“Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God”

© 2026 C. O. Bishop (Perfecting Holiness)

2^nd Corinthians 7:1 “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.”

Introduction:

What does it mean, “Perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God”? We can see several things in this verse. Some are very important: Some not. For example, the verse is only 25 words long. Is that important? I doubt it: But it is an example of a “packed” passage. It has lots of vital information “packed into” few words. We need to “unpack it,” just as the Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” So, let’s unpack it: One phrase (or one word) at a time.

Having Therefore “these” Promises: (In regard to Holiness)

What Promises? And…what do I do with that word “therefore?” (Stop and see what it is there for!) This “therefore” looks back to 2^nd Corinthians 6:16-18, where we see “these” promises regarding Holiness:

“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.”

Did You See the Promises There, Regarding Holiness?

• We are the Temple of the Living God!
• God said He will live in us! He says He will WALK in us!
• He says He will be our God, and we shall be His People!
• He says as we separate ourselves from the World, and its sin, its filth, (practical holiness) He (the Lord Almighty) will receive us and deal with us as His dear children.

God cites other promises in 2^nd Peter 1:4. He says we have “exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we may be partakers of the Divine Nature.” And He says, seeing that we HAVE such promises, He wants us to respond accordingly, “perfecting Holiness.”

“Dearly Beloved:”

So, to Whom is this addressed? Paul only says “dearly beloved” regarding one group of people. It is the believers: the followers of Jesus! This is not a “recipe” telling unbelievers how to become the children of God. Jesus already told Nicodemus how to become a child of God. He said,“Ye must be born again!” Jesus explained how to be born again by faith (John 1:11-13; John 3:16.) This is a recipe for practical holiness among believers.

Therefore, the people Paul addressed were already believers. So, the information here is relational in nature, and practical holiness is a recipe for a serene, growing relationship with the Living God. But the next thing He says is that we are to cleanse ourselves.

“Let us Cleanse Ourselves:”

How can we cleanse ourselves? Psalm 119:9 Is the only place where the King James Bible says how a believer can cleanse himself. Many passages demand that we do so! Jeremiah 2:22 says even if we scrub ourselves with “nitre” (lye…a very harsh cleansing agent) we are still unclean. We cannot produce Holiness on our own! (Jesus said so: See John 15:5)

James 4:8-10 commands us, “⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

James specializes in teaching Practical Holiness.

Hands

We cleanse our hands through confession, according to 1^st John 1:9. He calls upon us to repent (change our minds) enough that we can confess who we are and what we are doing. But He still says for us to cleanse ourselves…and it is an ongoing process. HE cleanses us positionally. Once He has cleansed you, He eternally sees you as clean: He has conferred His Holiness upon you! But our condition wavers all over the place.

That is why, in John 13:10, Jesus said, “if you have been washed, you are clean: but your feet will still need washing.” 1^st John 1:7 says that “…the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” That is our position in Him. He has permanently made us clean by conferring His Holiness upon us.

Feet

So, we go to God in confession to “wash our feet.” But in terms of how we live before Him, and how, as His ambassadors, we present Him to the World, He tells us to apply His Word to ourselves so that it changes us: And we memorize His Word to make it a permanent change. This is how we “improve upon our practical holiness.”

Psalm 119:9-11 says, “⁹ How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to Thy Word! ¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. ¹¹ Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee.”

So, from what are we cleansing ourselves?

“From All Filthiness”

To What does this refer? Ephesians 5:1-8

“¹Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; ² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. ³ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; ⁴ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

⁵ For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ⁷ Be not ye therefore partakers with them. ⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”

There are many other similar passages: I chose this one because the Lord contrasts light and darkness, here, and says that we have no business living in darkness anymore: We are part of God’s light, now, and our behavior should reflect His light. That is why Jesus told the people in Matthew 5:15-16 “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”

“Filthiness Of the Flesh”

What is “Filthiness of the flesh?” Romans 1:24-32 “²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

This passage described the “downward slide” of the Human race into depravity. We became spiritually filthy, first, and it resulted in our becoming physically filthy as well.

And Filthiness “Of The Spirit”

What is “Filthiness of the spirit?” Galatians 5:16-21 “¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  ²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The next two verses describe the (Singular) fruit of the Spirit. Failing to “walk in the Spirit,” (as verse 16 commands) leaves the only other option: Living carnally—in the flesh. Most of the things listed here are matters strictly of the heart.

ALL of them can be a picture of the heart of man. We can most easily observe some of them when they become outward behavior. But most can find their identity in the deceitful heart, even if they never blossom into a visible behavior. God says we are also responsible for our thought-life. 2^nd Corinthians 10:4, 5 calls us to “…bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

“Perfecting Holiness”

How can WE “perfect our holiness?” Who declares us to be Holy? 1^st Corinthians 6:9-11

“⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, (cleansed) but ye are sanctified, (made holy) but ye are justified (declared righteous) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

On what basis does God declare us to be Holy? Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

1^st Peter 2:1-10 “¹ Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, ² As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ³ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ⁴ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ⁵ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

What Part Do WE Play, in Perfecting Holiness?

We strive to walk with Him, and to live out the holiness God has conferred upon us. Positionally, He has declared us Holy, and set us apart for His service. But we want that holiness to be our daily condition, as well. 1^st Peter 1:16 “ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Holiness “In the Fear of God”

What does “Fear of God” mean, as compared to 1^st John 4:11-21?  In Psalm 19:9, we see that “the Fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.” And, Romans 3:18, says, of the unbelieving world, “There is no Fear of God before their eyes.”

