| Saturday, March 12 |
2 Corinthians 7:1 |
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
SAVED BY GRACE
Paul, who had been an extremely devout (and intolerant) Jew, took on the responsibility of extending his ministry to the Greek community, which in that time included not only Greece, but also major portions of Asia Minor (Turkey) as well as parts of what is now called the Middle East. In Mark 6: 4-6 and John 4:44, Jesus noted that a prophet is not respected in his hometown. Paul received this message and took on the responsibility of reaching out to a community with a different culture and a different language. After his embrace of Christ, Paul carried out Christ’s message that salvation is for all. He devoted much of his ministry to reaching out to the Greek speaking population. It’s remarkable that the purest Jewish person in the early church led the outreach to carry Christ’s teachings beyond the Jewish community.
In establishing a church in Corinth, Paul was truly going into the "lion’s den." Corinth at that time was known as a center of what we would now refer to as vice. It’s natural that in writing to the church in Corinth Paul would issue a plea for turning away from those sins. He recognized our frailties and our sins. In other letters he was brutally honest in recognizing them not only in all, but also in himself.
Fortunately for all of us, our salvation does not rest upon cleansing ourselves from defilement, because we all fall short of this. Paul was immersed in the law. But, after he embraced the teachings of Christ, he came to realize that salvation could not be earned. It could only happen through the grace of Christ’s sacrifice.
Ancient Greek literature and drama often centers on the tragic figure that has a fatal flaw resulting in his or her downfall. Christ’s teaching recognized this as the human condition; but it was transformed because Christ recognized this and offered himself as the sacrifice. Thus, rather than the "play" ending in tragedy, it ends in triumph. We are saved through grace by Christ.
Lord, thank you for sending Paul and other servants who spread your Word to diverse peoples and cultures. Lord, we confess that we sin in our actions that defile your blessings upon us. We ask for salvation from these sins in the name of Jesus Christ, in whose name we offer this prayer.
Ted Vlamis
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