"..with promises like these.." 2 Corinthians 7:1 (TPT)

Paul is describing the love he has for his fellow believers in a form that stands out more than just natural brotherly love which is the Greek word “phileō”, He is using the word “agapētos” which in this case means esteemed, favorite, worthy of love, or “well-beloved by God”. 

Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all which was His body as our sacrifice.

 “So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you.  For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.”  John 15:12-13 (TPT)

John uses the same Greek word here for love in the above verse that Paul did, Paul received the same inspiration that John did for the opening of 2 Corinthians 7:1.  Jesus also says something here in the passage from John 15 which goes way beyond just friends or acquaintances, the word “friends” means something different in the Aramaic tongue which is where the Greek translation came from, the Aramaic word for “friends” is actually “family” or “relatives.”

So Paul is picking up on this same vibe that we are closer to God than just friends, we are as close as relatives and family to God and to each other.

What are the promises Paul is referring to in this opening passage to in 2 Corinthians 7:1?  What he is referring to is that God is making us holy as He is holy.  No longer is holiness an effort of our own by coming before God and performing some type of religious ritual our duty to curry God’s favor, that has been done away with, we are now God’s family because of what Jesus did on the cross. 

Christ Jesus has given us access to the Father through His love for us by offering His body as a sacrifice for us.

These are the great promises that we have been given through Christ Jesus that we now have access to the Father and that we are redeemed as family, not just friends but family.  It is from that position Paul launches off in telling us of our “deepest respect and worship for God” which comes from a man or woman of God which has a new identity as a family member in the love of God.  We have been brought near to the Father who loves us with unconditional love. 

Paul sees that as family members “we must remove everything from our lives that contaminates body and spirit, and continue to complete the development of holiness within us.”  Paul says this because He sees something greater than us just becoming the family of God which is great in itself, but he sees what we are to become which is the reason is for us being redeemed as family in the first place, we have ultimate positions of authority in God’s kingdom which is only revealed when we put off the old nature and continue on with Jesus to complete the development of holiness within us.  

This is where we are changed by God Himself, by Him activating Christ within us and cleaning out all of contamination  from our lives, (notice He doesn’t say sin, that has already been dealt with), this is literally the cleaning out of the closets of the mind which have accumulated clutter over the years.  Anything that is contrary or hinders love is surgically and systematically removed and replaced with Christ that He may shine from our lives with the brilliance of the sun.

Our positions in Christ are based on what we have encountered in life, we stand firm in the positions of authority and we must recognize that since there is a Kingdom there has to be a King, the Lord Jesus is that King. There are numerous attacks on that Kingdom which threaten and challenge its legitimacy, and our authority in that Kingdom, which is where our position becomes evident and vital.

As we stand against the enemy, our greatest defense is recognizing that as we are being changed by Christ Jesus, we are exerting our rule and reign with Him by declaring the defeat of our enemy by what we are being transformed into.  We are being transformed into the very image of Jesus Himself.

“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:18 (TPT)

Here is the beauty of this process, the word “transformed” is the Greek word “metamorphoō” where we get the word “metamorphosis”.  It is the same process as a caterpillar which spins a cocoon and over time emerges and a completely new creature, a butterfly.

We are being transformed into Christ’s image as we put off the old nature become the new man in Christ and continue the development of holiness within our lives, we will become as He is.

May you continue to grow and develop your newfound nature in Christ as He calls you ever closer to Himself as part of His family, you are much more than His friends…so much more!

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett