Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1
Taking a bath or shower is nearly a daily practice for most people. People do not like to walk around sweaty or dirty and want to be clean. Getting in the shower and washing off all of the dirt will refresh a person and help the person feel better. It can also help the person be wanted by others with no bad odors lingering.
Paul tells the Corinthian church that because they have such great promises, they need to cleanse themselves of all filthiness in both the flesh and the spirit, becoming more holy in the fear of God.
Washing off physical dirt and sweat does a great job of cleaning the outside of a person. Although it is important to cleanse the outside, the inside of a person is more important to be cleansed.
There are many people who are clean and very well-dressed but have horrible attitudes and bad characteristics. They cannot be trusted in any way.
Inside the church, there are people who repent of sins upon believing in Jesus, but then refuse to be cleansed any more. They continue to live in the filth and dirt of this world, not truly changing from the inside out.
Upon believing in Jesus, one needs to begin to work on cleansing up all of one’s thoughts, words, and actions. Believers are to be imitators of Jesus and the Father–perfecting holiness in the fear of God. One has to die to self daily, putting off the old ways, and becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus.
This is the spiritual cleansing that needs to be done on a daily basis out of love for what Jesus has done.
On a regular basis you physically cleanse yourself from all dirt on the outside of your body. You may even do internal physical cleansings from time to time. While these are important, it is more important for you to do a spiritual cleansing of your mind and body. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to cleanse you from thoughts, words, and actions of sin. Clean up from all the spiritual filthiness of this world and flee all sin. Strive to be holy as God is holy, growing more holy each day in the love and fear of God.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will reveal filth that is in your life; that God will give you strength to get rid of sin in your life; and that God will work with you to perfect His holiness in your life.
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This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Insights from Tom