So, the “Fear of the Lord” is a good thing: We are awe-stricken before Him, seeing ourselves as we truly are: In Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah said, “…Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Yes, God has cleansed us, positionally: We stand before Him cleansed of our sins, but we still see His unimaginable Holiness and Authority, and we experience the clean, eternal, “Fear of the Lord.” In Isaiah 6:1-8, we see that even the Angelic host cannot look fully upon His Glory: They, too, are overcome by His Holiness.

A Wrong Fear, Not Resulting in Holiness

But the Fear mentioned in 1^st John 4:11-21 is the fear of punishment: It is the Fear that because we cannot in ourselves match HIS Holiness, God will break His Promise and abandon us. Or that He will change His mind regarding the fullness of Jesus’s completed Work at the Cross, and somehow allow us to slip away from Him into hell.

God says that if we are experiencing that sort of fear, then we don’t know Him well enough. He says that, if our love-relationship with Him were complete, we would be in Love with Him: We would be completely trusting Him in His Love and His Grace, and HIS Holiness, knowing that He is utterly Faithful.

Lord Jesus, teach us to walk with You, and to separate ourselves from our old practices, our old thought patterns. We confess to You that we are “Saved Sinners.” Yes, we stand before you In Your Holiness, as Your offspring, but we confess that, apart from Your abiding guidance and control in our lives we cannot hope to live in such a way as to please You. Help us to desire that relationship with You MORE than we desire our old patterns and pleasures. Help us to live out the Holiness that You have conferred upon us!

The Word of God is Sheep Food

© C. O. Bishop 9/9/2016; THCF 9/11/2016 (The Word as Sheep Food)

1^st Peter 2:2; Jeremiah 15:16;

Introduction to the Word as Sheep Food:

We read in the scripture that the elders are to feed the flock. We also see that God also commands the flock to “feed” as well…and that the food is specifically the Word of God. So, we need to give some attention as to how that feeding is to occur, and when, and by whom, etc.

In 1^st Peter 2:2, God tells the newborn believers to hunger for the “milk” of God’s Word; but in Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer complains that the particular believers to whom he was writing should have graduated from “milk” and should now be consuming solid food…and it is still referring to the Word of God. Jeremiah 15:16 makes the statement that feeding on God’s Word brought joy to the heart of the prophet, because he himself belonged to the family of God… God’s had applied His own name to Jeremiah.

Normal Food For Believers is the Word

These sort of passages lay out the normal life for believers: we are to feed on God’s Word. And it should become a joy to our hearts simply because, as believers, we are His children. We should be growing stronger in the Word. That means we need to move on from baby food. We should and feed joyfully on the tougher things of the Bible, while not forgetting the foundation that was laid in the simple truths of the Gospel.

So…what does it mean, to “Feed on” God’s Word? Do we simply read it? Is hearing it on the radio enough? Do we have to attend Bible College? Do we have to memorize the Bible? What does it mean when the Psalmist says he “meditated” on God’s Word? Do you have to sit with your legs contorted, and your eyes closed while you think about the Bible?

I would like to suggest, as a starter, that there are at least five ways the Scripture tells us to feed upon the Word of God:

1. Hear
2. Read
3. Study
4. Memorize, and
5. Meditate

Probably that is actually an ascending order, each attaining a deeper, stronger grasp of the Word.  Let’s look at each of them and see how they apply to us as believers.

Hear the Word

Deuteronomy 6:4 begins with the words, “Hear O Israel…” All orthodox Jews are familiar with this passage. They call it the “the Shamaah”, because the Hebrew word “shamaah” means “hear”. Over and over, Jesus said “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.” The willing reception of the spoken Word of God is what is in view. Hearing it has an impact all by itself, without study, without comment, without further reflection, even: God’s Word does not return to Him void. It always has an effect.

What Effect Will Hearing Have?

Bear in mind that the sun, shining on potter’s clay, has the reverse effect of the same sunlight warming wax. One grows harder, while the other grows softer. The difference is in the character of the material. Anyone that “hath an ear to hear” will change in a positive way by the reception of God’s Word. A person who only receives the Word because of a sense of social responsibility or, worse, to look good among his peers, may find that he has gradually inoculated himself against the influence of the Word, because he has privately, habitually rejected its teaching. God gradually gives him over to a reprobate mind, so that he becomes blinded to the truth of God’s Word, and deaf to the pleading of God’s Spirit.

Luke 8:18 says, “Take heed therefore how ye hear….” Hearing the word is important, and how we hear it is important. We need to hear it with a willing heart, and look for ways to apply it to our lives…not dismiss it or critique it as if it were the writings of men. It is the Word of God. Take heed how you hear. Apply your heart to the Word as you hear it. Hunger for it. Allow it to cleanse you, and purge you.

Read the Word

It is interesting and instructive, to see that long before a king sat on a throne in Israel, God commanded (Deuteronomy 17:18-20) that that future king was to write for himself a copy of the Law of God, out of the scrolls possessed by the Levites, and that he was to read that copy all the days of his life! Every day, as long as he lives!

God calls believers in the Church age, “kings and priests.” How might that Old Testament command apply to us? Although I doubt He calls us to personally write out our own copy (the printing press and movable type seem to have freed us from that), I do think He might be admonishing us to be in the Word on a “steady-diet” basis, rather than a “once-in-a-while nibble.” 

