Daily Bible Plan - 2. Corinthians
- Mr Agyeman
- Sep 19
- 4 min read
19. September 2025
Devotion by Mr Agyeman
Theme: Set Apart – 2 Corinthians 7
Fortified City Church & Love City Church, Basel
Introduction
Solomon admonishes/urges us in Proverbs 4:7 to get wisdom and understanding at all cost. Join me in gaining an understanding of three simple questions on the theme of being set apart in the light of 2nd Corinth 7:1:
What does it mean to be set apart
The importance of being set apart
How are we set apart
Scriptural Focus: 2nd Corinth 7:1“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
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Exposition
1. What does it mean to be set apart
To be set apart simply means to be separated, to make a distinction between, to distinguish between. As believers in Christ, we must constantly remind ourselves that by virtue of us being in Christ, and more importantly Christ being in us, we have been set apart as a new kind of species in this world. Our union with Christ sets us apart from all that is ungodly, unholy and unrighteous. We need to see ourselves in the sanctified way God sees us.
Of all relationships in the world, none is as sacred and as sanctified (set apart) as that of a husband and a wife. The Bible calls believers the body and the bride of Christ (Eph 5:22,25). Think for a moment about the sacred, undeserved, elevated position to which God has elevated you and me. He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness (Col 1:13), died for us whilst we were still sinners (Rom 5:8/Eph 2:4,5), was put to death for our sins and rose again for our justification (to freely give us his righteousness–Rom 4:25).
In addition to this, he has freely sent his Holy Spirit to live permanently in our hearts (Gal 4:6,7). In light of all this, and of the promise of the permanent indwelling presence of God (2nd Corinth 6:16-18), Paul admonishes the Corinthian believers and us to purify/cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles/contaminates our bodies and spirits.
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2. The importance of being set apart
The church tends to major on sins of the flesh like fornication, adultery, drunkenness etc, yet often says little to nothing about deadly sins of the spirit like jealousy, envy, greed, bitterness, worry, anger, finger-pointing, backbiting, a judgmental/critical spirit, etc. But Paul admonishes us to deal with both, because both contaminate us and hinder us in our walk with God. It’s easier for sins of the spirit to go undetected because they’re not outwardly/immediately obvious.
Sanctification is important to God and should be to us because He’s holy. It’s true we have been made holy by Christ’s sacrifice once for all (Heb 10:10/1st Corinth 1:2). But there’s an ongoing sanctifying work of the Spirit in our souls/minds and in our physical existence with which we need to co-operate (1st Peter 1:1,2/2nd Corinth 3:18). You decide the kind of vessel you want to be in God’s hands (2nd Tim 2:20-22).
We sanctify/set ourselves apart/cleanse ourselves, like Paul says, ‘out of reverence/respect for God’ (2nd Corinth 7:1). Not out of fear of punishment, not out of guilt and shame, not out of coercion by someone else, not out of duty, not out of competition, not out of condemnation or low self-esteem, not out of trying to please others—but out of reverence, out of respect, out of love, out of gratitude for and towards God.
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3. How are we set apart
The main instrument/tool used by the Holy Spirit in sanctifying us is The Word of God/the Truths of Scripture…John 17:17/2nd Timothy 3:16,17. According to Hebrews 4:12, God’s WORD is alive and active, it’s sharper than any double-edged sword, it can penetrate even to dividing and separating spiritual things from soulish and fleshly things, and it judges the thoughts/motives/intentions and attitudes of our hearts. The Holy Spirit knows which Scripture to use in areas of our lives which need cleansing.
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Application
As believers, we have to constantly remind ourselves that we have been set apart in, with and for Christ by virtue of our union with him. We no longer belong to Satan, the world, or even ourselves.
There is a continual ongoing sanctifying work by the Holy Spirit with which we must co-operate.
The Holy Spirit uses the word of God to point out, convict and cleanse us of areas in our lives which need cleansing.
We have a part to play in the cleansing process.
The more you master the Bible, the more the Bible would master you.
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Reflection Questions / Prayer
Reflect on, and thank God for setting you apart in and with Christ.
Are there areas of your life/habits/thought patterns you need to surrender/set apart/allow the Holy Spirit to do a cleansing work on? Be intentional about working on it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Be serious with your Bible hearing, Bible reading, Bible studying, Bible memorizing, Bible meditation and application. You’ll be glad you did. The blessed person is the one who delights in God’s Word (Ps 1:1-3).
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Blessings.
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