2 Corinthians 7:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He rightly said, "in the fear of God," because one can preserve chastity not in the fear of God, but for vain glory. Yet he also had another thing in mind when he said, "in the fear of God," namely the way holiness is attained.

Indeed, however great the power of desire may be, if you fortify yourself with the fear of God, you will overcome its frenzy. By "holiness" here he means not chastity alone, but withdrawal from every sin. For holy is the one who is pure.

The pure man is not merely the one who does not commit fornication. He is also estranged from avarice, envy, arrogance, and vainglory, especially vainglory. It must always be fled, and most of all in the giving of alms.

Almsgiving infected with this disease ceases to be almsgiving and becomes boasting and hardheartedness. For when you give alms not from mercy, but in order to display yourself, it is not only not almsgiving, but even an insult. You expose your brother to shame.

Almsgiving does not consist only in giving money, but in giving with a feeling of mercy. At public spectacles they also give money to dissolute youths and to others appearing on the stage, but this is not almsgiving. Fornicators also give money to prostitutes, but this is not a work of love for man, but of drunken disorder.

The one who gives alms from vainglory is like them. Just as the one defiling himself with a prostitute gives her a reward for the insult he inflicts on her, so you too, giving alms from vainglory, only reward the recipient for the insult you inflict on him. Through this you create an evil reputation both for yourself and for him, and from this comes inexpressible harm.

Like a fierce beast and a mad dog attacking everyone, this evil sickness of inhumanity snatches away our good things from us. Such almsgiving is truly inhumanity and cruelty, or even worse. The hardhearted man merely does not give to the one who asks. You do worse than he does: you hinder those who wish to give.

Indeed, when you display your giving to everyone, you cast doubt on the poverty of the one receiving your gift. In this way you restrain from giving the one who intended to give, especially if he is a frivolous man. Such a man no longer gives to the one asking, as to someone who has already received alms and is not especially in need.

And not only this. He will also censure him and accuse him of shamelessness when, after receiving alms from you, he comes to ask from him as well.

It is not enough, he says, to abstain from uncleanness. One must also do something good: holiness, that is, purity and chastity. He added "in the fear of God" either because there is a chastity preserved out of people-pleasing and not in the fear of God, or in order to show us how it must be preserved, namely in the fear of God.

For however great the power of the flesh may be, have the fear of God, and you will overcome its frenzy. By holiness understand not chastity alone, but every purity in life generally.

He must show the same grief the Corinthians showed when they were accused of looking indifferently upon the sinner. By this grief they showed that "you have proved yourselves clear in this matter" (2 Cor 7:11).

"Holiness" is the dedication of oneself to the holy God, with care and diligence for what is pleasing to Him, whole and never ceasing. For what is damaged is not accepted as an offering to God. And what has once been offered to Him is impious and audacious to turn back to common and human use.

Do we sinners not sometimes look with envy, and with regret for ourselves, upon a child's soul, noticing its angel-like purity, guilelessness, obedience, and the like? Yes, Orthodox Christians, one often regrets that life in us does not proceed according to God's will. The years pass, all the best years, and we burden our soul more and more with defiled deeds.

It is time to awaken. Let us cleanse ourselves from sin. Let us begin to practice holiness, that is, to lead a pious life, not for human glory, but for our own soul, in the fear of God.

Neither hypocrisy, nor despondency, nor despair over our fleshly sins should have any place in our heart. The fear of God is not the fear of a slave before a master. It is the fear of a loving son before a loving father. It is a feeling of love and concern lest one offend in any way the one whom one loves.

Let us order our life according to piety with such fear of God. O Lord, nail the understanding of our flesh to Thy fear. Come and dwell in us.

He did not say in vain, 'in the fear of God.' However great the power of desire may be, if you fortify yourself with the fear of God, you will overcome its frenzy. By holiness here he means not chastity alone, but estrangement from every sin."

To this also belong all the wondrous manifestations in the Church, both at her beginning and throughout the whole time of her standing. All is directed to this: that all believers, through the labors of good works and the struggles of self-denial, may cleanse themselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, with the help of the grace of God, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

For only in this case will they truly become sons and daughters of God, and living temples of the living God.

“Having therefore these promises.” What promises are these? “That we have become temples for God, His sons and daughters, and that we have Him as our God and Father” (Chrysostom).

Mystically, all this already exists with us and is ours. What remains is for us, by our own free choice, deeds, words, thoughts, and feelings, to show ourselves as we have not merely been called, but also mystically made. For the grace of regeneration already abides in us, and with it all that belongs to it.

The Apostle means to say: Take heed, then, and conduct yourselves as befits sons and daughters of God, or persons who are the temple of the living God dwelling in them. What is needed for this? Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit.

“Let us not touch bodily uncleanness, nor anything that blackens the soul” (Chrysostom).

By defilement of the flesh he means both fleshly sins and all “lawless deeds” (Theodoret) committed by the body. By defilement of the spirit he means sinful thoughts, feelings, and dispositions. Chiefly he means the root of everything, self-pleasing, or selfhood.

To cleanse oneself from all this means to repent of all former defilements. Henceforth one must allow oneself neither unclean deeds, nor even thoughts, nor any evil movements within. Above all, one must uproot self-pleasing, on which every impurity rests and from which it is born.

This cleansing is accomplished like the washing of soiled linen. Linen is soaked, steamed, rinsed, kneaded, beaten, dried, rolled, or ironed. Then it becomes white and receives its proper form, making it fit for use again.

The cleansing of the soul also is not accomplished without labor. Everything that belongs to this is contained in the practice of good works and in the struggles of self-denial. The saints of God showed in deed how all this proceeds.

In every kind of life they attained great purity. They made manifest to all, in tangible fashion, that they truly are temples of the living God, His sons and daughters. He guards them and does everything pleasing to them.

“Perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” The fear of God begins the work of inner purification, and through it, outward purification as well. When it comes, it awakens the conscience and gives irresistible force to its voice.

Then fear and conscience together beget zeal for working out salvation. This zeal then orders repentance, the resolve to drive away every impurity and sin, the whole order of good works, and the struggles of self-denial.

Having received strength in the mysteries, this same zeal, with the help of the grace of God, accomplishes in deed all that it has conceived. By preserving constancy in labor and action, it brings one to the complete intended purity of flesh and spirit, proper to sons and daughters of God.

The fear of God lays the foundation. It also remains the watchful guardian of all this labor. Therefore the Apostle said, “perfecting holiness,” that is, cleansing oneself, or ascending into purity, by the fear of God.

Chrysostom says of this: “The Apostle was not content to say, ‘Do not touch uncleanness.’ He added, ‘perfecting holiness in the fear of God.’ For merely not touching what is unclean does not yet make one pure.

“To become holy, something more is needed: zeal, watchfulness, and piety. Nor did he say in vain, ‘in the fear of God.’ For one may preserve chastity not in the fear of God, but for vain glory.

“Yet he had something else in mind when he said, ‘in the fear of God.’ He meant the manner by which holiness is attained and preserved. However great the power of desire may be, if you hedge yourself about with the fear of God, you will overcome its frenzy.

“By holiness here he means not chastity alone, but estrangement from every sin. For holy is he who is pure. Pure is not merely the one who does not commit fornication, but one who is also estranged from love of money, envy, arrogance, and vainglory, especially vainglory.”