2 Corinthians 7 - 2006.03.25

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." II Cor. 7:1

The zenith of true Christian experience is fellowship with God. Most of us who have trusted Christ as savior did not come ot Him for that reason. The majority of converts are motivated more by fear of judgment than by a longing for communion with God, but in due time that higher motive should arise in our hearts. That is the factor which stimulated Paul's impassioned plea for practical holiness in today's text. "Having therefore these promises…" refers back to the closing verses of the previous chapter; "Wherefore come out from among them…and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty [II Cor. 6:17-18]."

Separation from sin is the basis for fellowship with God, and fellowship with Him is the ultimate motive for separation from sin. The scripture says of God, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity [Hab. 1:13a]." If, then, we would enjoy present fellowship with God we must deal with sin in our lives. On the positive side He calls to us, "Be ye holy; for I am holy." (Cf. I pet. 1:15-16) Thus the Holy Spirit's exhortation, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit."

Observe, first, that this cleansing demands personal initiative. "Let us cleanse ourselves…" No one will ever be cleansed who does not purpose to do so. To be sure, we cannot ourselves remove the stain of sin; it requires the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son to do that. But, having come to Christ for forgiveness of sins, we can discover through the Word of God the things that are contrary to His character and His will for us, and then prevail upon the Holy Spirit for the power to remove them from our lives, and stay clean. The redeemed will is empowered to make choices and implement them, hence the scriptures consistently make their appeal to the will.

The second thing worthy of note here is what I like to call the "divine universal." It is the little, but potent word, "all." "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness…" The failure many an otherwise earnest Christian experiences comes from our tendency to compromise with certain sins in our lives; to make exceptions and rationalize away the severity of God's assessment of some cherished area of fleshly desire or disposition. Perhaps it is best illustrated in the behavior of king Saul who, when commanded by Samuel prior to his campaign against Amalek (a type of the flesh, by the way) to "utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not," finally "spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly." (Cf. I Sam. 15:3,7) The end result was that Saul could no longer reign as a divinely anointed King. Samuel said, "because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king [I Sam. 15:23]." This principle applies here. When we compromise the word of the Lord, for whatever reason, we lose the privilege of His fellowship.

There is yet a third point of emphasis to be noted in this call to "perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Our text exhorts cleansing from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit. While the implication here is variously interpreted, my judgment is this: it is an appeal to pursue both external and internal purity. The hand, in the end, is but an extension of the heart. It the heart is not right, the hand will soon return to mischief, however restrained it may be for a season. The scripture says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he [Prov. 23:7]," and in the same chapter the Lord pleads, " "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways [v. 2]." Holiness is more an affair of the heart than it is of mere externals.

You may have heard the story of the stubborn little girl who, sharply commanded by her mother to sit down, finally did so. Her mother said, "I'm glad that you finally obeyed me," to which the child retorted, "But I'm still standing up inside!" Reluctant obedience is not holiness. The goal of obedience to God in the interest of a truly benevolent relationship with Him will never be fully achieved until we have pursued both outward and inward purity in conformity to His will.

These are sobering things, but they are crucial to "perfecting holiness," the stimulus for which is "the fear of God." The fear of God involves at least two things: respect for His authority and power, and reverence for His person. If we fear Him and love Him, we will aspire to holiness. It will take His power to accomplish it, but he will hasten to reinforce the efforts of all who "will to do His will," and be to them a Father, and they shall be His sons and daughters. (Cf. II Cor. 6:17-18)

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 6 - 2006.03.18

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" II Cor. 6:14

At the time of my conversion to Christ, about 65 years ago, there was among bible believing (born again) Christians a great emphasis on "separation from the world." There were cautions raised against worldly language, entertainment, lusts, dress, etc. The ground for such emphasis was passages in the word of God such as this one before us today. That emphasis, it seems to me, has largely disappeared in the evangelical churches of today, replaced by an emphasis on accommodation with the world. If my judgment is correct, we were either wrong then, or we are wrong now.