Results of Reading God’s Word

The results God predicted for those kings are interesting, too. Five results are listed:

1. That he may learn to fear the LORD his God, and
2. To keep all the words of this Law, and these statutes, to do them,
3. That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and
4. That he turn not aside from the commandments, to the right hand or to the left;
5. To the end (result) that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Now, I am not an earthly king, especially not a king of Israel, but I can see from the rest of the Word of God that those predicted results apply to all who apply God’s Word to their lives. The Psalms state that the Word “is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” They further state that a man can cleanse his way “by taking heed thereto according to God’s Word”.  (Psalm 119:9, 105) Simply reading the Word daily, as a steady diet, providing constant contact, will have eternal results.

Study the Word

This one is a little harder, but the word “study” in Old English, and in Greek, means to “apply oneself diligently.” So, when Paul says (2^nd Timothy 2:15) “study to show thyself approved unto God…”, it means “make this a priority, and apply yourself diligently to that end.” But; the rest of the verse says “…a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” So, applying oneself diligently to learning to rightly divide God’s Word would necessitate the kind of thing we call “study,” today, as well, would it not?

Paul also exhorted Timothy to give himself to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine. This meant not only the public reading of the scriptures, but a constant ministry of encouraging others and teaching them to understand and obey God’s Word. That requires study, too.

Paul commended the Bereans (Acts 17:11) as being “more noble than those in Thessalonica”, because they “received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” That is study, folks! Searching the scriptures, comparing scripture with scripture, looking for understanding. That is study!

Is Study in School a Requirement?

Could it mean going off to school and applying yourself to nothing but study for a period of time? Certainly, it could, but that is by no means necessary. Bear in mind: Paul took training by one of the most famous educators of his time (Gamaliel.) But he considered that whole experience to be rubbish. Paul did not rest upon his credentials. He rested upon the credentials of Christ. As an Apostle, he rested upon the truth of God’s Word.

And he exhorts us to apply ourselves to the goal of understanding the Word of God. The collective maturity and stability of the church will result. So, every “novel doctrine” that comes along will not sweep away the believers. So that we will be well-equipped ministers of God’s Grace, and so that we are able to build up the body in the Love of God. (Ephesians 4:12-16) These are all the result of absorbing God’s Word, through hearing, reading and studying. What else can we do?

Memorize the Word

Psalm 119:11 is the best verse for this, though there are many others. The psalmist said “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Later, in Jeremiah 31:33, God promised that (during the coming Kingdom age) He himself would “…put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts”, with the result being holiness of life and a wholesome, continuing walk with God. He says, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

When Jesus refuted Satan, during the temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), he did so with the Word of God, citing (and reciting) appropriate passages to defend against the attack of the evil one. I use this tool daily, when tempted to be angry, or in some other way, reciting to myself the passages that strengthen me against sin. David did the same thing. He remembered the precepts of God, and drew upon them for strength.

Solomon commented upon this concept: Proverbs 4:4, 5 says, in part, “…let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live. Get Wisdom, get understanding, forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” This is not just rote memorization, but the overall absorption and retention of God’s Word. It takes time, and it takes deliberate work.

Personal Examples

When I was in Bible school, the curriculum required us to memorize hundreds of passages. Sometimes it was single verses, sometimes short passages, some whole chapters, and one whole book (Ephesians). Do I still remember then all? Nope. But the result has been profitable, and I still know how to apply myself to memorization.

After my mother died we found her written memory-aids (stenographer’s tablets full of them, all written by hand.) We realized just how much she had applied this concept. She had memorized several whole books of the New Testament. And she was working on more, right up until she could no longer function to do so. Not everyone has equal gifts in this regard. But virtually anyone can repeat back to you, nearly verbatim, a conversation they had yesterday or last week, with another individual. So, consider the Word of God a series of “conversations” between God and man. Recite portions of those conversations as needed… and it is not an unreasonable expectation at all. You can do this!

Meditate upon the Word

Biblical Meditation

When people today use the word “meditate,” they usually mean meditation in the sense of some Eastern religion; Hinduism, or its off-shoots; Buddhism, the Hari Krishna cult, Transcendental Meditation, or something similar. In each of these cases, the false religion encourages the novice to empty one’s mind of conscious thought and open oneself to whatever comes in. Biblical meditation has nothing to do with this practice.

Joshua 1:8 is the first command regarding Meditation. Let’s see what God told Joshua about it.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

How much of that is a promise to me? None of it! This is a command with a promise to Joshua… not even to Israel as a whole; just Joshua. But how much of it could be applicable to you and to me, at least in a general sense? Every bit of it!

We are not to depart from God’s Word, the Bible. It is to be our first and final authority in all things. And, we are to dwell upon its precepts, considering how to rightly apply them to our lives. Meditation is not empty-headed open-mindedness! It is deliberate, conscious thinking about the content and concepts of God’s Word. It is pondering, and comparing scripture to scripture, and considering whether there is something you have missed, in reading it.

Methods May Vary

Sometimes I have used an elementary trick of reciting a passage slowly, repeating it with a different word emphasized each time, to see if that sheds a different light. But, regardless of the method, Biblical meditation is always a slow, conscious rumination…a “chewing of the cud”, so to speak. A careful digestion of the Word of God, being anxious not to miss anything.

