Is purity a word that sits comfortably with you or one that seems a little ill-fitting?
Do you consider it something of a white elephant?
Something that doesn’t really have a practical place?
Is purity something you’d think was a little obsolete? Out-dated, antiquated, no longer a word inour vocab so therefore not really applicable?
Are we so progressive now we think we just need to talk about sex with all it’sissues and problems instead?
Whydo Baptists disapprove of sex?
Because itmight lead to dancing!
Of course you could insert the name of any denomination you think could handle it!!!
How does that philosophy work (if applied exclusively) in other areas of life?
(Not the sex leads to dancing philosophy - the “we need to talk about the problem”one!!) How about the problem of a meanchild? We can talk about not being meantill the cows come home but perhaps it’s learning to practice KINDNESS,HUMILITY and PATIENCE that might begin to make a difference.
Sure,lets talk about the problems. Lets geton the same page as each other. Let’s define the issues… and then talk about the answers.
Purity is like a mirror. In this mirror we see reflected all that we are and all that we are not. The mirror of this word refects an attribute of God that He just IS and we arenot. Blessedly this word is a verb - adoing word - something that we can be active in bringing about.
How can a youngman keep his way pure? By livingaccording to your word.
PS 119:9...
Thismay seem a little obvious, but purity is pure. Absolutely pure. Nothing, nada, zero, zip - to make it theslightest unclean. Look up any dictionary and you’ll see foryourself.
Do not rebukean older man harshly, but exhort him as if hewere your father. Treat younger men as brothers,older women as mothers, and younger women assisters, with absolute purity. 1TI 5:1-2
If the word ‘pure’ finds us squirming a little internally, perhaps its because wefeel it’s an unattainable standard. Andperhaps it is (an perhaps it is not!). In the Old Testament, a standard is like a flag or a banner. It was lifted high as a rallying point forarmies and families to gather. What good is a standard that is not high?
CSLewis wrote in “Mere Christianity”
Very often whatGod helps us towards is not the virtueitself but this power of always trying again…this processtrains us in habits of the soul…It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us todepend on God. We learn on theone hand that we cannot trustourselves even in our best moments, and, on the otherhand that we need not despair even in our worstfor we are forgiven. The only fatalthing is to sit down content with anythingless than perfection.
Purity lost can be purity restored in Christ… could Jesus have been anything but pure?
Put to death,therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, whichis idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of Godis coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life youonce lived. But now you must rid yourselves ofall such things as these: anger, rage,malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie toeach other, since you have taken off yourold self with its practices and have put onthe new self, which is beingrenewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
COL 3:5-10
Purityis also a journey where the trail we traverse is as long as life. We’ll see new sights and scenes along the way- and be met with different terrain, weather patterns and fellow travellerswho’ll have joined the journey at different points of the track.
Justlike the mirror that shows us things we may not want to see in ourselves,purity is part of God’s refining process. Like gold in a smelter, dross rising to the surface until it ispure.
I willthoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.
Isaiah 1:25
Purityis freedom. Freedom for whole relating andrelationships. Freedom in body, soul andspirit. Purity and sexuality are notdivorced from each other. But sexualityfits within purity in Gods order of things. God’s green light is marriage, and His red lights have positive purposetoo.
May yourfountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife ofyour youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer- -may herbreasts satisfy you always,may you ever becaptivated by her love.
PR 5:18
Marriage shouldbe honoured by all, and the marriagebed kept pure…
HEB 13:4a
Purity enables God’s people to be navigational lights to others in the world around us. Without the light to guide and warn,many more lives will crash upon the rocks of sexual brokenness.
… so that youmay become blameless and pure, children of Godwithout fault in a crooked and depravedgeneration, in which you shine likestars in the universe… PHP 2:15
Purity is God's heart for us.
He wouldn't have bothered to tell us it mattered if it didn’t.
So, what’s your reaction to the word purity?
