What is purity?
Romans 12:9Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
James 1:27Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Purity means loving what is good and hating what is evil. It’s more than passive naivety—it’s a choice to imitate Jesus wholeheartedly.
Luke 11:37-40As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?”
Purity isn’t about polishing our outward appearance. It’s about who we are all the way through.
Matthew 22:35-39One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 23:26“You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”
The Pharisees pursued purity through rules. They thought that those rules could keep the sin inside them from leaking out into the open. Jesus’ approach to purity was completely different. He called his followers to clean out the sin inside their hearts first, filling their hearts with a love for God and others.
Matthew 5:21-22“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!”
Matthew 5:27-29“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Jesus took sin very seriously. To prevent sin from bearing fruit, he called us to pull sin out by its roots. Our minds and hearts—the thoughts and emotions we live in each day—are where purity starts. Such purity is not limited to sexual purity. It includes the way we think about and treat people in all the contexts of our lives.
John 8:34-36Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”
Romans 6:1-2Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
Hebrews 10:14By that one offering he [Christ] forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Sin is a terrible, terrible thing. That’s why Jesus didn’t only come to save us from sin’s consequences—he came to save us from sin itself. After we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are forever made perfect in God’s eyes through Christ’s sacrifice. But we are not yet fully free from sin’s influence. We are still in the process of being purified to become holy, as Jesus was. Purity is complete freedom from sin, and Jesus taught us—by his words and by his example—that such freedom is worth great sacrifice. One day in eternity, we will be pure and free. That’s a promise God gives us.
Ephesians 5:3Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
Philippians 2:14-15Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Colossians 3:5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Sin undermines purity. The Bible often highlights sexual sin and greed as two forms of idolatry that make us impure, but impurity isn’t always something dramatic. Often, it’s subtle yet dangerous, such as ingratitude or pride.
Matthew 9:10-12Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”
1 Corinthians 15:33Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
Galatians 6:1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Purity requires discernment but not isolation. The purpose of our lives on earth is not only to avoid sin—it’s to do good and bring others to Christ. We should be cautious of friendships that lead us into temptation, but we should never consider anyone to be out of the reach of God’s love and redemption.
Psalm 51:7-10Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Romans 3:10As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.”
Titus 3:5He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:14By that one offering he [Christ] forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
None of us are pure through our own merits. All of us are stained by sin. But God loved us anyway. Through Jesus, the guilt of our sins is wiped away—we are perfect in God’s sight. God’s work in our lives doesn’t end there. Through God’s work in us through his Holy Spirit, our hearts can change. And one day, we will be pure and holy, completely free from sin. Purity shouldn’t be a struggle we endure out of fear. It should be a process we pursue in hope.