The word of God has not changed. One of the most challenging aspects of scripture is the omission of "middle ground." In the bible a line is drawn; faith is on one side, unbelief on the other. Believers are on one side, unbelievers on the other. There is heaven, and there is hell, but no "limbo." There is absolute truth. Righteousness is not an approximation, but conformity to the revealed will of God. That, of course, is why we need a savior; we never can meet the divine standard, and that standard cannot be compromised.

Nowhere are these distinctions more sharply drawn nor clearly emphasized than in the text and context before us today. A man is either a believer or an unbeliever. He is either righteous or unrighteous. He is either in darkness or light, saved or lost. Scripture allows no "twilight zone." Yet that is where, if it were possible, most professing Christians of today (in our culture, at least,) seem to prefer to dwell. It behooves us to think again on the sharp contrast the bible makes between the sinner and the saint.

The scripture says, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God [John 3:18-21]." Believeth - believeth not; not condemned - condemned already; light - darkness. There is no middle ground, no "halfway house." Faith in Christ makes the distinction; fellowship with Christ makes the distinction evident. Jesus said again, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life [John 8:12]."

This lays the foundation for all the appeal in the epistles that follow, for a clear-cut contrast between the believer and the world. The apostle Paul pleads, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God [Rom. 12:1-2]." And the apostle John, in another place, exhorts "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him [I John 2:15]." "The love of the Father is not in him…;" how we would like some moderating phrase; but, it is not there. Darkness and light are contrasted once again, and we are in one category or the other.

When I interviewed with the pulpit committee of a certain church years ago, I inquired about the spiritual status of the deacons, and was told that there was one, an older man, who might not be saved! I took the position in response to the church's call. Sometime later, with this man in the group, I suggested that each man share the testimony of his conversion. I have never forgotten that man's testimony. He remarked that he had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ many years before, but continued, "It is only since you have come that I have realized that I cannot walk with one foot in heaven and the other in the world." Oh, that we might all learn that truth, and begin to fulfill the divine call, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty [II Cor. 6:17-18]."

This is the will of God for every true believer!

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 5 - 2006.03.11

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." II Cor. 5:10

As I prepared to write this article, today's mail came with an "Amazing 'no obligation' free offer " from a well known magazine publisher. It simply reminded me that the greatest free offer in the world is God's offer of eternal life through His son Jesus Christ. You don't even have to return the postage paid envelope! Christ stands at the heart's door of every informed sinner, waiting to pass this incredible gift to all who will open the door and let Him in.

But, we cannot say that there is no obligation. The redemption which is in Christ Jesus carries with it a moral obligation for all who have received His free gift. That obligation is made evident in such passages as "And He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again [II Cor. 5:14]." or the sequel to the familiar Ephesians 2:8-9, "For we (who are saved) are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them [Eph. 2:10]."

Nearly as familiar, and no less significant, is the more extensive passage, Titus 3:4-8— "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward men appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being Justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."

We cannot overemphasize the free grace of God by which salvation is offered to us. Our works have nothing to do with it. If we were to live a sinless life from the cradle to the grave, we would not accumulate enough "good works" to save our souls; we would still be the victim of a sin nature inherited from Adam, and disqualified for heaven. Salvation is a gift received simply by believing that Christ died in one's place, bearing the due penalty for our sins in His own body on the cross. But having said that, we must not overlook the fact that we are going to be held accountable for the life lived, the deeds done in the body. That is the implication of our text for today.

"For we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." This accountability is universal. No believer will be exempt. There, with perfect insight, and a precise and unalterable record of our behavior as professing Christians, Christ will mete out His commendation—reward, if you will—for how we have lived the life He made available to us when we put our trust in His redeeming grace. In a striking parallel passage we read, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath builded thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [I Cor 3:11-15]." Salvation and service are here distinguished. The salvation is a free gift, but there is compensation worked into the service, so that those who capitalize on the potential faith makes available to every believer will be appropriately rewarded. Those who merely pile rubbish on the foundation will have no return on their dubious investment.

