II Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Perfecting Holiness So far this year in dealing with our theme, we have looked at the verse under consideration We have noticed the context, looked at the promises given and spoken about the need to cleanse ourselves All of these things are leading up to our theme, “Perfecting Holiness”

Perfecting Holiness Until we cleanse ourselves, we cannot perfect holiness Perhaps we are not so willing to be cleansed as we are when we recount the promises of God So all these things work together to move us to where God wants us to be

Perfecting Holiness Today we want to not only consider the command of “perfecting holiness”, but also the stipulation of doing so “in the fear of God” We know the context and we see the prerequisites, so what does it mean to perfect holiness? 2 words require us to understand their meaning

Perfecting The idea of perfecting here is certainly not what we would commonly think We certainly know that perfection can only be attained through Christ and His cleansing blood (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 1:7) This is a word that simply indicates a completion of action

Perfecting “…bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (ESV) It’s not a perfection we can obtain on our own, but rather our working to complete something that we have begun So we complete the process of holiness…

Holiness What do we mean by the idea of holiness? We see this thought of being holy in God’s word The word holy or holiness indicates a separation or setting apart; setting aside something for a special purpose

Holiness Remember in the context we saw some of these things… “Do not be unequally yoked together…” (6:14) “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord” (6:17) “…let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit…” (7:1)

Holiness The idea of holiness in our lives is setting ourselves aside for our God It means separating ourselves from sin and evil, to consecrate ourselves for His service We can only do that if we are willing to separate ourselves from sin and the world

Holiness These things were not written to new converts Those of the church in Corinth had been Christians for quite some time They were being commanded to separate themselves from any worldly or sinful thing and make themselves pure for Christ

Perfecting Holiness So completing the process of holiness is separating ourselves from sin and worldliness for God’s purposes We are showing our devotion and dedication to God by being morally pure Separating ourselves is sometimes easier said than done

In The Fear Of God This remaining part of the verse calls for this to be done “in the fear of God” Our perfecting holiness derives from our fear of God This isn’t a fear that simply means that we are afraid of God

In The Fear Of God This fear is a word that means a profound respect and awe for Certainly we are to fear God (Ecc. 12:13; II Cor. 5:11; Heb. 10:31) We also should have a very deep respect and be in awe of who He is and what He has done

In The Fear Of God Not only should the promises of God motivate us… We should be in awe of a God who would make such promises to us, who are undeserving of His grace This should cause us to want to separate ourselves for Him who loved us