For most of my life I have literally dreaded “purity talks.” Either they were way too girly for my taste and caused an almost immediate gag reflex OR they left those in the room that have “messed up” or been violated in the past feeling dirty and condemned. This is never the intent of any speaker or pastor, but I think for so
long we have been conditioned to focus on controlling the FRUIT instead of dealing with the ROOT. This
past semester God has challenged my perspective on what true purity is.
I've come to the conclusion that purity is really NOT about what you've done or what you don’t do… it’s about WHO JESUS IS and what He has done for you. So whether you have never kissed a boy or you or you were looking at porn before you stumbled upon my blog, we all need have a inner desire to be FREE.
What does it mean to be pure? We all have our own preconceived ideas of what it means to be pure. Many of these ideas are found when we compare ourselves to others that we perceive to more pure, holy, and closer to God than we are. But what is the TRUTH?
This is our righteousness. On a good week. On a bad week. The truth is that there is no sin that is worse than another. Sin is
sin. We HAVE to stop comparing ourselves with others to measure our own worth. Comparison
is a trap to steal our identity and joy. The pride on a week where we think we have done "good" is the same as anything we did on a "bad" week. Whether it looks like premarital sex, bitterness, pride or gossip. It’s all sin. We’ve all done it. We are all selfish.
Whenever I think about purity my mind immediately travels back to 7th grade when my youth pastor, Jared Scholz, spoke on the original Greek definition of the word for pure: Containing no impurities, and NOT MIXED or alloyed with anything else, especially anything that would dilute it.
We are mixed with the things of this world, but we want to be pure! We have been told time and time again to "be transparent!" and "be pure!" We have signed abstinence commitments and put purity rings on our fingers. We continue to try to fight our sinful nature, but it is much like trying to scoop the red food coloring out of a glass of red water with your hands. Just like the water cannot make itself clear, we cannot make ourselves pure. It is impossible.
We like to try with dos and don’ts, rules, and boundaries, but ON THEIR OWN they are only band aids that we put over festering wounds expecting that because we cannot see it anymore that it must be better. The reality is that unless it is cleaned out it WILL get infected and continue to affect us long term. This is why unless we find true healing, the hurts of our past affect the way we view others and ourselves.
We all know the Sunday school answers... right? Jesus. Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus love me, yes I know. But most of the time we do not really believe those memorized answers. How many times have you believed the lie that you are not good enough
for God to love you? Speak to you? Heal you? Or even save you? I definitely have.
We are humans and by nature we are competitive and love to compare. This doesn't stop with comparing ourselves with each other, but also with the only One who was completely pure: Jesus Christ. We look at Jesus’ heart and life it is the only one who is without stain and not mixed with any selfishness of this world. We can become ashamed and embarrassed at our messes letting condemnation take over, but that’s NOT why Jesus became human at all! In His perfection He came to PENETRATE through our darkness.
Just like light penetrates darkness there is something pretty phenomenal that happens when you continue to pour pure water into a glass of water mixed with food coloring and let it overflow. The color slowly is FLUSHED out and replaced with pure water. Through this picture the Lord started to reveal to me what He wants to do with the darkness in my own heart. He wants to penetrate it. He wants to flush it out. He wants to replace it with HIMSELF! Purity is not something that can be achieved or earned, but begins with receiving.
But receiving is just the beginning of the process of purity. Why do I call it a process? Because it takes time? Yes, but it's more than that. The nature of a process is that one thing has to happen for another thing to start. It's not a magic formula on how you can wake up completely new, but a way to look at the way God makes us new.
It doesn't have anything to do with us making ourselves pure or transforming our own mind, but has everything to do with being willing to receive Jesus into the darkest part of us. The area in our heart that we don't even want anyone to know about. The stuff we hide behind a mask so that we don't have to deal with. The things that we justify. We MUST receive Him in so that he can renew the way we see it. As He renews us we begin to see the darkness for what it really is. We begin to see it rightly and we no longer want to hold onto it.
Once we see the darkness from His perspective we WANT to release it. This is ONLY possible because He is going to replace it with himself! This is also true in the analogy of the glass of water with food coloring in it. The only reason that the water can release the food coloring is because it is being replaced with more clean water that is PUSHING out the impurities. That is what happens when we receive Him. He renews us and then replaces our hurt with himself which gives us the power to release it for good! Our focus is NOT on getting rid of our sin, it is on receiving Jesus and letting Him flush out anything else.
