AM Sermon, 10 August 2025
One of the great dangers for Christians—especially in a world filled with distractions, pressures, and competing loyalties—is the slow drift toward compromise. We rarely wake up one morning and say, “Today, I will walk away from wholehearted devotion to Christ.” No—the drift is subtle. Our hearts grow comfortable with sin in small doses. We keep certain relationships, habits, or ambitions that quietly pull us away from undivided fellowship with God.
This was happening in Corinth. These believers loved Christ, but their hearts were “restricted” (6:12). Their affections were divided. They were flirting with idolatry, maintaining bonds with unbelieving influences that weakened their spiritual health. And Paul, as a loving spiritual father, speaks plainly: “Do not be unequally yoked… Come out from among them… Touch no unclean thing… Cleanse yourselves… Perfect holiness in the fear of God.”
But here is the good news: Paul does not begin with a scolding; he begins with a reminder of God’s promises. Before he tells us what to do, he tells us who we are in Christ. We are the temple of the living God. We are His sons and daughters. He dwells among us and walks with us. Every call to holiness in this passage flows out of that secure relationship.
This is the order of the gospel: God’s grace first, our obedience second. We do not pursue holiness in order to gain God’s presence; we pursue holiness because we already have His presence. The One who calls us to be separate from sin has already drawn near to us in Christ.