In His high-priestly prayer, Jesus prays to the Father concerning His disciples: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). The Word of God is able to purify us. The words of Christ have the power to cleanse us—“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (15:3). How does the Word of God help to purify our hearts?
Firstly, by rebuking and correcting us (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The Word of God convicts those who read it reverently. Like a mirror, the Word shows what is wrong with us. And if we take the necessary action, we will be blessed (James 1:22–25). The Word keeps our heart clean by pointing out the areas that need confession and renunciation. It helps to remove the dirt.
Secondly, by warning us to keep away from sin. The psalmist testifies to this truth when he prays, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). The Christian who reads the Bible regularly, and who is guided by its worldview and teachings, will come to hate sin. The proper fear of the Lord is connected with the hatred of sin. “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech” (Proverbs 8:13). The Word of God builds a healthy fear of God and leads to a proper hatred of sin and evil. Sin will appear to be increasingly repulsive. In this way, the disciple of Jesus is empowered to keep a pure heart.
Paul uses the phrase “pure virgin” of the church, a term deep in meaning if we remember that Israel was metaphorically considered as God’s wife—though often a wayward one, the waywardness representing the many idolatries embraced by Israel. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church of his hope that the church would be different. “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2). For the church to have a pure heart, idolatries must be done away with. We note how John ended his first epistle with the words, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).
There are many forms of idolatry in the modern world, with many new and subtle ones in addition to the old and familiar ones. Materialism, greed, luxury, new gadgets, work, appearances, new lifestyles and the like—all these have the potential to negatively affect the purity of the heart. We are warned to keep away from anything that can become an idol, and every idol that pollutes our heart.
Thirdly, by encouraging obedience to God. The Word of God exhorts us to obey God. The pure heart, by necessity, is the obedient heart. To obey God’s Word with all our heart is to obey God with a pure heart (Psalm 119:34).
There is an important connection between obedience and purity of heart. Such obedience involves doing actions that are pleasing to God. In his letter to Titus, Paul relates how Jesus Christ “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 2:14). The purpose of our redemption is that we may be a purified people who are able and ready to do good. Purity of heart is not only the absence of evil, but it is also the presence of good. And we do well to think often of whatever is pure (Philippians 4:8) and to act on such noble thoughts.
Consider this:
What habits can help you maintain spiritual purity?
Excerpted and adapted from The Sermon of Jesus: The Kingdom of God, a Darwinian Jungle, and a Theatrical Church by Robert M. Solomon. ©2013 by Robert M. Solomon. Used by permission of Armour Publishing. All rights reserved.
Related Resources:
In His Presence: Spending Time with God. Sometimes the hectic demands on your day can crowd out your time with God. Find out how you can develop a regular time of Bible reading and prayer with this practical guide on keeping your appointments with God. Gain a fresh perspective on your quiet time as an opportunity to reconnect with the God of grace who is waiting to spend time with you. Find out more here.
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