Purity versus Holiness
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” -2 Timothy 2:19-21
Reading over the verses above, one might think that Paul is describing the need for purity in a believer’s life, but upon a closer examination, what the apostle is really describing is the benefits of holiness.
There is a difference between purity and holiness. The pharisees of Jesus time claimed to be pure, yet in many ways, they were not holy. And even if they had been inwardly pure—for they were only pretending to be pure on the outside—but even with an inward purity that a person would keep himself from sin, they would still not be holy.
What is it to be holy? It is not simply a question of purity, but a question of usefulness. It is not the sins that you keep from committing, but it is the cause for which you are consecrated. Notice again the verses at the top of the page: that we are to be “meet [fitting] for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” -John 4:34
Jesus was set aside to do God’s work—He was Holy with a capital C—and He was also perfectly pure. Yet, it’s possible for others to attempt to emulate only His purity, and to try very diligently to keep themselves from sin and evil, and appear to be quite pure, and at the same time be completely useless to God. In excluding everything from life, you may very well be excluding God’s will too.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” -Matthew 7:21
Where purity fits in
Is it of no use, and no benefit to be pure? Certainly not. For Scripture says, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). But notice the end of the truly pure soul: they will see God!
Purity relates directly to God, and to enjoying Him, and doing His work, and following in His will. This is true holiness: to seek to set aside one’s entire being—one’s entire faculty of mind, will, emotions, conscience, and body—everything that we possess is to be set aside to do the Lord’s work.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” -Romans 12:1-2
When we are presented unto God for His service, we are in essence, holy. The after-effects of such a consecration will naturally be purity. If we are to live only for the Lord—a holy and pure Lord—where then does sin and vice fit into our life? Where and when would it be convenient to do the frivolous and vain things that we once did as a sinner? If we are set apart to do the work and will of God, how would our Good Master ever lead us into impurity?
So we see that to be holy is to be pure also, which is greatly preferred over simple purity alone. For who can be truly pure who is not consecrated to God? Who can keep himself/herself from sin who does not agree to walk in the will of God? Yet there is a great provision for purity found in simply obeying God, and following after His commands.
The great missionary to India said it thus:
“Mount your horse, and be out on God’s work.” -William Carey
Related posts:
Leave a Reply