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 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

“Jesus Christ is both a comfort for Christians and an irritation for the world.”  Woodrow Kroll

Here is a stupendous reality to believe: God comforts people. For so many of us, this is not theory but experience. We know it to be true. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as ”the Comforter”, and believers regularly prove that He is all that Jesus said of Him.

Note in particular in our text that God comforts the downcast. This takes us back into chapter one, and we’ll have a closer look at it in a couple of days.

Are you feeling discouraged as you read this? Know that your God is real, and with you and is able to lift up your head. Thomas Manton was surely correct to say:

“One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His Word.” 

If your car is low in fuel you know you need to take it to the garage. Similarly, if your soul is depleted, surely you know where to find the filling station?

God comforts the downcast.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 

What does the ‘victorious’ Christian life look like?

Some years ago, I met some people who had been in a fellowship where, according to them, no negative emotions were allowed to be expressed. I got the impression that it was meant to be ‘chandelier-swinging’ positivity all the way.

But this doesn’t fit with real life; and it doesn’t resonate with what we see and hear in the Bible.

Look at today’s text: Paul was not in a great place emotionally when Titus arrived. The inference from the next verse is, surely, that he and his companions were ”downcast”?

An extended quote from Tom Wright will help us. Paul faced ‘…a constant tussle against fears that welled up inside and opposition that attacked him all around. Every day when he didn’t find Titus waiting for him was another disappointment; every day he went on, hoping for good news but bracing himself for the worst. ‘Having no anxiety about anything’, as far as Paul was concerned, wasn’t a matter of attaining some kind of philosophically detached state where he simply didn’t care. He cared, and cared passionately. I think ‘having no anxiety’ meant, for him, taking every day’s anxieties and, with a huge struggle and effort, dumping them on the God in whom he doggedly believed.

The description in verse 5 of his own mental state…is a great antidote to any superficial or glib statement of what the normal Christian life is like.’

PRAYER: We thank you Lord that in all our fears, concerns, disappointments and heartaches you know precisely where we are, and how to get the comfort we need to us in a timely fashion. You are so good, and we praise you.

 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

One person can make a big difference to another person’s day (indeed, to their whole life) when they are led and used by God. Look what ”the coming of Titus” meant to Paul and his friends.

My prayer today, then, is, ‘Lord, use even me.’

What a beautiful thing Paul writes to Philemon in verse 7 of his letter:

”Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.’

I want to be someone like that, don’t you?

Recently, I heard an interview with John Ortberg, in which he referred to Acts 10:37,38:

”You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

He highlighted the fact that such a ministry is open to all disciples of Christ. We can have a lifestyle of ”doing good” in the power of the Holy Spirit. He said that when his pastoral ministry came to an end a few years ago, the thought entered his mind, ‘Why can I not joyfully serve God for the rest of my days?’

PRAYER: Lord, please enable me to be a ‘Titus’ in someone’s life today.

 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴ I am acting with great boldness towards you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Although the Greek of verse 2 doesn’t have ‘’in your hearts’’, it is translated this way, I believe, because the context suggests this meaning.

Church leadership is not primarily about charts, graphs, metrics etc, carried out by remote figures. It is essentially shepherding. It involves close relationships. Matters of the heart lie at its heart. Ideally, there will be great love between pastor and people – and this will be expressed.

It is surely an impoverished marriage where words of affirmation are not spoken, the one to the other. As with Paul here, church leaders should be able to express their love to their congregations. It is also a blessing for a pastor to feel the open-hearted love of their people.

May God work in all of our hearts, to bind shepherds and sheep together.

 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. ESVUK

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. NIV

‘She thinks so much of God that she wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt him.’

A good friend of mine was speaking to me about a good friend of his – someone I was also going to get to know very well in the years to come. He was right. She was by no means perfect, but that deep reverence for God pervaded her life and guided her conduct.

It should be the same for all us: all we who call ourselves Christians.

I have just read (and listened to) a potted biography of the theologian, John Calvin. What stays with me is that Calvin had a profound sense of God: of His reality, majesty and greatness. When we believe in God in the way Calvin did, we will live our lives, not in cringing ”fear”, but with a reverential awe.

Like with the girl mentioned at the beginning, this will affect our behaviour. We will want to be holy (however often we may fall short). We won’t want to do anything to hurt God.

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.

You may have heard the saying, ‘I’m not what I want to be, and I’m not what I’m going to be, but praise God, I’m not what I was.’

‘I’m not what I’m going to be.’

‘Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.’ 1 John 3:2.

In our 2 Corinthians text there is the hope that we will one day be what we’re going to be. When Jesus returns we will be like Him, and when we are perfectly in His image this will be holiness completed.

