2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1

The Voice

¹⁶Can the temple of God find common ground with idols? Don’t you see that we house the temple of the living God within us? Remember when He said,

“I will make My home with them and walk among them.
    I will be their God,
    and they will be My people.^[a]
¹⁷So then turn away from them,
    turn away and leave without looking back,”^[b] says the Lord.
“Stay away from anything unclean, anything impure,
    and I will welcome you.^[c]
¹⁸And I will be for you as a father,
    and you will be for Me as sons and daughters,”^[d]
Says the Lord Almighty!

The most important partnership in life is marriage. There are other kinds of union, but the union of husband and wife transcends any other. God created sexual intimacy as a unique gift to marriage. Its purpose goes beyond pleasure and procreation. As a man and a woman join their bodies together, the Spirit does a unique work of binding these two individuals as one person. But the involvement of the Spirit is not possible when a believer is intimate with a nonbeliever. They are not filled with the same Spirit and cannot experience the fullness God intends. Paul’s instructions are practical, simple, and clear.

7 Because we have these promises, dearly loved ones, out of respect for God we should scour the filth from our flesh and spirit and move toward perfect beauty and holiness.