Purity
The apostle Paul told Timothy, "Keep yourself pure...".
Good advice for a young man in the ministry. And when you look
at all of the passages in the Bible that have something to do
with personal purity, you realize that this Christian characteristic
has a prominent place in God's plan for the Christian believer.
Jesus Christ exalts purity to the realm of the spirit, a type
of purity that is far greater than the ritual purity of ceremonial
cleansing seen in Jewish and other religions. This paper is aimed
at showing you what Christian purity is (and is not) and how you
can grow to have this purity.
The New Testament Greek word for purity is (katharos). It is found
in several New Testament passage, notably in Titus 1:15, "Unto
the pure all things are pure..." katharos is the usual Greek
word for purity and was used for several types of purity in the
Greek world:
* Ceremonial purity of a physical object, such as a vessel in
a temple
* Ceremonial purity of a temple worshipper
* Purity in the spiritual nature of a person
In the ancient world, ceremonial cleansing would have been by
some ritual. In the New Testament, there is a deeper meaning:
purity refers to the result of cleansing of the soul by God. In
this context, purity is a characteristic of a believer in fellowship
who has experienced the "cleansing from all unrighteousness"
promised in 1 John 1:9 to the one who confesses sin to God.
Titus 1:15, Unto the pure all things are pure...
Reading this phrase, a cynical person may draw the wrong conclusion,
namely that a totally pure person can touch anything or think
about anything and remain pure as the driven snow. But this thinking
involves lifting this phrase out of the whole context of the Bible
in order to make it meaningless and false.
This does not mean, "All things are pure in the judgment
of the pure."
It's true that a pure-minded man will not usually put evil constructions
or interpretations on things. But to say that something is pure
because he judges it to be so, or because he cannot be defiled,
is false. The context of Titus 1 makes it clear that the apostle
Paul is referring to matters of Judaistic practice, ceremonial
purifications, among other things, that have been misconstrued
by false teachers.
Read the following passage from Luke 11:37-44.
"And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine
with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee
saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
"And the Lord said unto him, Now do you Pharisees make clean
the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is
full of ravening and wickedness. You fools, did not he that made
that which is without make that which is within also? But rather
give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are
clean unto you.
"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue
and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of
God: these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other
undone.
"Woe unto you, Pharisees! for you love the uppermost seats
in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you
are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them
are not aware of them. "
Christ exalts purity to the realm of the spirit, which automatically
does away with ceremonial purity. A pure mind cannot be contaminated
by physical contact; and the purest minds will have no relish
in seeking defilement.
The following passage in 1 Timothy 1:4-7 talks about love out
of a pure heart, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is not a ritual
love, nor is it a love gained by striving for it. Here "good
conscience" means "cleansed" or "in fellowship".
"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which
minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith:
so do.
"Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart,
and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some
having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
"Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither
what they say, nor whereof they affirm."
Problems of impurity in life are attacked in the area of the mind.
Timothy was commanded to "flee also youthful lusts...".
But he was told in the same verse how to do this, to "follow
righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Tim. 2:22).
How often only the first part of the above verse is quoted, so
that the believer never learns how to have victory over areas
of weakness. Lust is desire - and desire is a mental attitude.
So to "flee lusts" is to nip the sin problem in the
bud, while it is still only in the mind. Confess, isolate, and
forget the sin. Then, enjoy one more measure of victory.
1 Timothy 6:9-11
"But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction
and perdition.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.
"But you O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
1 Peter 1:18-23
"Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers;
"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot:
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
"Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the
dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in
God.
"Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that
you love one another with a pure heart fervently:
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever. "
Salvation is not by ceremony, but by the sacrifice of Christ.
Morality is not by ceremony, but by the purification of the soul
through the Word of God.
What is Christ's purpose for the Church? "...Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; that He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." (Eph.
5:25,26)
Purity is brought into the Christian's life and maintained through
(1) Confession of sins which maintains fellowship with God and
(2) edification, which is the basis for growth in all areas, including
having victory over sin.