The absolute quality in a child of God is purity. How wonderful then it is to be made pure! It implies holiness, sinless nature and a perfect conscience. To be made pure by God is the reason for a Christian’s conscience to be led to the things that are pure. He or she sees and touches only that which God affirmed. To them there is no such thing as the defiled, since what has been or is defiled is no longer intriguing to them. So, what’s left is only pure and in obtaining and performing them, they face no loss or defeat. All things they receive from God are pure and all things they ask Him are pure to Him. He provides them the best; they will know it from His word. This is the truth, since “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Tit. 1:15).
This is the advantage to those who were made pure: nothing can overpower them. They do not abstain from anything that God permits. They do not desist from His provisions and most of all His spiritual gifts and blessings. They see the gospel and its teachings as He intended. Men and women that believe in everything He made possible for them to receive, keep and rejoice in have their mind and conscience trained by Him. It means they are educated to deny all ungodliness. What is the advantage? Firstly, their way to a heavenly place will not be interrupted. Interruption makes men inanimate to the wonderful blessings and promises of God. They will be brought back, but only after great loss. The time lost in straying away from Him will leave them behind those that gained it. Secondly, no interruption means they are a constant glory to God among the perishing. This then will give them the honor of being His servants. No matter what they do, they reflect God through them.
The converse of the advantage is quite evident. Men and women do not reflect God. They live the lives of defilement. The reason: they did not seek to believe or know how to become pure. If a Christian is a child of God through righteousness by faith, then the mind and conscience of those who do not believe has only one fruit. It is defilement. Such is the state of many churches. They did not believe in God for the sake of identifying the things that are pure, but for the sake of owning an identity. No one can own an identity except that which comes through Christ by purity. Therefore, He says to the pure, “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8).
The open door that Christ placed before us is to give us an identity. He made us pure and our deeds for Him have also been found pure. The outcome is magnificent. He provides us the way or door that not even Satan, much less then any man, can shut. Observe His graceful words. He knows our state. He accepts and understands our frailty, i.e. He knows we are not perfect. Yet, when we keep His word with the little power we have, we have the conviction to appear before Him for purification. This then indicates that we did not deny His name, but indeed continue to accept it. It is the sanctification process which God gave us in Jesus. As long as we are being sanctified in the fear, love and grace of God, His Son will keep the door open for us. What then? We receive everything God considered pure. As we enter the door, He gives us the things that are beyond imagination. It is like entering a garden with all kinds of good trees. O, the advantage of being made pure! All things that are His are ours. Our little power is our inner strength with which we love and believe Him. This is all He looks for in us. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine’” (John 8:31).
This is the plain indication of the pure: they continue in His word. And because they become His disciples, they receive the share of the disciples. They have His word. Their purity is the channel for them to see the wholeness of it. The rest that claim to be of Christ are separated from the door. These are without the truth. They are still entangled in the encumbrances of the world. This is true, since they cannot come to Christ to obtain the wholeness of His word. Jesus did not ask all the Jews to continue in His word, though it was His desire. When He knew that some believed Him, He showed them the way to become His disciples. No man can judge another’s belief in Christ, except Christ and He separates us from the rest to unite us in Him. We recognize one another; “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).
Because they are irrevocable, they continue to work in believers for a common faith and for a common goal. If they are with regret, it would be chaos. None of us would remain pure; there would not be the process of sanctification. For if God has regretted His gifts and calling to us we would have condemnation written all over us. But that He does not regret giving them was made known through His love toward us when He sent His unique Son and condemned Him in our stead. So, the point is belief in God made us pure; our purity must be maintained by the perpetuity of God’s calling and gifts in us. Now, we grow up to become a glory to Him and an intriguing mystery to those around us. Then, He lays ways to reveal ourselves to the dying world and makes us fishermen of men. This leads to recognizing and accepting of one another. The outcome of it is immense. We utilize what God placed in us to bring members into the body. Each one learns of another and cares for one another. We discourage any misgivings and substitutions for the truth. As all things of God will be pure to us, we deny the teachings of the flesh and the don’ts of those without truth. So, know who you are. “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4).
Purity is the only quality that keeps you steadfast in the light. For those whose mind and conscience are defiled will always be at ease. They live for their flesh. They do not realize the impending judgment. They cannot produce the desired fruit for God, because the purity that is sustained by His gifts and calling is not in them. But, you have become His disciples by His justification. So, do not go on thinking like the unbelievers and minimize the potential of your purity. God has made you pure so that you should not deny the things He is willing to provide you. While there is still light believe in Him and in His word. Very soon you will fully realize the freedom to which you were called. It is to live for God, His Son and His body. In it there is joy, peace and reward. When you realize the things He shows from the word, know that they are pure for action. “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Pet. 1:4).
As those made pure we have been invited to become partakers of the divine nature. And since we have escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust, all things are pure to us. While our mind and conscience are dictated by the power of God in His word, we will not stumble. We continue to seek the things of God and find them and joyously enforce them. Being ruled by His power no man can fully interrupt our determination toward Him or no fear sways us. We serve Him in the divine nature to bring as many as possible into His grace. For to us He has given a conspicuous honor. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained” (John 20:23).