There are two primary words in the Old Testament, translated “meditate”. Together they are used 12 times. There is one word in the New Testament, translated “meditate”, and it is used twice: both times in command form. Joshua, as a servant of God, was commanded (Joshua 1:8) to meditate upon the Word of God. Timothy, as a servant of God, was commanded (1^st Timothy 4:15) to meditate upon the things taught in God’s Word. David, a servant of God, testified that he meditated upon the precepts of God’s Word, and mused upon them, pondering their meaning.

How much more do we need? This is how the servants of God strengthen themselves for the service of God. They were feeding upon it deeply and continually.

So: Who Does the Feeding?

The answer is, “We ALL do!” God calls every believer to feed on God’s Word to whatever capacity He has given them to do so. No one is exempted. Everyone can at least choose to hear it, and take heed how they hear it.

If you can read, God calls you to read it. If you can read, and can at least think clearly, He calls you to study, and to feed at that level. He calls us to attain to solid food, not continuing to consume only the simple, baby-food portions over and over.

At whatever level we can do so, we are called upon to memorize God’s Word. And we are called upon to spend time meditating upon it: deliberately thinking, praying and considering how to understand and apply what we have heard, read, studied and memorized.

How Important is the Written Word?

God says (Psalm 138:2) that he has magnified his Word even above his Name. That is an incredible thought, as His name is Holy, and not to be taken lightly. It could be a reflection of the fact that Jesus Himself is identified in a few passages as being the Word of God, in Person. John 1:1, 14 “In the Beginning was the Word…The Word became flesh, and dwelt among Men…” And when he comes at last, as the triumphant King, it says (Revelation 19:13) that “His name is called “The Word of God”.”

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, stated clearly that every word of the Scriptures would be brought to pass…fulfilled to the letter. Peter says (2^nd Peter 1:19) that the written Word is our only light in this dark World, until the Savior returns for us, and we have His Light in Person.

I am personally convinced that how a believer responds to the Written Word of God, the Bible, is ultimately how he or she also will respond to the Living Word, Jesus. Give that some thought!

Responsibility For Feeding on the Word of God

If you are a leader, a teacher, a parent, or are in any other way responsible for the spiritual well-being of another person, then you are doubly accountable to these precepts. You can’t feed others if you are not feeding yourself. And you can’t feed them clean food, unless you are applying the Word well enough to understand what you are teaching. Jesus confronted the teachers in Israel for failing to understand and for failing to obey. He said they had become blind guides. We really do not want that charge to be laid upon us. We want to hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!”

Take heed how you hear! The way you choose to respond to this message will definitely have an effect upon your life.

Lord Jesus, teach us to hear your Word with the intent to apply it to our lives, to think on it, and obey it. Let us be doers of your Word, and not forgetful hearers. Teach us to feed on the clean food of your Word, and by it to grow strong!

The Connection Between Separation And Holiness: Choosing Fellowship with God

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2^nd Corinthians 6:13-18

¹³ Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. (Paul wanted true fellowship with the Corinthian Believers.)

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

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, (Break off fellowship!) 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.

Compare 2^nd Chronicles 19:1-3

¹ And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

² And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.

³ Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

Introduction:

When we hear the words “unequally yoked,” we usually think God is reminding us to not marry an unbeliever. But, while the verse does teach that idea, that is just one application. And it is a very narrow application of a very broad concept. The overall issue is Fellowship: Partnership.

What Kind of Yoke? (The Yoke indicates fellowship…Partnership.)

The concept of a “yoke,” in the context of being “yoked together,” is a double-harness. It is used so two people (or two draft animals) can work together. They are uniting their efforts toward a common goal, or task. So, the person with whom you are joined could have a world view and loyalties contrary to yours. If they have entirely different goals than you do, why would you want to be joined with them?

In this country, we sometimes see people who have joined themselves to a foreign nation. They are either sending them restricted technology, or actually selling secrets to them. We call that behavior “spying,” in some cases, “treason” at worst, and it is universally condemned. God takes it seriously, too, but does not call us “spies” or “traitors.” He simply tells us how unfitting, and how counterproductive it is.

Fellowship is Partnership

In our culture, we think “fellowship” means “drinking coffee, eating sweets, and chatting.” (No…as a matter of fact, it does not.) Fellowship involves partnership. It means “having something in common.” It especially means sharing a goal and work or a project, together. Two workers who might have nothing to do with one another outside of work, can join together for a project, and treat one another with respect and cooperation in that work, and come away with a sense of :fellowship. (“We got that done! We accomplished that together!”)

I have worked on small crews, with other men, when, other than work, we had nearly nothing in common. But all of us were pleased at the amount of work we were getting done, and proud of our accomplishment. We all knew our jobs very well, and also knew when there was a lifting job that needed all of us. But when the lift was done and we had secured the large part in place for the man whose job it was to weld it, the rest of us dropped back into our separate welding tasks, all of which combined to produce a product that was very professional.

In fact, the four of us were accomplishing more together, on our shift, than a team of sixteen were accomplishing on a different shift, working at the same task. Collectively, we were happy about that, with a deep satisfaction. We had fellowship…partnership… in that work, though we shared nothing at all outside of work.

Fellowship also is not just “two fellows in a ship.”

Just “being in the same boat” does not produce fellowship: it does not imply “partnership.” Two fellows in a ship may be plotting to kill one another! Two fellows “in the same boat” because they both are out of work may have bitter rivalry between them, striving to get the same job.

But Paul said the Philippians had shared in the fellowship of the Gospel with him. They were partners in the work, sharing the gospel with others, seeing that as the job they had in common.

