The word "purity" is tossed around in sermons, bible studies, books, television, and etc., but when we hear the term "purity" do we really know what it means? Do our minds automatically relate the act of being pure to sexual purity or purity rings? Do our minds ignore and attempt to jump over the word and state of being "pure"? Purity isn't something to stray away from, nor is it something that only relates to sex. Spiritual purity means to be cleansed from your past and renewed in your future. Purity isn't something you should run from, but run to. In the beginning of time, God created the heavens and the earth. [Genesis 1] At that time, he created the land and the ocean, day and night, livestock to roam His land, and man to be made in His image. This process took seven days, and on the seventh day was His day of rest. The thought of mankind did not exist until Genesis 1:26, the 5th day. "God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." By the 26th verse, and His 5th day creating, God decided to create man who would be pure and perfect, just like Him, and man would automatically inherit the Kingdom of God before he breathed air, and there would be no such thing as sin, for man would be perfected in all his ways. So in Genesis 2:7, God created man from "the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being". This man that God first gave life to went by the name of Adam. After God created Adam, He planted the Garden of Eden, for which God commanded Adam to work it and take care of it. [Genesis 2:15] God told Adam that he could eat from any tree but the tree of knowledge of "good an evil" because it would cause death to Adam. [Genesis 2:16-17] In Genesis 2:19-20, God let Adam name all of the animals. Why? Because Adam had the mind of God. There was no separation between him and God. Adam was born pure and with a sound mind because God made him perfect, just like Him. God wanted Adam to have a helper, so He created woman, who went by the name of Eve. "21 So the Lord God caused the man[Adam] to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s rib and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” -Genesis 2:21-23 So by the end of Genesis 2, Adam and Eve were married and became one flesh, naked, and bore "no shame".... until The Fall In the first verse of Genesis 3, we are introduced to Satan [the devil] in his being of a serpent. Eve had her first encounter with the enemy's tricks when he asked her, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" Why would he ask her that? Easy. Because he didn't know. When God kicked Satan out of his Kingdom, who was at the time Lucifer and the Angel of Praise and Worship, Satan became separated from God and His thoughts. He had no idea what God said, so in disguise, he asked Eve. Why? Because she was born with a mind of God and a key to the Kingdom. [Why did God kick Satan out of His Kingdom? He wanted to be more powerful than God; Read the full story in Revelation 12.] Because Satan was disguised as a snake, Eve didn't think twice about him being an enemy of God, so she listened to what he said, and ate from the tree of knowledge, even though God commanded both Adam and Eve not to. Adam and Eve acted out of flesh in Genesis 3:6 when the tree looked "pleasing to the eye" to them. Not everything pleasing to the eye is of God. In Genesis 3:8, after Eve gave some fruit to Adam, both of their eyes "opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Why did they cover their bodies up so quickly? When they were naked, they were not shameful because they were clothed with spiritual covering, but when they disobeyed God, the spiritual covering came off and they were naked and covered in sin. Therefore, they quickly covered their bodies because they were shameful; they fell into sin and could not bear it. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we became separated from the Kingdom of God and became born into sin; Now the only way to get back to God and to inherit His Kingdom is to earnestly seek Him and to be spiritually purified. How Jesus Made Me Pure Please note that God forgives all sin. The only sin that God does not forgive is the sin of blaspheme, which means giving credit to another source other than God. Once we confess our sins to God, and give ourselves whole-heartedly to Him, then we become pure; cleansed. God forgives us of our sins, but we must keep in mind why he forgives us; Jesus. God gave his only son to die for man who didn't even deserve it. Jesus came to free us from the price we would have to pay for sinning. You think no one loves you? God surely does. John 3:16 is a very important scripture that every living soul should pay tribute to. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God offered us a path to follow to get back to Him, and all we have to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus makes us pure. He cleansed us from our sins. He made us free from the price we owed. Jesus is the source of our purity; Jesus is the source of my purity. Breaking Down Purity Being purified through Christ is a lifelong journey. This journey includes dying to yourself daily. The phrase "dying to yourself" means to let go of your old ways and be spiritually renewed. This is an everyday process. In order to grow spiritually, you must die to your fleshly ways daily. Just because you've been baptized once 10 or 20 years ago doesn't mean you have an access key to the Kingdom. You should be baptized everyday; cleansed in the spirit. A true repentance of the heart. You can be baptized everyday, but if your heart does not show true and profound repentance, then it doesn't mean a thing. A dear friend and respected minister once phrased it "went down a dry sinner and came up a wet sinner". Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Not because he was a sinner, but because He was showing us what newness looked like. He demonstrated the true definition of being cleansed with the Holy Spirit. I know you're probable questioning, "If Jesus was perfect and sinless, then why would he have to repent and be baptized?" That's the same question John the Baptist asked. But the answer is, he didn't have to. Just like he didn't have to die on the cross for us, but he did. Jesus' baptism was a demonstration of God's will, and he was baptized to fulfill God's will (God's purpose for us), just as when he carried our sins to the cross. (God's purpose for him). We shouldn't be baptized because it is a "must to join a church" or because "grandma's making me do it". Be baptized because your heart longs to become purified, and desires to feel the newness that Jesus himself demonstrated to us. Following Jesus takes dedication; Your mind must always be open to learn and receive. Some Elements of Purity Sexual Purity Many people tie "purity" only to the act of sex, and that is false. Sexual purity is an element of purity, but it does not define purity. I am a true believer of waiting until there is a commitment before God to take part in the act of sex. It's not because I am "religious", but because I truly understand why God said that in the bible. God gave us a treasure in ourselves to protect and respect. He doesn't want us to give that treasure to just anybody. Even though we were born into sin, He gave us the gift of ourselves, our temples, our bodies. God wants us to wait until marriage because He loves us. He has unconditional love for us, and because of his deep admiration for us, He wants to protect us from the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of sex outside of marriage. Now, I'm going to confront some things. Virginity. I am not in favor of when people say the phrase "losing virginity". You don't lose your virginity unless you give it to someone who doesn't cherish or honor it. If you are married, and it is your first time partaking in the act of sex, then you are not losing your virginity; You're giving it to someone who will hold and respect it for the rest of their lives. It will never be lost because it lies in your mate's heart. Same situation with purity. ("Staying pure until marriage.") Purity should never be lost, it should only be gained. Once you become pure, then you should only grow. When you become one flesh with your husband/wife and combine your faith, then you're growing together in your purity. Which means that on your journey in relationships, you should only build relationships with Kingdom builders, people who are on the same spiritual level as you and only build you up in your faith. When the day comes that you have to pick a mate, make sure you two are equally yolked. “A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” -words from the late, great Maya Angelou- God rest her soul. Purity in our Actions In this lifelong journey of the growth in your purity, your actions must reflect your purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." We should strive to be examples of God's love, for His love should reflect from our hearts. It doesn't matter how old you are, when you become purified, your heart becomes purified, and your mind should become purified. Time doesn't matter with God. God is the author and creator of time. Being a specific age does not make you wiser; the cleansing of the Holy Spirit makes you wiser. You can be 12 years old and wiser than a 50 year old. When you chose to live a purified life, you've waved goodbye to the old you and you are reborn in a cleansing spirit. You are now a reflection of God's grace and mercy, so make sure that that reflection is reflecting the God that lives within you. Losing Purity The only way that you could ever lose purity, is if you allow your ways to transform back into the ways of the world, and you have lost all sight and love for the spirit of God; The Great I AM. You have a choice.
The choice is yours, but with this blog, I challenged myself to dig deeper into God's word to break down the love and commitment of God's promises, the importance of repenting, and the reason for the admiration of oneself. You took time to read this, so allow this message to sink deep into your heart and let it marinate. So now when you hear the term "purity", you should not roll your eyes or block the word from your knowledge. You should smile and know that purity is much more than a price tag; It lives eternally deep in the riches of your soul, embracing the spirit that lives within you forever, cherishing the man/woman that you are, and growing in the mind of a lion that God has instilled in you. My purity means that I get another chance at life; to live, to inspire, and to one day travel to the gates of Heaven to be awaited by my Father with open arms with an applause louder than any man, "Job well done, my daughter." |
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