‘Sanctification’ is the name for the process all believers enter into at conversion. It is one of gradual change into the likeness of Christ. Although this process may not be fully completed in our lifetime, by the power of the Holy Spirit we can make great strides towards it.

How much holiness do you want? To a large degree, I think it is true to say that in this Christian life you get what you go in for.

‘You cannot study the Bible diligently and earnestly without being struck by an obvious fact—the whole matter of personal holiness is highly important to God!

I cannot think of even one lonely passage in the New Testament which speaks of Christ’s revelation, manifestation, appearing or coming that is not directly linked with moral conduct, faith and spiritual holiness.’ A.W. Tower.

However far we may have travelled on the Christian pilgrimage, this we can safely say: there’s more! There are higher heights and deeper depths.

Prayer: Lord, lead me on where you are going. Take me deeper into you.

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.

His name was Raphael, and I will never forget him. I knew him a little at Bible College, but he was a few years my senior, both in age and as a student. He was impressive, and I was a little in awe of him and his fierce intelligence, academic brilliance and almost tangible godliness.

One day, he was preaching at a student service, and he referred to the story of Daniel and his friends, being taken to Babylon and given a daily portion of the king’s meat and wine (Dn.1:5). However ( and this was one of Raphael’s points), ‘Daniel discerned a defilement’ (Dn.1:8). He ‘resolved’ not to defile himself in this way.

Many ‘defilements’ are obvious. They are things clearly outlawed in the Bible. But at other times it isn’t like this. We have to ‘discern’ what is not going to be good for us, and avoid it. These things can be subtle rather than blatant, and we need eyes to see what is going to do us harm; we require ‘noses’ that can detect corruption

The extent of the exhortation is this: we are to ‘cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit’.

The life of discipleship calls for an all out war against sin (Matt.5:29,30). There has to be a radical and ruthless approach to it.

Are you aware of anything in your life that is defiling you at the moment, or has the potential to do so? What are you going to do about it?

Remember God’s grace is always available and always sufficient.

‘ With these promises ringing in our ears, dear friends, let us keep clear of anything that smirches body or soul.’ J.B.Phillips

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. ESVUK

We have spent several days looking at a key New Testament ‘holiness’ passage. It begins at 2 Cor 6:14 and concludes with today’s verse (7:1). We will take four more days to look at this verse in which everything that has been stated earlier will be pressed home in a great exhortation. We are going to consider:

• The ground of the exhortation
• The extent of the exhortation
• The hope in the exhortation
• The motive for the exhortation

Here is the ground of the exhortation: ”we have these promises”. In quoting 6:14-18 below, I highlight in bold what I believe are the ”promises” Paul is referring to:

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵ What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
¹⁷ Therefore go out from their midst,
    and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
    then I will welcome you,
¹⁸ and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

In essence, these promises relate to enjoying an intimate relationship with God as ”sons and daughters” of the Father. We may still be God’s children and play in the mud, but while we do so we cannot expect to enjoy the fullness of relationship with a Holy God that is open to us. We can’t anticipate intimate table fellowship without ‘washing our hands’ (see James 4:8-10).

Notice, though, that all Paul writes here is from a heart of love. He calls his readers ”beloved”. It is not ‘telly-offy’ in tone. It comes from the pastoral heart of one who wants what is best for them. He knows that holiness is health. It is for our ultimate good that we should separate from our favourite sins.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to see through all of sin’s deceptions, and not be seduced by its allurements. Give me, please, both the desire and the power to pursue holiness

 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵ What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
¹⁷ Therefore go out from their midst,
    and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
    then I will welcome you,
¹⁸ and I will be a father to you,
    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

 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. ESVUK

There was a time, not too many years ago, when it was not uncommon for preachers to spell out in detail, for their congregations, what it would mean to ”be separate”. By and large the message was negative: ‘You are not permitted to do this, that or the other.’ However sincere the intentions may have been, it resulted in legalism: adding man-made rules to the law of God – a kind of modern day Pharisaism maybe.

To be clear, there are injunctions and prohibitions in the New Testament (as well as the old). Christians are definitely exhorted to do certain things and not to do others. So, in order to bring ”holiness to completion in the fear of God” we do need to be immersed in the Scriptures. But it seems to me that, for those who are soaked in the Word of God, there will be an on-going task of Spirit-filled discernment to try to understand what will defile ”body and spirit”. What are the ”unclean” things we are not to ”touch”? From what do we need to ”be separate”?

I believe need to understand that because there are ‘secondary’ and ‘tertiary’ matters, as well as those of primary importance, different Christians may hold differing opinions on certain subjects. In ‘disputable matters’ we must charitably allow fellow-believers to hold viewpoints other than our own. “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,” is an aphorism variously attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430), John Wesley (1703 – 1791), and to a number of theologians in between them. It remains an important principle for us to observe.