Torch, Summer 1995

I Biblically, there is a simple, yet clear distinction between the clean and unclean, between the sacred and the profane. There is an understood recognition of our wickedness and a need to be purified. This involves two aspects, as indicated by David 's question: "Who may ascend the hill of the lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart" (Psalm 24:3-4a) . Ritual cleansing was an integral part of participation in worship and enjoyment of the blessing of God. This included separation from areas of impurity, as well as actions to recognize and effect outward cleansing. But purity is more than just an external ritual. It involves more than abstaining from certain behaviors and situations. Purity of heart cannot be measured or controlled from the outside. Jesus warned that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out. Purity is not something branded from the outside in, but rather a quality bursting from the inside out. Of course there is a correlation between a pure heart and righteous living. Paul instructs Timothy : "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22). But the order must be kept straight; pure hearts produce pure lives. As a result, purity must be seen as more than just restraint from what is evil. In a heated discussion with Pharisees , Jesus discredited their attempts at purification through externals alone. By defining divine laws in terms of measurable external standards , the Pharisees established a standard which could supposedly be maintained- a system of righteousness which could be achieved on their own. Jesus denounced these efforts to brand purity from the outside through self-restraint and self-effort. He painted a humorous picture of the folly of this approach : "You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence....You are like white-washed tombs , which look beautiful on the outside but are full of dead men 's bones and everything unclean" (Matthew 23:25, 27). Scripture does admonish us to keep ourselves pure, and there is an active sense to avoiding corruption (1 Timothy 5:22; 1 John 3:3 ; James 1:27). However, there is more to true purity than those issues which first meet the eye. Purity is a positive quality which springs from the inside. It is the adjective which modifies all other areas of character. It is the description of a heart of righteousness and integrity. It reflects a quality of authenticity and genuineness, where righteousness flows out from an undefiled source. The New Bible Dictionary thus summarizes , Purity indicates a state of the heart where there is complete devotion to God. As unadulterated water is said to be pure, A member of our backpacking group purifies the waters of Sand Creek. and gold without alloy is pure gold , so the pure heart is the undivided heart where there is no conflict of loyalties , no cleavage of interests, no mixture of motives, no hypocrisy, and no insincerity. It is whole– heartedness God-wards. (p. 1066)* So we must ask ourselves: Are we pure? How can we analyze the state of our heart? Let me give three simple tests which will be of help in examining our hearts for purity. The Test Of Motives Our behavior cannot be examined in isolation from its motive. Jesus indicated that even acts of righteousness, such as prayer, can be corrupted when done only for personal recognition (Matthew 6: 1-8) . Everyone would agree that it is a good thing to work hard, but is it still so if the motivation is pure greed? power? prestige? What about service? As much as we wish to selflessly Torch 7