Pure means to be free of contamination. Something is contaminated when it is polluted with something that was not designed to be in it. We see contamination all around us. There are filtration systems for our water, filters for the air we breathe, filters for our computers, and I could go on and on. We live in a world where sin is the norm and purity is rare. Yet over and over in scripture, we see God mandating purity. It is not a suggestion; it’s a command. If God gives a directive, then there is a way to do it.
The first verse that comes to mind is Philippians 4:8. In that verse, there are many things that Paul instructs us to think about, and one is being pure. The key to this is our thinking. Our minds are like incredible computers. We see, hear, feel, and smell things that register in our minds and allow us to relate them to past experiences. The sad thing is that our brain stores stuff that we would like to forget. Those are the things that Satan uses to accuse us. He will bring them up when we are struggling, and we have to either fight or end up in despair.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
How do we maintain pure thoughts? We fill our minds with things that are pure. That is why it is so important to study God’s word. His word gives us what is right and good. It also shows us the pitfalls of not living according to His word. God does not sugarcoat sin in the Bible. David looked at Bathsheba and lusted after her. He filled his mind with the picture of her bathing in her courtyard, and his desire overcame him. He sent for her and committed adultery with her. The tragedies of his life began by putting impure thoughts in his mind. He could not help but notice there was a woman bathing, but he did not have to gaze on her. However, if he would have been with his men in battle, he would have never seen her, and the history and tragedies of his life could have been avoided. If David had written Psalm 101:3 before he saw Bathsheba, much pain could have been avoided. He would not have had to experience the death of a child, the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, the rape of his daughter, and the war that was going on within his family. So much tragedy could have been avoided.
Psalm 101:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:”
The whole world has gone crazy with impurity. The prevalent attitude is that something must be sexy to be attractive. Therefore, we buy clothing, shoes, cars, and even hamburgers because of the sensual appeal it has. A few years ago, a major hamburger chain advertised a model eating a hamburger. Her actions were very sensual. They were using sex to solicit people to buy their hamburgers. We have watched these types of things so often that we have become desensitized to the lure to think of almost everything as sexy. What does the word sexy mean? The consistent idea is the ability to arouse desire in the opposite sex. Arouse desire! The only one that we should want to arouse desire in is our spouse! When something is sexy, it appeals to the sensual side of us. God made us as sexual beings. He made men to be aroused by sight so that the world could be populated, and so that a man and his wife could have the deepest connection possible by becoming one flesh (Matthew 19:5-6). However, God never intended for our minds to be full of impure thoughts. What he designed was beautiful, satisfying, and complete, until sin and contamination entered the world. Satan always tries to take what God designed as beauty and taint it with sin, and he starts by placing things in our path to allure us to think impure thoughts.
Our world is contaminated. It is full of opportunities to think, feel, and see things that are sinful and hurtful to the cause of Christ. We live in a culture that is beyond obsession – it is delusional, destructive, and addictive about sexual activity. Satan is the prince of the air of this universe and his desire is to destroy everyone. He wants every person to spend eternity with him in Hell. He will tempt any way possible to gain a foothold in our lives. However, we don’t have to give in. It is our choice as to how we think and act. God wants us to be pure in every area of our lives.
Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
In I Timothy 3:9, we are to have a pure conscience. Our conscience is that internal voice that guides us. However, we can edit our conscience to think everything is fine when it’s not. The Word should be our guide, and we are to align our conscience with it.
II Peter 3:1, we are to have pure minds. Pure minds only come from feeding them the things that are pure. If we watch programs that show people living in a way that is contrary to the Bible, if we listen to music that is suggestive of wrong actions, or if we are around people who are ungodly, our minds will have to filter so much that we will begin to accept what we hear and see, to the point that our conscience is edited. Then it will be almost impossible to keep a pure mind. What we think controls everything else about us.
Over and over throughout God’s word, we are instructed to be pure. Don’t allow the contamination of this world to stain your life. Stand firm in God’s word and he will direct, guide, and protect.
