from that of the world. We don't have the same nature that the world has. That is the society in which we live. It's different. When you're not trusted, Jesus Christ is our personal savior. Christ came in their life to live. And he, the Bible says he gave us a new nature. Therefore, we are expected to act differently, talk differently than we did before we became a Christian. And so Paul in this passage gives us a command. Listen, if you will, what he says. Verse 14, do not be bound together with unbelievers. When he says, don't be bound, he means don't be yoked. Don't be unevenly yoked. …