Purify Ourselves

Good Morning,

2 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV)
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.

When I read this verse today, I noticed that Paul first says, "Since we have these promises..." so I thought that it is important to see what, exactly, he was referencing when saying "promises." So, here are the last few verses of chapter 6 which contain those promises:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NIV)
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
"Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you."
"I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
(Emphasis mine, DRB)

Okay. Back to the original thoughts about 1 Cor. 7:1...

I wonder, in my small human mind, if it really is possible to "purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit" in this modern day and age. I sat here and tried to think about all that would be necessary for me, just a normal...well, kind of normal, I suppose...person living in 2009 AD. How would I have to live my life? Where could I go. What could I do. Who could I be with? With whom could I even correspond? Just how in the world could I possibly purify myself from everything that could contaminate me in body and spirit?

Now, this isn't even going into the verses from chapter 6 about being "yoked together with unbelievers" and what is said there! That's a whole different message, I think. So, what can I do to be obedient to what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, and that pertains to our Christian congregations today, as well?

The problem, as I see it, is the fact that just about everywhere we look or go; almost everything we see or hear; almost the whole world around us; almost everything we have to experience and be exposed to in the world, there's something that seems to want to contaminate my body and spirit. I can't think of a whole lot of places...outside our church houses and congregational gatherings...where there isn't something I ought not to see or hear or be affected by as I live a "normal" life. The only way that comes to my mind in order to totally eliminate "everything that contaminates body and spirit" is to chuck everything, find a cave on some mountaintop with nothing around for miles, move in, and become a total hermit. Um, to be honest, I don't think I could do that. To be totally honest, I must say that I don't even WANT to do that. I kind of like electric lights and air conditioning!

So, what's the answer? For me, and maybe for you, it is controlling those things that I CAN control and attempting to limit those other things as much as I can. I can refuse to watch mindless and offensive television programs. So many come to mind that I'll not even attempt to list them. (However, I have to say that I watched a part of one episode of "Dancing With The Stars" and it sort of began to contaminate body AND spirit. If you've seen it, I think you'll understand what I mean!) I can simply NOT listen to certain things on the radio as I drive or to CD's that I might have access to. Some stuff is just disgusting, you know? I can choose to read things that don't affect me in a negative, contaminating way...magazines, books, online articles, and things of that nature. I can totally avoid going to places where the atmosphere and the "goings on" aren't what I ought to be exposed to. I can not communicate with people who will bring up subjects or say things that aren't in my best interest in this area of my life. Now, I'm sure there are more things I could list that I can totally control, but I know you get the idea.

In addition to controlling much of what is in my life that really IS in my control, I can limit other things. When I'm out and about I can simply get up and leave when I overhear a conversation that offends me. I don't have to sit there and listen. I can turn my head, turn around, and walk away when I see something in front of me that I don't want to see and that I know affects me adversely. There are things we can limit, of course, so that we can be more obedient to the Scripture we read today.

Can we "purify ourselves from EVERYTHING that contaminates" in this world 100%? Probably not. But we can sure try. We can do some things that will surely please God.

I have these promises from God. To have Him receive me, be a Father to me, to be His son, so it is my responsibility to simply do more to remove those things in my life that do anything BUT purify me. I must simply give it more priority in my life. I think that it is my duty to God.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David