7:1
“Since we have these promises”. These are the promises given at the end of chapter 6, taken from various parts of the Old Testament, namely that God will dwell with us, and that we would be His sons and daughters. Our response to these promises is not to be proud or complacent. Two common types of errors that crop in churches, and have done so throughout history, are on the one hand to be legalistic or on the other hand to be antinomian (to be against rules and laws). The legalistic error branch sees the Bible as a set of commands and laws that must be obeyed, neglecting the grace of God and relational heart of the Bible when it talks about God and His people. The libertine or antinomian branch says that God has forgiven us, or that God loves us, so it doesn’t matter what we do, God loves us anyway. The Biblical view is that God does love us, and more deeply than we can ever imagine, and has completely forgiven us, and this as an act of grace, therefore we should with all our strength seek to live lives pleasing to God. It is not just a matter of what we are saved from (sin and its consequential judgement), but what we are saved to (to be evermore Christlike). Believing the gospel involves having an appreciation of the true horror and destructiveness of sin, and an appreciation of the unlimited beauty and goodness of God. Therefore we seek to steer clear of all that would contaminate us, and to pursue all that would be pleasing to God.
7:2
Paul then goes back to the relationship between the Corinthians and himself. Note that this follows on from a discussion of our relationship with God. True reconciliation between people, whether individuals or groups of people, can only be found in reconciliation between ourselves and God and a proper understanding of our relationship with God. Paul and his co-workers had wronged no one, nor had they exploited anyone. All the accusations against them were utterly false.
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