SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:1
¶ Así que, amados, pues teniendo tales promesas, limpimonos de toda inmundicia de carne y de espíritu, perfeccionando la santificacin en temor de Dios.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 7:1
Verse 1. Having therefore these promises] The promises mentioned in the three last verses of the preceding chapter, to which this verse should certainly be joined. Let us cleanse ourselves] Let us apply to him for the requisite grace of purification; and avoid every thing in spirit and practice which is opposite to the doctrine of God, and which has a tendency to pollute the soul.
Filthiness of the flesh] The apostle undoubtedly means, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, and all such sins as are done immediately against the body; and by filthiness of the spirit, all impure desires, unholy thoughts, and polluting imaginations. If we avoid and abhor evil inclinations, and turn away our eyes from beholding vanity, incentives to evil being thus lessened, (for the eye affects the heart,) there will be the less danger of our falling into outward sin. And if we avoid all outward occasions of sinning, evil propensities will certainly be lessened. All this is our work under the common aids of the grace of God. We may turn away our eyes and ears from evil, or we may indulge both in what will infallibly beget evil desires and tempers in the soul; and under the same influence we may avoid every act of iniquity; for even Satan himself cannot, by any power he has, constrain us to commit uncleanness, robbery, drunkenness, murder, &c.
These are things in which both body and soul must consent. But still withholding the eye, the ear, the hand, and the body in general, from sights, reports, and acts of evil, will not purify a fallen spirit; it is the grace and Spirit of Christ alone, powerfully applied for this very purpose, that can purify the conscience and the heart from all dead works. But if we do not withhold the food by which the man of sin is nourished and supported, we cannot expect God to purify our hearts. While we are striving against sin, we may expect the Spirit of God to purify us by his inspiration from all unrighteousness, that we may perfectly love and magnify our Maker. How can those expect God to purify their hearts who are continually indulging their eyes, ears, and hands in what is forbidden, and in what tends to increase and bring into action all the evil propensities of the soul? Perfecting holiness] Getting the whole mind of Christ brought into the soul. This is the grand object of a genuine Christian's pursuit. The means of accomplishing this are, 1. Resisting and avoiding sin, in all its inviting and seducing forms. 2. Setting the fear of God before our eyes, that we may dread his displeasure, and abhor whatever might excite it, and whatever might provoke him to withhold his manna from our mouth. We see, therefore, that there is a strong and orthodox sense in which we may cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and thus perfect holiness in the fear of God.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. Having therefore these promises , etc..] That God will walk in his temple, and dwell in his churches, be their God, and they his people, that he will receive them, and be their Father, and they his sons and daughters; which promises they had not in hope, as Old Testament saints had the promises of the Messiah and his kingdom, and as New Testament saints have of the resurrection, the new heavens and new earth, and of appearing with Christ in glory; but in hand, in actual possession; for God was really become their God and Father, and they were his people and children; they had had communion with him, and were received, protected, and preserved by him; which promises and blessings of grace, and which are absolute and unconditional, the apostle makes use of to engage them to purity and holiness; and is a clear proof, that the doctrine of an absolute and unconditional covenant of grace has no tendency to licentiousness, but the contrary: and that his following exhortation might be attended to, and cheerfully received, he uses a very affectionate appellation, dearly beloved ; so they were of God, being his people, his sons and daughters, adopted, justified, called, and chosen by him; and so they were by the apostle and his fellow ministers, who, as he says in a following verse, were in their hearts to die and live with them; some copies read brethren, and so the Ethiopic version. The exhortation he urges them to, and, that it might be the better received, joins himself with them in it, is, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit : by the filthiness of the flesh is meant external pollution, defilement by outward actions, actions committed in the body, whereby the man is defiled; such as all impure words, filthiness, and foolish talking, all rotten and corrupt communication, which defile a man's own body; as the tongue, a little member, when so used does, and corrupts the good manners of others; all filthy actions, as idolatry, adultery, fornication, incest, sodomy, murder, drunkenness, revellings, etc.. and everything that makes up a filthy conversation, which is to be hated, abhorred, and abstained from by the saints: by filthiness of the spirit is meant internal pollution, defilement by the internal acts of the mind, such as evil thoughts, lusts, pride, malice, envy, covetousness, and the like: such a distinction of Pwgh tamwj , the filthiness of the body, and pnh tamwj , the filthiness of the soul, is to be met with among the Jews; who say f65 , that when a man has taken care to avoid the former, it is fit he should take care of the latter; they also call the evil imagination, or corruption of nature, the filth of the body f66 .
