Paul explains to the Corinthians that they are a new creation. “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come“. Like the Corinthians, we have been reconciled to God through Christ, the trespasses of our old way of life no longer counted against us. We are now ambassadors for Christ, so that in Christ “we might become the righteousness of God”.
We are God’s living temple, His holy people, His sons and daughters. As a result, Paul writes “since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” This is our aim in life, to be “the temple of the living God”.