Paul points out that righteousness (having a right standing with God, and behaving that way) has nothing in common with unrighteousness (not having a right standing with God, and living that  way.) He compares it to the dichotomy between light and darkness. They literally cannot have anything in common. Light specifically dispels darkness. Darkness is the absence of light.

Finally, he makes it very pointed: What agreement does Christ have with the evil one? And the necessary conclusion: “What part does a believer have with an unbeliever?” You are on “opposing teams!” You are soldiers in opposing armies!

Fellowship implies agreement: Verse 16 calls the question, “What agreement does the temple of God have with idols?” He goes on to point out that, collectively, the Church is the living Temple of the Living God on Earth. God Lives in us! He lives in you! He is our God! We are His people! (So, Ask yourself: Why is it all right for me to take what absolutely belongs to God, and join it in a common purpose with that which absolutely does not?)

An Old Testament Example Of A Bad Choice in Fellowship

In 2^nd Chronicles 19:1-3, we see the tail end of a bad situation. In 2nd Chronicles 18, we saw Jehoshaphat, a good king (of Judah, the southern kingdom) joined to Ahab, an evil king, already under a specific curse from God. Ahab asked for his help fighting the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead.

Red Flag #1 (Association in fellowship)

Jehoshaphat wanted to ask God’s approval. Ahab called in four hundred false prophets who all said God would give them victory. But Jehoshaphat saw that the four hundred were not Prophets of the LORD, and He asked whether there were no actual prophets of the LORD there. Ahab answered, “Yeah, there’s one, a guy named Micaiah, but I hate him, because he always says bad stuff about me!” (That should have been a big red flag for Jehoshaphat, right there! If the only genuine prophet in town says “Ahab is a bad guy,” and you already know his history, why would you even consider pressing on with such a bad idea??) This is the Road to Failure!

Red Flag #2 (Potential Results of a bad Choice in Fellowship)

But Micaiah was called in, and ultimately said Ahab would not be coming home alive. (Wow! And you still want in on this? This should have been a second huge red flag. Stop!)

Red Flag #3 (The Hypocrisy of Bad Fellowship.)

But Ahab decided on a bright idea: He would disguise himself as a common soldier, but Jehoshaphat would wear his normal royal robes. (“You put a target on your back, and I will fight incognito!” Honestly, if you can’t see a problem with that, then you must be blind!)

But Jehoshaphat went along with it! (Wow…!)

Prophecy Fulfilled

So, you know the rest of the story. Predictably, the Syrian army went after Jehoshaphat, thinking he was Ahab. In fact, their king had commanded them to only go after Ahab! But Jehoshaphat cried out in terror, and the enemy soldiers somehow realized from his voice that he was not Ahab, so they turned their attention elsewhere. They had no quarrel with him personally. Ultimately, Ahab was hit by a “random” arrow (just another coincidence!) and he bled to death in his chariot.

(By the way, the specific curse on Ahab included the prediction that “where the dogs had licked up the blood of Naboth, whose death by stoning Jezebel had arranged, there the dogs would also lick up the blood of Ahab.” Want to guess where they washed out his chariot after he bled to death in it? Yep. Right where Naboth had died!)

The Rest of the Story

So: Ahab is dead and gone, and Jehoshaphat heads home, just glad to be alive. But the story is not really over: A prophet of God, named Jehu, met Jehoshaphat on the road, with a message from God. The prophet said, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” The bad choices of Fellowship and Partnership caught up with him!

That is BAD News! “You are in trouble, brother!”

Fortunately, God also allows us to see the good news: “³ Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.”

Jehoshaphat’s position was still secure in Christ, just as my position and yours are secure in Christ. But God was definitely not pleased! And 2^nd Corinthians 6:13-18 reminds us that God has not changed. He still hates sin, and specifically hates to see us joining together with His enemies, and literally working with unbelievers, against His cause. He can’t have fellowship with us when we are working against Him!

So, What do We do With All of This?

Verses 17 and 18 tell us the answer:

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.

If you find that you have been partnering (joining in fellowship) with unbelievers in a cause that ultimately will work against God’s values, repent! Knock it off! Turn back, and go do what you are supposed to be doing! That is repentance!

Repentance

This is a “1^st John 1:9” matter, to start out, but then it becomes a lifestyle change, if we hope to bear fruit in our walk with God. Repentance (Greek “metanoia “) means a change of mind.  But “separation” has the same meaning as “sanctification,” which is the same as saying “Be ye holy for I am Holy!” (1^st Peter 1:16) We are “separated unto God, for His purpose!”

So, the command to “come out from among them and be separate” is a call to commit oneself to living for God. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who Loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Paul demonstrated the “separated life” by spending every bit of his energy, time and strength in serving the risen Christ. He threw himself completely into his partnership and Fellowship with Jesus.

So, how did Jehoshaphat demonstrate Repentance?

2^nd Chronicles 19:4-7

⁴ And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.

He went back to working WITH God, partnering with HIM, and fellowshipping with Him.

⁵ And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶ And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment.

⁷ Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Jehoshaphat went home and began mending his fences, so to speak: He traveled around among his people (Judah, Benjamin, and the half tribe of Manasseh.) He functioned as an “evangelist” of sorts: He turned people back to the LORD, the God of Israel, and he restored the judicial system of God in all the cities in his country. He drew others into fellowship with the Living God.

So, What Can We Do?

