Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
After sharing one of the greatest promises God has made—“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18)—the apostle Paul explained what this promise should motivate us to do. God calls on us to cleanse ourselves and seek the holiness of God motivated by the proper awe and respect that He deserves.
The apostle John expressed similar thoughts in 1 John 3:1-3:
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
For more on the cleansing process Christians are called to, see the sections on “Repentance” and “Christian Conversion.”
