PURITY

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” – 1Peter1:22

PURITY is principal to enjoying Partnership with God (Mt.5:8). Purity is one of the virtues recommended in Philippians 4:8.  Paul admonished Timothy: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers…in PURITY (1Tim.4:12). Purity does not however imply “sinless perfection” – that is, attaining a state of being sinless. Rather, it means you must be prompt in acknowledging and repenting of sin and dealing with it right away. In the tabernacle there was a large washbasin called the laver (Exo.30:18). Its bronze base acted like a mirror that enabled the priest see the dirt on his feet. Before he could approach God he had to stop and be cleansed, otherwise he would die. The Psalmist wrote: “…Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…He shall receive blessing from the LORD…” (Psa.24:3-5). God’s blessings are contingent upon the condition of your heart – the Pursuit of Purity.

Why pursue Purity? The Lord Jesus gives the answer: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt.5:8). The dilemma is not God’s inability to be seen, but our inability to see Him. No wonder David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God…” (Psa.51:10a). Paul warned Timothy: “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a PURE HEART” (2Tim.2:22). The word ‘pure’ derives from the Greek word katharos, which means ‘to clean out.’ Whoever has heard too much and seen too much from the world needs a spiritual catharsis. Only a pure heart can understand God’s will and discern His ways. Sin, if left unidentified, unconfessed or unforgiven will block the spiritual arteries. An impure heart will keep one seeking the wisdom of the world rather than the ways of God.

What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? The heart is the centre of man; hence to be pure in heart is all-encompassing. It includes being pure in: attitude, imagination, motives, thoughts, words, and action: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1Pet.1:22). Purity of heart is an inner virtue emanating from the Life of God in your spirit, issuing out to express a moral character that is without blemish. From the heart, purity flows to permeate the totality of your personality. The Psalmist could not separate the desire for a clean heart from a demand for clean hands (Psa.24:4). Such a heart serves God with a pure conscience: “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1Tim.1:5). God desires that your inward purity affect your outward religion, as you tap into the purity of His divine wisdom (Jas.1:27; 3:17).

The need for Purity derives from the potential for pollution in the present evil world system: “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled” (Tit.1:15). Such agents of defilement include: envy and strife (Lk.22:24); worldliness and the setting of affection on earthly things (Col.3:1; Jh.2:15); carnal ambition and selfish desires and motives in the heart (Mk.10:35-37); revenge, retaliation, and vengeance (Lk.9:52-56); the tendency to backslide into old sinful habits and unholy associations (Pro.14:14; Jh.21:3); and uncleanness and immorality in their diverse forms and perversions (Mt.5:28; Rom.1:24-27; 1Cor.6:9).

Beloved, stop carrying around what God wants discarded: “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares…” (Heb.12:1a). What God wants to show you, the future He has prepared for you, and the eternity awaiting you are worth cleaning up for! “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1Jh.3:3). By His grace, you can pursue, apprehend, and manifest the Virtue of Purity. Now, step out in the Pursuit of Purity!