2 Cor 7:1 – 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.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is making it clear that, as Christians, we are ALL charged with the task of “cleansing ourselves” and “perfecting holiness” with the fear of God as our motivation. In other words, as part of following Christ, we are called to constantly examine ourselves and root out “anything and everything” that is ungodly and contrary to walking in the Spirit. This means *any* attitudes, actions or behaviors that are sinful and not consistent with godliness. This is a task that every Christian should be engaging in on a daily basis.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross *daily*, and follow me. (Luke 9:23).

This is the mark of a disciple and follower of Christ and should not seem “overboard” or a foreign concept to us. In fact, the Holy Spirit within us should immediately resonate with joy whenever we hear any charge to “root out” and crucify any and all sin from our lives and walk before God as His holy people. If the response of your heart is “well, we are all sinners” or “we’re gonna sin”, I can assure you that it is NOT the Holy Spirit within you speaking, but a whimpering flesh looking for an out. The flesh will always look for ways to hang on and re-assert itself in a believer’s life and it is up to us to crucify it daily and put it utterly to death as followers of Christ.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Rom 8:13). But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Rom 13:14)

There are three interesting aspects to this verse. First, the idea of “cleansing ourselves” may seem a little strange in light of being constantly reminded that everything is “all Christ and none of us”, but it simply means that it requires our cooperation with the promptings and leading of the Spirit in order for it to be effectual. If we do not cooperate and yield to the Spirit in faith in the day to day, then the work will not be completed. Forget any notion that the Holy Spirit will override us and force our compliance, he will not. It requires His Grace (strength), combined with *our* faith. That is why Israel failed in the wilderness and fell as a warning to not let that happen to us: “But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb 4:2).

Second is the idea of “perfecting holiness”. Didn’t God already make us holy (set apart) when we became a believer? What could it possibly mean to “perfect” that work? The word “perfecting” means to “fulfill further” and to “execute to completion”. So yes, we were made holy “positionally” when we came to Christ, but as we practice daily walking in the Spirit, we bring a “fulfilling” and a “completion” to that work that cannot come any other way. We must, by faith, bring our behavior and actions into alignment with our “position” as God’s holy people in order for it to be valid and effective and also for it to remain intact. James referred to this when he gave the example of Abraham “perfecting” his faith in the “act” of offering up Isaac on the altar: You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected (Jam 2:22). If Abraham had refused to offer up Isaac, but still claimed to have “faith in God”, that faith would have been called into question.

Third is the motivation for all of this which is the “fear of God”. The word for “fear” literally means: “To be put in fear: alarm or fright: – be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror”. A healthy “fear” of God and a realization that we are always living openly before His watchful eye is a necessary thing in order for us to remain always vigilant in striving against any sin and iniquity in our lives. Christians who live haphazardly and stumble often into sin simply do not have a healthy fear of God or reverence for Him. The closer we draw to the Lord in daily prayer, communion and relationship, the greater will be our love for the things He loves and a hatred for the things he hates. God “loves” righteousness and He “hates” iniquity. As it states in Heb 1:9, speaking of Jesus: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows”. If we claim to “love Jesus”, but are not vigilant in rooting out sin and pursuing righteousness, then we are only fooling ourselves. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (Jam 1:6).

So, there is a lot wrapped up in this charge of “cleansing ourselves” and “perfecting holiness in the fear of God”, but it is part of what we signed up for when we chose to be followers of Christ, and it’s all good. This what it means to “count the cost” to be His disciple as spoken of in Luke 14:25-35.