Don’t you love it when the Lord speaks so loudly that you have no doubt you’re on the right track? And just for clarification, when I say “loudly” I’m not referring to volume. I mean, imagine if the Lord spoke audibly and forcefully — we would be shaken inside-out, and that’s not something I want to see or experience! By loudly I mean, clearly, consistently and confirming.
As I reiterated in yesterday’s message, the clear, consistent and confirming command of the Lord to ZION People has been “consecrate yourselves.” (Josh 3:5). This was issued by the Lord as an invitation in March 2020 (Lockdown 1.0) and has been continual since then, which now I would more see as a command than an invitation!
As I reiterated in yesterday’s message, the clear, consistent and confirming command of the Lord to ZION People has been “consecrate yourselves”.
In my quiet time this morning I read a wonderful passage in the writing of Paul, who was always keen to ensure the church people heard the word of the Lord. Let’s take a look at a single verse and see what it offers us.
2 Corinthians 7:1
“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.” (NIV)
“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God.” (NET)
“Beloved ones, with promises like these, and because of our deepest respect and worship of God, we must remove everything from our lives[a] that contaminates body and spirit, and continue to complete the development of holiness within us.” (TPT)
By comparing three differing versions of this verse we do our best to glean the nuances and meaning of the original language, (by including a variety of translators viewpoints.)
Some simple observations, which I submit here for you to read, think over and pray through.
(A) “Since we have these promises.”
Are you sure you know what the promises of God are? Paul is referring to the previous chapter, but he could also be referring to the gospel of Jesus, which he dedicated his life to sharing. Let’s not isolate the scripture to one command, instead let us walk in the fullness of all that Jesus Christ purchased for us at Calvary.
(B) “Let us cleanse/purify ourselves.”
This is where Paul uses the Greek word which we can see as “consecrate”, which means to remove dirt, stain, blemish, be free from sin and guilt of sin, to dedicate for service. One phrase I’ve been using lately (in the Embracing Holiness series) is “set apart by God for service to God.”
(C) “From everything that contaminates body and spirit.”
God knows what is best for us, and he also is not shy in pointing His finger at things we hold onto in our lives that are not good for us. He’s the kind of Father Who says, “it’s not wrong, but it’s not good for you.” What things in your life might be better gone?
(D) “And thus accomplish holiness.”
I love this phrase in the NET, which is further defined in the notes as the result of the previous cleansing. The Passion says, “continue to complete the development of holiness within us”, which you can’t argue is far from the meaning of the original author, who we know is Paul. This implies to me a glorious process of partnership with God as He leads us to make choices that help us become more like Jesus, and therefore embracing our holiness.
(E) “Out of reverence for God.”
I think the translators all let us off the hook here, which may weaken the impact of the text. The Passion touches on meaning with “deepest respect and worship”, but does not hit the mark in my opinion. In the original language our author urges us to pursue self-purification and holiness because of the “fear of the Lord”, according to the Greek text. If we truly have a healthy fear of the Lord then we would not pause to ponder whether we should be removing sin and stain from our lives. Surely?
The Bible is rich in meaning and full of help —feast on its goodness and enjoy the life it leads you into.