“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1
As we stand in light of the glorious resurrection we celebrated yesterday, our minds should consider the practical question of how we should live in light of this wondrous truth and the promises we enjoy in Christ. As new creations in Christ, guaranteed eternal life, adopted by God, and having the Holy Spirit within us, how should our everyday life be different? In every way!
Our new life in Christ should be characterized by a determined effort to change from whatever we once were. Specifically, we should be making an ongoing, Spirit-empowered effort to live a holy life in imitation of Jesus and pleasing to God. In light of the cross and the resurrection, we must reject any sinfulness, any defilement, any immorality, and any dishonesty that lives within us. We must go to battle with the “little” sins and the “big” sins that attract our hearts and minds. We must crucify these sins (even that ones that “don’t hurt anyone”) for they’re all a rejection of God that make a mockery of Christ’s saving work.
We should live in awe and respect of the gracious God Who saved us by His own initiative in sending Jesus into this world to die for us. We should pursue the holiness of Jesus who walks with us every day. We must reject even those sins that the world says are “OK” because God despises them. This clean-up effort in our lives will never save us, but is the appropriate and necessary response to having been saved already as a gift of God’s grace.