The culture of Corinth was heavily influenced by the business language of compromise. Although the pagan temples had their devotees, there was a reasonable tolerance as long as new religious ideas did not displace it's influence (the shrines were also centres of lucrative business – Acts 19:23-27). On the other hand, the Jewish synagogues claimed to be exclusively for the Lord, but they rigorously resisted the apostle's teaching that Jesus was Lord (Acts 18:5-6).

So, those with a pagan background wanted their faith in Jesus to be non-exclusive, and those with a Jewish background wanted to worship God the Father without worshipping Jesus, God the Son. It was difficult for the Jews, because they had been taught to worship the Lord God only; and for the ex-pagans because they could not see why their lifestyle needed to be governed by the Lord Jesus. So Paul welded together some verses from the Old Testament to remind the Corinthians of God's exclusive claim over His people (Jeremiah 32:38; Isaiah 52:11; 1 Chronicles 17:13 and others).

The Old Testament principle applies equally to those who honour the Father and the Son (indeed you cannot do either without doing both - John 5:23). So, Christians ought to purify themselves from anything that spoils their bodies, minds or spirits as the dwelling place of God: Father, Son and Spirit. That exclusivity marks out how much we love the Lord. It is a massive responsibility we have towards the Lord, but He is the Lord and the Spirit is our enabler.

This radical lifestyle change, when people turn to Christ, is not always easy. Alas, no believer has ever lived that perfect life in every way, all the time. But as in any committed relationship, there is a deep desire for exclusivity which drives the two people together, and feels deep sorrow when that does not happen. It is like that with Christ: when we take our eyes off Him (Hebrews 12:2) and allow our hearts and wills to become diverted, we need that word of rebuke - which Paul gave to the Corinthians. As we shall see, they did respond and repent (2 Corinthians 7:8-13), enabling them to grow in grace and learn to give (2 Corinthians 9:12-13). In the same way, we all need a fresh reminder to repent and put away everything that does not please Jesus; then start to grow again in His grace.