Devotion to Christ

2 Cor 11:2 - I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

I am trying to understand what this simple and pure devotion to Christ is. Can we have some practical ways of understanding it?

One way I see is the context in which Paul uses this phrase. In relationship with a women betrothed to a man. When I was courting my wife, we used to sacrifice so many things to be with one another. The things that we sacrificed did not even seem big to us compared to being with one another. We have lost sleep continuously, went without food etc. But only thing mattered was the presence of the other person.

I believe Paul is talking about such a devotion with Christ. We may still obey Jesus and follow him. But do we have that devotion that we had in the past when nothing else mattered but only the presence of Jesus?

Sree, in trying to understand this verse we have to ask ourselves what the believers were doing that wasn't sincere and pure devotion to Christ. My guess is that they were practicing either legalism or formalism or a combination of the two. It is also possible that they were deceived in some kind of hyper-grace so that they were living in unrestrained license. They had drifted away from a intimate love walk with Christ. A deep relationship and connection to Christ based on love and trust is foundational to the Christian life. I think some of the flock in Corinth made it about something else.

-Daniel