Ripples: Purity

What is purity?  In our culture, we tend to think of cleaniness or being right.  Often, it is associated with certain ways of living and keeping oneself unblemished.  Yet it is interesting that Jesus challenged the purity codes of his day.  Rather than isolating himself with the religious leaders, he jumps into an "unpure" world full of sinners, tax-collectors, poor, diseased, and outcasts.

 

If this is true, then how is purity lived out in our world today?  How are we living as people that are "pure in heart" and what impact does that have?

 

Also, how are you seeing God at work among us?  If the pure in heart "see" God, we need to have the eyes to look into the world around us and discern God's action.  We would enjoy your stories as well!

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Steve Carlson on Sep 16, 2010 11:12am

Am I really the first one to post to the world? Is everyone afraid of being criticized? Me, too. Nonetheless, I'm stepping out and posting some scattered thoughts.

Being pure in heart in this life is an impossibility. Sinful beings will have sinful thoughts. We can't escape the curse. We must strive, however, to be like Christ. We should desire to be daily conformed to His image. In my life, I pray that every thought would be held captive and made obedient to Christ. I want to focus my thoughts on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. I desire to do that, but fail miserably. Our only hope for holiness is Christ's holiness. Our only hope for righteousness is Christ's righteousness. Thank you Jesus for the sanctification process. Purity of heart in this respect is unattainable, although we all have known of one or two individuals who have been the clearest examples of a life lived in Christ-like purity.

Pure, as in pure motives, means undertaking an endeavor without ulterior motives (self reward), being focused on the task at hand with the goal of, instead of self gain, kingdom gain, to the glory of God. Jesus is our ultimate example of how purity plays out in that He never sinned even though He was tempted, and He finished the task of redemption, even though He prayed that He would not have to carry it out. His (pure)heart and (pure)mind never conflicted with the will of the Father, they worked in tandem. Therefore, Jesus is the only person to date to have lived a sinless life. He is also the only person to date who had the power to lay down His own life and to take it up again.

Seeing God means more than the literal, physical "seeing" with our eyes. As believers, we will one day experience that. It will be a glorious time. But seeing God now in the present time and space involves more than just one of our senses.

We are known in the deepest most intimate way by the One who created us. That knowledge alone should cause us to want to "see" God by developing a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. We can "see" Him as we read and meditate on His word, as He washes us in His unconditional love, as He showers us in His holiness, as He expresses His goodness and mercy toward us, as we witness His transforming work in the lives of individuals, as we observe what has been created. All of these things, and more, are ways in which we "see" God. One day we will see Him face to face. We will see Him as He is. That is our glorious hope.

If my motives are unrighteous, God probably won't have much work for me to do. If I have pure motives stemming from a pure heart which reflect what is God's will, then the work will present itself and there will be plenty of it.

My prayer is for transformation of the heart, a clean heart, a renewed spirit to serve God in this world more effectively and "see" Him more clearly everyday.

David Rivers on Sep 16, 2010 4:42pm

Thanks for your thoughts Steve! Pure in heart is a tough one and I wonder how this Kingdom ethic that Jesus introduces makes us rethink our idea of 'seeing?' You have put great thought into this post and I appreciate the way you intertwine the Scriptures and historic thought into it. Keep chewing on it!!

Sharon Morrow on Sep 16, 2010 10:36pm

You guys are right, this is a hard one! I try to 'count it as joy' when I look at my life and the circumstances I am called to work through, and at times I am successful. It also helps to remember that what I 'struggle with' here in the States is hardly anything in comparison with the challenges facing my sisters and brothers overseas. I think it is too easy to forget how blessed we are to have been born (or to live) in the usa. We have a tremendous amount of freedom here, so it is very easy to drift into impurity and worldly ways. But in looking at myself, I can only be grateful that God loves me enough to keep on working at sanctifying me--I must say, I give Him plenty of material ;-) I am thankful that I hear His call, though it is hard to hear criticism for following Him. I try to stay focused on His Word, and I try to keep from judging others. When I do catch myself in the wrong, I strive to make things right.

I think that although Christ Himself was/is sinless, He viewed others with so much compassion that they sensed He did not judge them--He just loved them whole-heartedly. I think that is how we are supposed to care for other people also, regardless of who or what they appear to be to us. I don't think I've ever met anybody who doesn't have a strong opinion about Jesus, but I have met people who assumed that I looked at them in a negative light because I called myself Christian. The folks who ask me about my relationship with Jesus are people who I have a relationship with, and with whom I have spent time. That time gives them the chance to figure out if they can trust me enough to truly care about their feelings.

So, I am truly bothered by the judgemental attitudes I encounter in churches. It may be that only the most extreme sound-bite gets broadcast, but a lot of people think 'Christian' means a person who hates Muslims, or gays, or liberals. My mom hated hippies and communists, but she taught Sunday School. There is something wrong with that picture: we are not called to hate! It is not our job to judge anybody, and I think that anyone who is holding hatred in his or her heart for anyone has not reached the standard of purity that we are called to embody. I have to admit that I don't hang out with a lot of Christians, although I do know quite a few. I hang out with quilters and proofreaders and typesetters, and God willing, when they ask me, I have an honest and compelling witness to share. May the good Lord have mercy on us all!

Rob Sack on Sep 16, 2010 11:11pm

Purity has two aspects. The one we tend to focus on most is getting rid of the things that don't belong: the impurities. The other aspect is having whatever it is that you want to be pure. I believe that some Christians focus a lot on what they are taking out of themselves (and picking out of others) and not so much with what is replacing those impurities.

As Christians, our focus should be as much on what the pure substance is as on what it is not, if not more.