Where is your love?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Continuing into 2 Corinthians chapter 6

Tonight we are going to get back into some meat, so let’s get started with verse 14

The New International Version Chapter 6

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

We spoke last time about Paul’s open heart to the Corinthians, but they did not reciprocate.

one of the reasons for this is the love they had for others who were not believers who vied for their time and affection.

it is very likely that these unbelievers were also Pagan Idolaters.

So after verse 13 which says

The New International Version Chapter 6

As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

Paul is offering a solution to allow them to open wide their hearts.

This solution is to step away from those that are pulling them away from Christ

vs.16

The New International Version Chapter 6

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.”

Paul uses this rhetorical question to transition into quoting some OT passages

He makes a distinctive contrast here between the temple of God and idols

The church (not this church or the church down the street, or specifically the church of Corinth)but the church is the temple of God

He came in the form of man as Jesus

walked among us

He is our God and we need to focus our hearts minds and souls on Him

vs. 17

The New International Version Chapter 6

Therefore,

“Come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.” f

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Enjoying God’s presence requires personal commitment

that commitment, means desiring and running to God and not to these worldly people

Paul quotes from Isaiah and Ezekiel here and says

become clean before God and He will receive you

This means stop touching these unclean things for Good

The Bible so often refers to us as children, because we are so much like them.

not in the innocence or the aw and wonder

but in the ways that most annoy us as parents

Have you ever told your child to let go of something, so they do only to grab it again 5 seconds later.

then you get the real smart alack ones that say, you only told me to let it go, you never said I couldn’t grab it again.

Or you tell your kids to stop talking and go to sleep and they say okay and they stop talking

2 minutes later they start again because “they forgot”

These are the ways we are like children.

We accept Christ and ask Him into our hearts, but we want to cling to the things we are comfortable with.

we get a notion and we obey Him completely, for a minute then we turn straight back to what we were doing because we forgot to follow His commands

we forgot to completely open our hearts to him.

From His sons and daughters, He wants obedience, and love

vs. 1

The New International Version Chapter 7

Therefore, 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.

Simply put, we are to purify ourselves with God and rid ourselves of those things that contaminate us

Pray