Well, of course, it varies with every person. But it still always comes down to confessing your sins (1^st John 1:9,) and then seeking God’s face in prayer and in the Word, and asking what He wants you to do next.

“Do the Next Thing” is what walking implies. We can’t coast, or glide. Uphill, downhill, or on the level: Walking still requires “putting one foot in front of the other!” Take the next step! Do the Next Thing!

Will it be easy? No! Emphatically, No! It is not just “difficult:” It is impossible, apart from allowing Jesus himself to use us at His choosing. In John 15, He says that with His empowerment, we can bear much fruit. Without it, we bear none. Give that some thought!

Lord Jesus, teach us to daily seek Your face, seek Your will, and seek Your blessing. Teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. We desire to serve You, and we confess that we are not able, apart from Your intervention and supervision, Your direction, and Your empowerment. Give us Grace to seek You with a clean heart.

How Can We Be “Workers Together With Him?”

© 2026 by C. O. Bishop

2nd Corinthians 6:1-4

Workers together With Jesus! What does that mean? And, How can we be those workers?

¹ We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) ³ Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

Introduction:

We are among the recipients of this epistle, though nearly 2000 years removed. We should take this passage personally, not as a theory. Yes, He calls us “workers together with Him.” God also directs us to take the Great Commission personally, as well as most of the epistles. (The few exceptions might include things like a personal greeting to an individual, by name…or similar passages. And such passages still have teaching for us.)

But, in this case, Paul begins to address the question of how we can be workers together with Jesus. In the next several verses, he gives personal testimony as to what it meant to the apostles. But we can apply these four verses directly to every believer. What does it mean to US?

WE, Then, As Workers Together With HIM

Is this the apostle Paul talking? Yes it is! And is the “we,” here, specific to the Apostles? Undoubtedly, yes! But the next three words are his plea. He begs that we follow in their steps, as they follow in the steps of Jesus! The Apostles worked together with Jesus. We are also workers together with Him.

This exactly matches what Paul said in 1^st Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ.” How can we even imagine trying to “wiggle out of” such a calling? Our call is precisely the same as that of the apostles, with the exception that, though we are workers, we are not apostles.

But, we definitely are Ambassadors. And, Romans 8:28-30, says that we definitely are among “the called of God.” Workers, together with Him.

“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.”

Are You Called To Be A Worker With Him?

Most believers like to quote the first half of Romans 8:28. They claiming that “God will work all things together for Good” on their behalf. But that promise is only “to them who are the called, according to His Purpose.” If God hasn’t called you, then He does not offer that promise to you. And, according to the rest of that passage, if you aren’t called…you aren’t born again!

A genuine believer can’ t say, “Well, discipleship isn’t for everyone!” or, “Well, I just don’t feel called!”

Paul suggests that if we do that, and miss the central issue of discipleship, then we have “received the Grace of God in vain.” We have made it a useless and fruitless thing, both for God and for ourselves. That is sad even to consider, and somewhat frightening, as well. If we deny that He calls us Workers together with Him, then we cannot walk with Him, as He works.

In a Time Accepted, In the Day of Salvation

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured (helped) thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Jesus died at the right point in time, according to Romans 5:6. “⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

God says Jesus died at the correct time in History. Frankly, that is just one more thing that is “over my pay grade.” Why is it that Revelation 13:8 calls Him “the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the Earth?” But we see Him crucified in Jerusalem, nearly 2000 years ago. How can both be true? And which one was the “Right Time?”

1^st Peter 1:18-20 says, “¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”? According to that passage the crucifixion was a “done deal,” in God’s perspective, before He created the Earth at all!

How Can These Things Be?

Ephesians 3:8-12 gives us a clue: “⁸ Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; ⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹ According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹² In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

So, God had a plan before He created planet Earth! And, surprisingly, it did not center on people. It centered upon His Righteousness and Wisdom. His Eternal Purpose was, through the Church (that’s us!) to teach the Holy Angels (the ones still in heaven with Him, perhaps) the manifold wisdom of God.

What Had Just Happened in Heaven?

God does not give a precise timeline, but, immediately after God’s creation of the human race, the enemy set about to destroy us all through sin: And a blood sacrifice for sin was provided, right there in the Garden of Eden.

From Adam, through Abraham, to the Thief on the Cross, to the last person who ever chooses to trust in Jesus, we are all saved the same way: By God’s Grace, through Faith in God’s chosen Sacrifice: Jesus, the Messiah!

Judgment had already fallen on the angelic host who rebelled with Satan. But God had also already set up an eternal “object lesson” for the entire heavenly host. (Remember, this is still before the Creation!) His plan was to demonstrate His Own Wisdom through a group of People called the Church.

(Not through Noah, though he demonstrated a great deal about the coming Savior. Not through Abraham, though he was a great man of faith; and not through Israel, though it truly is the Chosen Nation of God. He chose to do it through the Church, which is a “motley mob of mixed-breed mongrels,” whom God has called from among both Jews and Gentiles.

So, What is the Church: The “Called-ones of God? We Are Workers, Too!

In 1^st Corinthians 1:26-31, we see what typifies the calling of God: It is not the best-educated, the ones with greatest physical prowess, nor the rich, etc. It is the common people.

He says, “²⁶ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

²⁷ But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; ²⁸ And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: ²⁹ That no flesh should glory in his presence.

