PURITY IS....
Matthew 5:8

How does a person define the concept of purity?  What did Jesus mean when He called those blessed who were pure in heart?  How can one become this type of person?  To help us to better understand this concept, let us define purity by what it is not.

First, purity is not just being sincere.  I can be sincere and still live in sin and do wrong.  I think one of the greatest biblical examples of a misplaced sincerity is found in the lives of those 450 prophets of Baal who encountered Elijah there on the top of Mount Carmel.  They were so sincere in their belief that Baal would answer their prayers, and when he did not, they even went so far as to cut their bodies until the blood flowed.  Yet, this was a useless sincerity.  It accomplished nothing.  So many people today have the mistaken idea that it does not make any difference what a person believes as long as he is sincere about it.  Nothing could be more deadly.  I may climb to the roof of my house with a pair of wings strapped to my body and jump off the roof thinking so sincerely that I could fly like the birds who nest in the trees nearby.  Such sincerity would be ill-founded.  I would fall and be severely injured, if not killed. 

Second, purity is more than just doing good things.  Now when it came to doing good things, you certainly could not beat the Pharisees.  They lived by the book, and yet listen to these words of Jesus:  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cummin.  But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness.  You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former (Matthew 23:23).  Doing good deeds does not bring us into purity with God. 

Friends, purity is also not based on comparisons with others.  I can always find someone with whom I am more pure.  Look at Peter's conversation with God in Acts 10 as God lowers the sheet with the dinner menus for Peter's selection.  Peter's response was something like this, "God, I can't eat those things.  I am pure.  Those things have never touched my lips."  But, as Peter was to learn, and as you and I must be reminded, there is only one standard of purity, namely God.  Listen to the following words of David:  Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false  (Psalm 24:3-4).

So, then, purity can be defined as living a life committed to God and modeling before the world the character of God. 

In our next study, we shall focus upon where purity must be found and how we can maintain that purity.

Father, We confess before You that at times we try to generate purity through our own efforts.  We compare our way of living with another's and feel that we are okay because either we don't do or we do certain things.  I am glad that Jesus has provided instructions for us so that we might walk in purity before You.  Continue to teach us how we are to live, for we pray this in the name of Jesus who modeled purity while here on earth.  Amen.

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