Now, I have heard some say, "I don't want a reward…" I think the reward is linked to the crowns of scripture, which are not unlike the crowns of the four and twenty elders of Revelation, who "fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created [Rev.]." They become tokens of the believer's love for Christ, and evidence of worship. Wiithout those rewards, which are not the fruit of our service for Him, but evidence of how we have allowed Him to work in and through us—how much room we have given Him in our lives—we are going to be "ashamed before Him at His coming (Cf. I John 2:28-29)." That is not a happy prospect!

The motive of our "good works" is not to obtain merit for ourselves, but to manifest our love and appreciation for all He has done for us. May the Spirit of God make us eager to capitalize on the investment He has made in us, and so to be fruitful in every good work to do His will. Not because we have to, but because we want to!

You are not your own, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's [I Cor. 620]."

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 4 - 2006.03.04

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:17-18

A few years ago I was given a couple of books of visual puzzles consisting of plates of colored dots in a random pattern which makes no particular sense. But, if the viewer succeeds in shifting his focus to an invisible point beyond the surface, a meaningful picture emerges, and the effect is quite dramatic.

Life in this present world is something like that. Have you ever been tempted to say, "life makes no sense"? Many, of course, never try to make sense of life; they just live it, trying to squeeze the most of sensual gratification out of the moment, never really trying to "connect the dots." They simply never ask the hard questions relating to the meaning of life. In contrast, those who try to understand "what life is all about" are often bewildered by the apparent randomness and irrationality of the present scene.

One of the things that contributes to bewilderment and perplexity, if not despair, for those who do try to make sense of being, is affliction—whether it be in the form of "man's inhumanity to man," or random violent acts of nature, or physical and mental illness. The element of the tragic weighs heavily on the minds and hearts of thinking men and women who survey life in the larger dimension, or those who are themselves trying to cope with some form of personal trial.

In another place the apostle Paul describes his life as "In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft [II Cor. 12:23]." And there follows a somewhat detailed list of the troubles he experienced because he was a Christian. It is difficult to make sense of life when contemplating the ordinary trials of life which are common to man; how much more so life threatening injuries resulting from the 'obedience of faith.' Yet here in our text he measures his trials as "light affliction." That is the dimension he gives them. Then, with reference to years of such distress, he defines their duration as "but for a moment."

How does one succeed in viewing a life of trials, tribulations and disappointment threatening despair (see II Cor. i:8) in such a confident and triumphant manner? The answer: it is a matter of focus. If we look at the surface concentrating on the "dots," we will be confused at best, depressed at worst. If here and now is the center of our attention, if we look only at the surface considering the "things that are seen," we are candidates for great disappointment. If our definition of value is determined by "things," good or bad, and these are the essence of our hope and in which we find our joy, life will lose its meaning and value when those things are lost, whether they be people or possessions. All that is, in this present world, is "temporal." That is, it is temporary. Nothing this side of heaven is secure. Sooner or later either all will be taken from us, or we will be taken from it!

The key to upbeat living in a downbeat world is to "look at the things which are not seen," and make them our focal point in life. There is only one avenue by which assurance comes that there is more to life than "here and now," and that is the Word of God. Hope begins in the scriptures, and the written word of God centers in the Son of God, the Living Word. Hope is sustained, once we have caught the vision of the risen Lord and received Him by faith as Savior; when we live life with our eyes upon Him and not upon the material world around us. We are to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and…run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God [Heb. 12:1-2]."

The new testament teaches us that all in this "present evil world" is, at best, "but for a moment," whether difficulties or delights. Both the problems of sin and the "pleasures of sin" are "for a season," and no more. We will be sustained in our journey if we shift our focus from "surface living," and fix it upon Him "Whom having not seen we love,"for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are enduring. We are, in short, to "walk by faith, and not by sight." As we do so we will be able to echo the apostle's confidence, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us [Rom. 8:18]," and rest even in a troubled sea in the assurance that "our light affliction…is but for a moment [and] worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Surrender the weight of your cares to Him, and pick up the weight of glory!

Yours for a vision of glory,

"Pastor" Frasier