³⁰ But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ³¹ That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

That is the group through whom God has chosen to teach the angels something about HIS Wisdom! That is “our calling!” God says so! We may look like a “bunch of ignorant savages,” compared to the Angelic hosts who watch our progress (and whom God occasionally sends in, to give us a boost!) But He says that is who we really are. God deliberately chooses people with nothing much to offer, through whom to do His best Work.

He chooses, as a group, all those who will confess that they have nothing to offer of their own. He helped us: first by means of the Cross, then by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and finally by the Indwelling Holy Spirit and the Living Word of God.

And How Does He Want Us to Respond As His Workers?

^“3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: ⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses…”

God tells us that as a general rule, we are to be model citizens: We are not to cause offense…not to give people a cause to stumble, and so to reject the Gospel. Does God ever authorize disobedience to Civil Law? Very seldom!

In general, Civil Law does not go against God’s Law. (Can it do so? Yes, but it seldom actually happens.) It is good to remember that when Romans 13:1-7 told us to be in subjection to the civil authorities, they were living under the “Iron Fist” of Rome. This was not some progressive, nice-smelling, sweet-talking Utopian world-system! That specific Government heavily persecuted the church for three hundred years, but Romans 13:1-7 never changed. Jesus paid taxes, knowing full well that Rome would (at least partially) use it for evil.

When we make trouble, bicker among ourselves, stir up rebellion, or utter railing complaints against politicians, etc., we give cause for unbelievers to despise the Church, and with us, they despise Jesus. He says, “In all things” demonstrate that we are approved as the servants of God.

We are called to endurance in hard times and sufferings, in poverty in some cases. And through distresses of all sorts, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the Grace of God in the Christian Life. These are the kinds of things that demonstrate that we are approved as servants of God. Failing to respond well to those challenges demonstrates the opposite.

Jesus Gave The World The Right To Judge His Workers In Three Areas:

• The Agapé Love among believers, (John 13:34, 35)
• The Unity of the Spirit among believers, (Ephesians 4:3, John 17:21) and
• The general pattern of “good dealings:” Good Works among and through the believers. (Matthew 5:14-16)

These are the criteria Jesus gave the World, by which to Judge the Church. That is why Paul reminds us to “Give no offense!”

What About Today? How Can We Be Workers Together With Him?

We have all known men and women who claim to be believers, some claiming special prominence in the Church, but who consistently deal with other people unkindly, and exhibit self-centered pride, instead of humble submission to a Holy, Righteous, but Merciful God.

The Pharisees claimed to be genuine believers, but were constantly at odds with Jesus, the very God they claimed to serve! He said that He sent the prophets to them down through the years, and those to whom He sent them rejected the Prophets, one and all, killing many of them.

The common people knew the Pharisees were arrogant, and that they were harshly judgmental of the common folk around them. They knew they were hypocrites. And, they could see that Jesus was the “Genuine Article,” where the Service and Character of God was concerned.

People need to be able to see that in our lives as well. Make certain that your relationship with Jesus is actually producing the pure character  and genuine Agapé Love of God in you, not just a man-made piety.

Lord Jesus, raise us up to be workers together with You. Allow us to see the World and the Church through Your Eyes, and not judge by Human Standards.

Enjoy Your Liberty Without Causing Offense

© 2024 C. O Bishop

1st Corinthians 10:30-33; 11:1, 2

³⁰ For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

³¹ Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

³² Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

³³ Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1st Corinthians 11:1, 2

¹ Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

² Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Introduction:

Last week we addressed a specific problem that (as a rule) we do not face in our culture: “Foods sacrificed to Idols.” But it opened the general subject of living with our liberty, but avoiding causing others to “stumble” or sin.

The issue of the idols is a rather blatant example of a case where our liberty could be a real problem for someone else. But it served as a springboard to other such examples, and the general subject of “If I have all this liberty, but can’t use it, then what good is it?”

³⁰ For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?

Paul asks why he should be accused, regarding something in which he enjoyed full freedom. That is a good question, and it is one we may ask in our hearts as well.

Example in Nature

I read a rather sad story, years ago, in which a brooding hen was given a clutch of duck eggs to incubate and hatch. She succeeded in hatching them all, and she was a wonderful mother to the strange-looking “chicks” which (of course) were actually ducklings.

All went well until she happened to walk near the pond. The ducklings all plunged into the pond and began paddling around in the water. The mother hen was frantic, of course, because her “chicks” had no business swimming!

The ducklings had perfect freedom to swim: they were created to do so. But the hen could not understand that. People who have not yet grasped the reality of their liberty in Christ are alarmed to see Christians doing a thing that they feel must be wrong (because someone told them it was.)

The believer has seen in the scriptures that he or she is free: Believers can eat anything, and they know their food cannot defile them. In Mark 7:15, Jesus said, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.”

Paul pointed out that all things were “lawful” to him (he had no dietary restrictions under God’s rule,) but not all things were expedient. (Yes, you can eat the meat of a puffer fish, but it truly is not a good idea: Many people have died, in an attempt to sample that delicacy, as most of the flesh of the puffer fish contains a deadly poison.)

Does it Glorify God?

The bottom line for us as believers is “Does it glorify God?”

Years ago, an older man was telling me how a particular televangelist was persuading people to give heavily to his ministry: He was financing a huge new church building, and he told his radio and television audiences, “If you send me $500, I will send you a brick with your name on it: And, I’ll put another one, just like it, in my new building!”

Stop and think what the motivation had to be: Their motive for giving was to get their name embossed in a brick in that building! They wanted to exalt their own name. (Or, possibly worse, they may have thought that identifying themselves with that evangelist would somehow draw them “closer to God!”)

