How about deliverance from the world system? Do we just believe Christ has done this for us, or will do it in us, without any effort on our part?

No indeed.

It is not enough just to believe we are to come out of the world. We have to make an effort to do this. God will send us grace to help us if we will ask Him.

Does it sound to you, from the above verse, as though we are just to believe and praise God, or is it up to us, with the Lord's help, not to touch something unclean?

What is an unclean thing? Something that defiles our body, soul, or spirit.

Cigarette smoking defiles our body.

Romantic fantasizing defiles our soul.

Haughty, arrogant behavior defiles our spirit.

We are not to touch these. We are to resist them whenever we are tempted to behave in this manner. If we do, God will receive us and be our Father. If we do not, with the help of the Lord, turn away from cigarette smoking, romantic fantasizing, and arrogant behavior, the Lord will not receive us. He will not be our Father.

We can believe and praise from now until the Lord returns. But if we do not do what He has commanded, He will not receive us. This is what the Bible says.

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. (II Corinthians 7:1—NIV)

Does the above passage suggest we merely believe and praise God? It sounds to me as though we, through daily interaction with Christ, are to purify ourselves. We are to save ourselves by doing what God has commanded.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (I Timothy 4:16—NIV)

How do we save ourselves and our hearers?

By watching our life and doctrine closely. By persevering in them.

We have to be on guard constantly that we do not fall into the traps Satan sets for us.

If we are not to be condemned with the world we have to actively live as a Christian disciple each day of our life. We are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow the Lord Jesus. Belief and praise are extremely valuable aspects of the Christian life. But they by no means are the only valuable and necessary aspects of the Christian life, according to the New Testament.

How about deliverance from the lustful passions of our flesh and soul? We have to put them to death through the Spirit of God. They will not just vanish as we believe or praise God.

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Romans 8:13—NIV)

And notice:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24—NIV)

Who does the crucifying? We do the crucifying.

To be continued.