2nd Cor.6:16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
[17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
[18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
In the verses above, this ‘gospel’ Paul is giving unto the Corinthian Saints is not the gospel of salvation from the debt and penalty of sin against them. This “salvation” concerns the salvation from the Saints being victimized by this world, and be alienated from the life of God as “sons and daughter” unto the Father. This IS an “adoption” that the Apostle Paul gives unto us concerning the Glorious “mercies” of “promises” by our Father unto them who “love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Those are just some of the promises that have been “predestined” by our Father for those who are the called according to His purpose. And we ought to value and esteem these things as ‘treasures’ unto us, these things Paul desired that the Corinthian Saints would “enlarge” their hearts unto, and that they too would desire, and value and esteem that ‘Father to sons and daughters’ relationship that our Father also “called” us unto. And “these things” are taught unto the Saints, and all Saints have been called unto this adoption by His grace, but only they “who love God” with His selfless love, will desire this “fellowship” after His will and purpose.
2nd Cor.7:1] Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Furthermore, those things, and those things mentioned below, are provisions that our Father has provided for them who desire to “come out from among” this ungodly world, and those who desire not to be “conformed to this world,” but be “transformed by” the knowledge of His will according to His purpose. And our Father has a ‘plan and purpose’ for “Dear Children.” These are those who also see that our Father called us, and also see His foreknown, and predestined plan to not just save us, but also to glorify us as well. Our Father called all Saints unto this adoption, but not all Saints are going to see the godly value of these “promises,” and ‘count’ them as “treasure” as we ought. This ‘life’ of adoption is not referring to the settled truth of our Justified standing ‘life’ in Christ, this ‘life’ is in accordance to the sanctified life that we are taught about in Romans chapter 8 about walking “after the Spirit.”
Rom.8:27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
And we have been given “promises” by our Father and we are beseeched by His “mercies,” to be a living sacrifice and by Our understanding of the love of Christ, we would be ‘constrained’ by these things. And it ought to be our desire to be His “sons and daughters” as we walk in “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” And God desires to be a Father unto us, and that is; in that relationship seen before in 2nd Corinthians chapter 6. And it is our enlarging our hearts unto the selfless love of Christ as we have been taught (2nd Corinthians 5:14-21) by our Father to value these promises as we ought:
Because We are the temple of the living God
He Will walk in us
He will dwell in us
He will be our God
We will be His people
And He Saith, “Be ye separate”
And I will receive you
And will be a Father unto you
And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
And these are just some of our Father’s “promises” given unto His sons and daughters. But in 2nd Corinthians Chapter 7, these promises are in view regarding the “adoption of sons” of these Corinthian Saints as per 2nd Corinthians chapter 6:11-18.
Rom.12:1] 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.
[2] 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.
And oftentimes, we do not ‘see’ the value of our “liberty” in Christ as we ought, in the verses above, the Saint is ‘beseeched’ to “BE” a living sacrifice; he does not ‘have to BE,’ he could continue to “live” unto the conformity of this world, but he would “be separate” from our “liberty” to “live” in the “life” of a Saint who ‘chooses’ to “be” a living sacrifice, and be “holy,” which is acceptable unto God, and in this “life” there is a “reasonable service” we are privileged to live unto Him. And those Saints who desire to now “live” this life in Christ, also will ‘see’ the necessity to NO LONGER “BE” conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of their minds by the Father’s Word, and to now walk in the selfless life of His Son. And that living sacrifice life “is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This Saint now walks not just as a child of God who is in Christ, and an “heir of God,” this Saint sees the value of the liberty that he is afforded by His Father. That Saint knows that he is a heir of the “Great House,” but as we are taught in 2nd Timothy chapter 2, in God’s great House there are “vessels to honor,” and “vessels to dishonor.” And the ‘difference’ between those two “vessels” has nothing to do with God choosing “who” will be the one to honor, or the one to dishonor, but this all depends upon the heart and mind of the Saint. And how he ‘sees’ our Father’s life for him, or does he choose to live a life in condemnation and ‘separation,’ and ‘dishonor?’ this is where, and when the Saints themselves MUST “thus judge” will we allow the love of Christ to constrain us, or will we continue to be ‘straighten in our OWN bowels?’
2nd Cor.5:14] For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
[15] And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Rod Jones