“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. “ Titus 2:11-14
To be a Christ-follower means to be different from the rest of the world. To be different in this world means to be marginalized or misunderstood. Meek is seen as weak. Pure is seen as prudish. Forgiveness is seen as foolish. This list goes on, but what it truly means to be a Christ-follower is to allow the Holy Spirit to purify and sanctify us which means we will look nothing like the residents of earth. We should be pure. We should have the qualities of heaven dwelling in us as we await the return of Jesus.
Titus 1:15 says “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Don’t we see this played out is every area of life? There are distinctions in every arena of life that can illustrate a soul set on Christ or one that’s not.
The term “pure” isn’t relegated to relationships alone, as the secular world would have us believe. No, “pure” is much broader and can be applied to any area of life. Pure means ‘free of any contamination; not adulterated with any other substance.” (Google dictionary)
If we consider being pure, or not mixing with the way the world views things, our perspective on all things will change. Let’s look at just a few areas.
Work is a call to all people. When one loves Jesus, work ethic is evident and admirable, because we realize we are working for a greater master. A heart not built on Christ sees work as a hassle, a place of gossip, a torment.
Humor is created by God. God has outlined in the Bible that laughter is important. He wants us to share laughs, but how often do we hear wholesome jokes verses dirty jokes? Jokes ragging on a certain people group, sex jokes, or morbid jokes take center stage in our culture.
Relationships are gifts meant to strengthen and enrich people and to be a source of support and edification. Relationships built on Jesus are treasured because they look like nothing we see in the world. The world, however, has programmed people to think relationships should only be a source of entertainment, excitement, or a way to gain something.
These are just three simple examples of how easily purity can be perverted. Maybe we don’t view work, humor, or relationships through the “Christian” lens. But we should. Paul, a servant of God, said ALL things ought to be pure. The way we think, the way we seek entertainment, the way we work, the way we relate to friends, spouses, kids, the way we give thanks, and the way we spend money.
The world will look at Christians and call them weak, foolish, lame, but God will look on them and call them blessed, His children, residents of heaven. Because the current of the world flows around us, allowing the Holy Spirit to purify us from all unrighteousness is an ongoing process, and we have to take ownership when the Spirit prompts us to change.
When we genuinely seek to be pure, the Holy Spirit answers. He will reveal the righteous way. Let us seek to be pure in all things, for that is God’s will for us all. There is no part- time purity or certain areas or pureness. Paul says to the pure, ALL things are pure.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7
