The Christian life is to be a life of growth and development. “We are to desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby unto salvation” (1 Peter 2:1-2). In 2 Peter 3:18 we read, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” We also learn from Hebrews 5:12-14 that with time and opportunity God expects us to grow as His children. One of those avenues of development is to make sure that our lives are characterized by purity. In Matthew 5:8 in the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
First, one must purify his soul in obeying the truth. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:22-23, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently.” As a penitent believer who has confessed his faith in his Lord, one must be baptized into Christ for the remission of his past sins (John 8:24; Luke 13:5; Romans 6:3-6; 10:9-10; Acts 2:38). Peter stressed the need of growth and development in the Christian life (2 Peter 1:5-11).
Second, one must be concerned with purity of heart or life. Psalm 24:3-4 reads, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” “But the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned” (1 Timothy 1:5). Paul gave emphasis to the purity of the church in Ephesians 5:25-27 when he wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” In Proverbs 4:23 we find, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.” In Proverbs 23:7 note, “For as a man thinketh within himself, so is he.”
Third, one must be concerned with purity of speech. In Matthew 12:34-37 our Lord said:
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
If we expect to keep our speech pure, we are going to have to watch what we are feeding our minds, that is our hearts. When we hear another person use impure speech, what does this indicate about his thinking? And what does this indicate about that one’s spirituality? My friend, always remember that Jesus said that you will have to give an account for every word you use (Matthew 12:36-37). Paul said you will answer for every deed (2 Corinthians 5:10). The writer of Ecclesiastes soberly reminds us that we will also answer for every secret thing, too (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Something is wrong with a person’s religion when his speech isn’t what it ought to be. Notice in James 1:26, “If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain.” We are told in Ephesians 4:25 to “put away all falsehood,” and my friends, Revelation 21:8 tells us the terrible, ultimate doom of all liars; the liar is going to have a part in that lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Fourth, one must pursue and practice sexual purity. This falls into two avenues: (1) before marriage, and (2) after marriage. It is sad that so many in our society today do not seem to be concerned about either. Let us look at the first category. Individuals are to save themselves for marriage. We are taught to flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). Parking and petting don’t produce purity. Dancing and drinking do not promote purity. Listening to suggestive lyrics in ungodly songs, watching filthy, sordid videos, and porn on the Internet will not promote sexual purity.
Secondly, we must return to biblical values in promoting marriage and the home. Marriage is to be between a man and a woman who have a scriptural right to be married to each other (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 5:31-35; 19:3-9; Hebrews 13:3-4). It is to be for a lifetime (Romans 7:1-4). Jesus gave only one exception (Matthew 19:9).