I was uncomfortable with the story, and I told the man, “That seems repugnant to me!” He replied, “But the bottom line, Chet, is that it works!” I did not want to argue with him as he was old enough to be my dad, so I walked away…but after a minute or so it came to me: The bottom line is not “it works!” the bottom line is, “Does it Glorify God?”

That particular televangelist was caught in multiple acts of flagrant immorality just a few years later. I could not help wondering how his followers felt after the truth of his sin was in the open.

When Might My Liberty Not Glorify God?

This entire passage addresses this specific question: Last week we mentioned that we no longer use wine in Communion, because we found that we were causing some members to stumble because they were recovering alcoholics, and were afraid that embracing the “liberty” to drink the communion wine would cause them to fail in their commitment to sobriety.

Did we have the “liberty” to continue using wine in celebrating the Lord’s Table? Of course, we did! But would it have glorified God for us to ignore the fear and the need in another brother or sister’s life so that we could “enjoy our liberty?” My conviction is that it would not!

Three Groups

³² Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Notice that Paul lists three groups of humans that we should consider in our desire to Glorify God and to avoid causing others to stumble:

• The Jews
• The Gentiles
• The Church of God.

There Once Were Only Two

Before Jesus died and was resurrected, there existed two main groups on earth: Jews and non-Jews, whom the Jews called “Gentiles.” (The word means “heathen.”)

Paul still referred to those two groups in Romans 1:16, when he said “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

In John 10:16, Jesus said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

When Jesus died for the sins of the world, He began something new: In Ephesians 2:14, 15, Paul reminds us, saying, “¹⁴ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ¹⁵ Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”

But Now There Are Three!

Jesus mentioned this third group only vaguely, as a mysterious truth. The John 10:16 comment is one such mention. The Jews must have wondered, “Who are the Other Sheep?”

But, in Matthew 16:18, He made the famous promise, “Upon this Rock  I will build My Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” (Jesus referred to the Bedrock [Greek, “petra”] of the truth of His Deity, not the movable stone [Greek, “petros”], who was Peter)

Notice that both comments Jesus made were future tense. He intended (future) to go and bring those “other sheep.” He promised (future) to build His Church. Paul addresses these three groups in this passage in 1^st Corinthians.  In the past, remember, there were believers and unbelievers within both of the people groups, but it was not so easy to define:

Who Is The Real Believer?

The Pharisees thought they were the “real believers,” because of their extreme religiosity. The Sadducees thought they were the “real believers,” because they philosophized about God’s Word and did not take it literally. They thought their “wisdom” exceeded that of the people who just believed what God said. They thought they could see “what He truly meant!” (We have folks like that, today, too! They think that we, who believe that “the Bible is to be taken literally” are poor, deluded, unsophisticated fools. That’s OK! Paul accepted that label, and so did the other apostles.)

But, while Jesus was on earth, we saw that the Pharisees and the Sadducees, along with the Religious authorities, were the primary enemies who aligned themselves against Him. Jesus taught that the Word of God meant exactly what it said, He pointed out both the extreme folly of the Sadducees and the extreme hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the priests. (They hated that, too!)

So, they continued to persecute Him, until He went to the Cross. It is important to remember that Jesus said, in John 10:17, 18, that no one was “taking” His life, but that He would lay down His life of His own will, and He would also take it up again. His death, in every detail, fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.

The Result Of The Cross

And, in Ephesians, we saw that, in laying down His life in that way, he abolished the division between the Jews and Gentiles by fulfilling all the demands of the Law and by creating one NEW man, the Church, within which all the believers from both of the earlier two divisions (Jew and Gentile) would be joined in peace.

When we share in the Lord’s Table, we underscore that unity: we confess that “His Blood was shed for ME!” We acknowledge that (one and all) our salvation is dependent upon the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross. We state our dependence upon His Death, His Burial, and His Resurrection. And, we declare our confidence that He is coming again (soon, we hope!)

The Effect of Unity

Knowing the humility of our position in Christ, that we have done nothing to earn it, we also reach out in humility to those around us. We are truly beggars who have been fed, and who now are eager to tell other beggars where to find that food.

In our new role as ambassadors for Christ, it becomes increasingly important to us that we not cause people to turn away from Jesus through our bumbling errors in behavior. We do not want anyone to be offended by our behavior. So we use our liberty wisely. As children of the Most High God, we are more inclined to “sit upon our rights,” in gentleness and humility than we are to “stand upon them” in arrogance and self-will.

His Sacrifice Is FOR Us All, Offered By Himself

When we share in the Lord’s Table it is vital that we remember our position in Christ and that every single truth of that new position in Him was bought by the sacrifice HE offered, of His body and blood. We do not offer this sacrifice: He offered it, Himself, on our behalf.

I once heard a priest declare, regarding communion, “We are offering this sacrifice, and Jesus is our victim!” But, Jesus said “No man takes my life from Me. I lay it down of my own will.” That priest was teaching blasphemy! Jesus is not a victim. He is the Sovereign God who created all things, and who determined, in His own foreknowledge, that He would be the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the World.

That is who we proclaim in the preaching of the Cross, and in the sharing of Communion. And that is why we desire to live in such a way as to offer His grace to others without offense.

Lord Jesus, convict our hearts of the need for unity and the need for an outpouring of Grace from our lives to the World around us. Draw us closer to your side through Your Spirit and Your Word.