It has always been about a person, and not a protocol. That person gave everything so that he could have relationship with us. As we rejoice in Who He is and what He has done for us, He will continue to restore us beyond anything that we could ever do on our own. We don't always feel healed, feel close, or feel free, but He is looking for a people that will not base their faith on feelings. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things we do not see. I can't say I completely understand it, but I do know that nothing else in this world makes anymore sense to me than the lives I have seen completely changed because of their relationship with Jesus.
I think King David had something right. Even after he murdered, lied, and had sex with another man's wife, he fell on his face and cried out for mercy because he knew who God was and that He was the only one that could make him clean.
Purity... It's a process. It's not a destination. It's not a check list even though we like those. It's not a list of do's and don'ts. Purity comes from a relationship. A relationship that we have the invitation to build every single day, every single minute, and with every single thought. I know that today I will sin and tomorrow too, but there is confidence knowing that I know the One whose mercy is new every single morning.
I've come to the conclusion that purity is really NOT about what you've done or what you don’t do… it’s about WHO JESUS IS and what He has done for you. So whether you have never kissed a boy or you or you were looking at porn before you stumbled upon my blog, we all need have a inner desire to be FREE.
What does it mean to be pure? We all have our own preconceived ideas of what it means to be pure. Many of these ideas are found when we compare ourselves to others that we perceive to more pure, holy, and closer to God than we are. But what is the TRUTH?
“Our
righteousness is as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6
“For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God.” Romans 3:23
We cling so tightly to our darkness that it becomes part of our identity. Much like when you put food coloring in a glass of water. It slowly permeates through until it is completely MIXED. This "darkness" can represent your sin, past hurts, mindsets, or just about anything else that isn't from Jesus. It's not just about sex, but any impurity.
Whenever I think about purity my mind immediately travels back to 7th grade when my youth pastor, Jared Scholz, spoke on the original Greek definition of the word for pure: Containing no impurities, and NOT MIXED or alloyed with anything else, especially anything that would dilute it.
We are mixed with the things of this world, but we want to be pure! We have been told time and time again to "be transparent!" and "be pure!" We have signed abstinence commitments and put purity rings on our fingers. We continue to try to fight our sinful nature, but it is much like trying to scoop the red food coloring out of a glass of red water with your hands. Just like the water cannot make itself clear, we cannot make ourselves pure. It is impossible.
We like to try with dos and don’ts, rules, and boundaries, but ON THEIR OWN they are only band aids that we put over festering wounds expecting that because we cannot see it anymore that it must be better. The reality is that unless it is cleaned out it WILL get infected and continue to affect us long term. This is why unless we find true healing, the hurts of our past affect the way we view others and ourselves.
We are humans and by nature we are competitive and love to compare. This doesn't stop with comparing ourselves with each other, but also with the only One who was completely pure: Jesus Christ. We look at Jesus’ heart and life it is the only one who is without stain and not mixed with any selfishness of this world. We can become ashamed and embarrassed at our messes letting condemnation take over, but that’s NOT why Jesus became human at all! In His perfection He came to PENETRATE through our darkness.
“The light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
Just like light penetrates darkness there is something pretty phenomenal that happens when you continue to pour pure water into a glass of water mixed with food coloring and let it overflow. The color slowly is FLUSHED out and replaced with pure water. Through this picture the Lord started to reveal to me what He wants to do with the darkness in my own heart. He wants to penetrate it. He wants to flush it out. He wants to replace it with HIMSELF! Purity is not something that can be achieved or earned, but begins with receiving.
But receiving is just the beginning of the process of purity. Why do I call it a process? Because it takes time? Yes, but it's more than that. The nature of a process is that one thing has to happen for another thing to start. It's not a magic formula on how you can wake up completely new, but a way to look at the way God makes us new.
1. We must RECEIVE so
that He can RENEW
“Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.” Romans 12:2
2. We must RELEASE as He REPLACES
“If
we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
3. We must REJOICE as
He RESTORES
“Whom
the son sets free is free indeed!” John 8:36
I think King David had something right. Even after he murdered, lied, and had sex with another man's wife, he fell on his face and cried out for mercy because he knew who God was and that He was the only one that could make him clean.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Psalm 51:10-12
He wants you to be free and He already paid the price. He wants you to be healed and He already took the beating. He wants you to be truly alive and he already beat death. He wants to talk to you and he already tore the veil. It's a daily choice to receive Him with open hands and a willing heart to follow.
"Therefore, just as you have received Him as Lord, so WALK IN HIM, rooted and grounded in Him, established in the faith just as you were taught, and abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2:6-7
Let's continue on this journey. :)
