And now, dear brothers and sisters,
one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable,
and right,
and pure,
and lovely, and
admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8
How many of you want to be
more Christlike?
How many of you want to
house
the fullness of the Holy Spirit?
Paul gives us the door which will take us into the presence of God: purity.
Purity carries some other definitions, but at the heart of its biblical
meaning is this: a complete devotion to God. It involves an undivided heart; no conflict of loyalties,
no mixed motives. It is a condition of
the heart.
In the New Testament, the sanctity of the body
as the temple of the Holy Spirit weighs in on the definition. It is a spirit of desire of unification and
obedience which brings every thought, feeling and action into the subjection
of Jesus Christ.
One of the problems of modern,
western thinking is the concept of dualism – where we see ourselves with separated
dimensions (heart, soul, mind, body….social, work, etc). These concepts were not as delineated in New Testament thinking. That is why purity is a
complete devotion – no words without action, no thought without passion.
What are examples of purity
you can think of?
In 1 Timothy 1:3-6 Paul means to have his
young mentee to stay true and focused on correct doctrine and not get “off
track” of the goal – seeking Jesus.
Notice purity’s “context:” vs. 5
- All Christians should be filled with
love that comes from a pure heart, clear conscious and sincere faith.” Paul did not like endless arguments; he wanted people focused through love toward a single-minded lifestyle.
What are examples of this
picture of purity?
Purity also has
the obvious notion of protecting oneself from sin. 1 Timothy 5:22b – Do not participate in the sin of others. Keep yourself pure. 2 Timothy 2:22 – Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do
right. Pursue faith love and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call
upon the Lord with pure hearts.
It becomes obvious that sin/faithlessness
defiles the heart.
What might it mean to keep one’s heart motivations
consistent/undivided/free of conflicting
motives?
The disciple, John, then gives us the
ultimate purity picture: 1 John 3:1-3
All who believe the following will keep
themselves pure just as Christ is pure…
we are named as God’s children.
We will be like Christ when we returns… We will see Christ as he really
is.
This makes purity not the goal, but the vehicle which
will take us into the presence of God.
Another analogy might help: you
want to go to your favorite destination.
You pay your money. You arrange
everything. You know to get on the plane
– which one and when it leaves. You
carefully plan your day so you can be sure to get on that plane. You don’t want to miss it!!
Purity is my "ticket," my "vehicle" to reach my goal
of a life with God.
Carefully plan
so as to not miss this vehicle to greater glory.
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