(2) Appeals (6:13-7:4)

Three appeals arise from the preceding assertions. The first and third appeals identify reciprocity (a fair exchange, 6:13) as the necessary requirement for reconciliation between Paul and his hearers, and genuine friendship, for that matter. Their lives are so intertwined that they live together and die together (7:3). Since he has not withheld his affection from them, they should not withhold theirs from him (6:11-12; 7:2a). Since he takes such pride in them, he implies that they should take similar pride in him (5:12; 7:4). The second appeal calls for the Corinthians to make a complete break with idolatrous and immoral influences. Paul insists that separation from pagan influences is the essential prerequisite for the effective operation of God’s reconciling work in their lives and for remaining on good terms with Paul.

Once a classic text in churches of the Wesleyan tradition, the message of sanctification as separation in 2Co 6:14-7:1 is no longer sounded forth as frequently or forcefully from our pulpits. Have we outgrown our legalistic roots, or have we simply grown so much like the world that we fail to appreciate the threat it presents? Will feeble human strategies for church growth ever adequately compensate for the absence of the powerful presence of God in our midst? Has the appeal of the prosperity gospel and upward mobility diverted us from the urgency of perfecting holiness (7:1)?