2 CORINTHIANS 7
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of bodyand spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.2 Make room in your heartsfor us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. – 2 Corinthians 7:1-9
2 CORINTHIANS 7 THE FEAR OF THE LORD CLEANSES OUR HEARTS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When we fear the Lord, we accept our sinful nature
We recognize that without it, we cannot mature
Without the fear of the Lord, we will be living for our flesh
It is obeying his laws that kills the flesh and cleanses the heart
The fear of the Lord comforts us in our weaknesses and grief
It gives us hope that the promises he made will be fulfilled.
Proverbs 9:10 says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs as a guide to the people of God to grow their fear of the Lord. No wonder he focuses on the importance this fear for God as the firm foundation of the Christian’s life. Paul reiterates the wisdom from Solomon’s book of Proverbs by reminding the Corinthian believers that without the fear of the Lord, they will remain corrupt and unclean.
REFLECTION
- How has the world corrupted the meaning of the “fear of the Lord?”