Now when the apostle says, let us cleanse ourselves, this does not suppose that men have a power to cleanse themselves from the pollution of their nature, or the defilement of their actions; for this is God's work alone, as appears from his promises to cleanse his people from their sins; from the end of Christ's shedding his blood, and the efficacy of it; from the sanctifying influences of the Spirit; and from the prayers of the saints to God, to create in them clean hearts, to wash them thoroughly from their iniquity, and cleanse them from their sin: besides, the apostle is not here speaking either of the justification of these persons, in which sense they were already cleansed, and that thoroughly, from all their sins and iniquities; nor of the inward work of sanctification, in respect of which they were sprinkled with clean water, and were washed in the layer of regeneration; but what the apostle respects is the exercise of both internal and external religion, which lies in purity of heart and conversation, the one not being acceptable to God without the other; he is speaking of, and exhorting to the same thing, as in the latter part of the preceding chapter; and suggests, that it becomes those who have received such gracious promises to be separate from sin and sinners, to abstain from all appearance of sin, and to have no fellowship with sinners; to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of haughtiness, and, under a sense of either external or internal pollution, to have recourse to the fountain opened; to deal by faith with the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, of heart, lip, and life; and which is the only effectual method a believer can make use of, to cleanse himself from sin; namely, by washing his garments, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb: perfecting holiness in the fear of God ; by holiness is not meant the work of sanctification upon the heart, for that is wholly the work of the Spirit of God, and not of man; he begins it, carries it on, and perfects it of himself; but holiness of life and conversation is here designed, which in conversion the people of God are called unto, and which highly becomes them: and this they are to be perfecting; not that a believer is able to live a life of holiness, without sin being in him, or committed by him; this is in, possible and impracticable in the present life; but the sense of the word epitelountev is, that he is to be carrying on a course of righteousness and holiness to the end; to the end of his life, he is to persevere as in faith, so in holiness; as he is to go on believing in Christ, so he is to go on to live soberly, righteously, and godly, to the end of his days; which requires divine power to preserve him from sin, and keep him from falling; and the grace of God, the strength of Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit, to enable him to perform acts of holiness, and the several duties of religion, and to continue in well doing: all which is to be done, in the fear of God; not in a servile slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation, but in a filial fear, a reverential affection for God, an humble trust in him, and dependence on him, for grace and strength; it is that fear which has God for its author, is a blessing of the new covenant, is implanted in regeneration, and is increased by discoveries of pardoning grace; and it has God for its object, not his wrath and vindictive justice, but his goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows from what principle, and upon what views believers act in a course of righteousness and holiness; not from the fear of hell, nor from the fear of men, or with a view to gain their applause, but as in the sight of God, from a reverential affection to him, a child like fear of him, and with a view to his glory.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - The promises of God are strong reasons for us to follow after holiness we must cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. I we hope in God as our Father, we must seek to be holy as he is holy and perfect as our Father in heaven. His grace, by the influences of his Spirit, alone can purify, but holiness should be the object of ou constant prayers. If the ministers of the gospel are though contemptible, there is danger lest the gospel itself be despised also and though ministers must flatter none, yet they must be gentle toward all. Ministers may look for esteem and favour, when they can safel appeal to the people, that they have corrupted no man by fals doctrines or flattering speeches; that they have defrauded no man; no sought to promote their own interests so as to hurt any. It wa affection to them made the apostle speak so freely to them, and cause him to glory of them, in all places, and upon all occasions.
Greek Textus Receptus
ταυτας 3778 D-APF ουν 3767 CONJ εχοντες 2192 5723 V-PAP-NPM τας 3588 T-APF επαγγελιας 1860 N-APF αγαπητοι 27 A-VPM καθαρισωμεν 2511 5661 V-AAS-1P εαυτους 1438 F-3APM απο 575 PREP παντος 3956 A-GSM μολυσμου 3436 N-GSM σαρκος 4561 N-GSF και 2532 CONJ πνευματος 4151 N-GSN επιτελουντες 2005 5723 V-PAP-NPM αγιωσυνην 42 N-ASF εν 1722 PREP φοβω 5401 N-DSM θεου 2316 N-GSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Filthiness (molusmou). Rev., defilement. Only here in the New Testament. For the kindred verb molunw to defile, see on Apoc. xiv. 4. Compare 1 Cor. viii. 7.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
7:1 {These promises} (tautas tas epaggelias). So many and so precious (#2Pe 2:4 epaggelmata; #Heb 11:39f.). {Let us cleanse ourselves} (kaqariswmen heautous). Old Greek used kaqairw (in N.T. only in #Joh 15:2, to prune). In _Koin_ kaqarizw occurs in inscriptions for ceremonial cleansing (Deissmann, _Bible Studies_, p. 216f.). Paul includes himself in this volitive aorist subjunctive. {From all defilement} (apo pantos molusmou). Ablative alone would have done, but with apo it is plainer as in #Heb 9:14. molusmos is a late word from molunw, to stain (see on 1Co 8:7), to pollute. In the LXX, Plutarch, Josephus. It includes all sorts of filthiness, physical, moral, mental, ceremonial, "of flesh and spirit." Missionaries in China and India can appreciate the atmosphere of pollution in Corinth, for instance. {Perfecting holiness} (epitelountes hagiosunen). Not merely negative goodness (cleansing), but aggressive and progressive (present tense of epitelew) holiness, not a sudden attainment of complete holiness, but a continuous process (#1Th 3:13; Ro 1:4; 1:6).
