Purity and Maturity

There is some confusion in Christian circles over the difference between "purity” vs. “maturity". Maturity is growth and process, but purity is a work of God by the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Confusing the two terms can cause a great deficit in our Christian lives. If we confuse maturity with purity, we never enjoy an abiding rest in the Lord. How can we rest when we are always wondering what defilement and filth is still in our hearts? In addition, we wrongly assume that people who are more spiritually mature than us are purer in heart.

In order to understand the difference, let’s look at what it means to be pure, how that’s different from being mature, and finally, at how we attain (or obtain) purity.

Wholly Purified Bodies

Notice that nothing in scripture was almost pure or holy; neither was anything nor anyone made holy by a never ending process. They were purified and sanctified by the blood of the sacrifice, and by the fire of God’s glory (Exodus 29:43-44). There were procedures and rituals that were used in the Old Testament for sanctification, but when something was sanctified, it was sanctified wholly. As the Old Testament sacrifice sanctified everything pertaining to the tabernacle, so Jesus sanctifies us with His own blood (Hebrews 9:13-14).

By Jesus’ coming in the flesh and suffering and dying for us, the power of sin in the flesh is broken. Through His incarnation, we have assurance that our bodies are not evil.

Rom 7:24-8:3
24 O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

CHAPTER 8

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (KJV)

The scriptures speak of our natural bodies as being the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are directed to glorify God in our bodies. 1 Cor 6:19-20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.(KJV)

We are also commanded to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Rom 12:1 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. (KJV) If we can't be pure and holy until we're free from our physical body, then this implies the body is evil, a view that borders on Gnostic teaching our physical bodies are not to be a hindrance to our purity and sanctification.

Perfection in this Life?

Some would ask if we are saying that we "have arrived." No, we have not arrived at what has been called crowning perfection. The Apostle Paul referred to the prize and the crown regularly (Philippians 3:12-14; 2 Timothy 4:8). We have come to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel’s (Heb 12:24). Our hearts can be a sanctuary for the Lord where He is enthroned. Rom 6:6-7

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. (KJV)

Luke 11:36
36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. (KJV)

If purity of heart and life is depending on our own awareness of defilement or, "as far as I can see," we will never be sure of total devotion to God. I'm, therefore, glad that God is the sanctifier and it is as far as He can see. He can, and will, cleanse us from all sin and uncleanness, both what we see and what we aren't aware of, when we give Him everything that pertains to us. The Holy Spirit will witness to the work done in our hearts and convince us that Jesus is truly all in all to us.

Present Perfect Cleansing

Spiritual cleansing can be full and complete for the time being. Like the song, "Standing on the Promises" says,

Standing on the promises I now can see, Perfect present cleansing in the blood for me.

If it is the work of the Holy Spirit applying the work of the cross to our lives, we can be assured it is a wonderfully thorough cleansing. Though it is not a final, once for all, work in our hearts, we can, for the time being, we can be pure, even as He is pure. 1 John 3:3

Christian Maturity

Christian growth, on the other hand, is a process that is never finished in this life. When the heart and life are clean from defilement, growth is unhindered. The Christian can grow properly and bear fruit that glorifies the Father in Heaven. Through the maturing process, we are discipled to walk in obedience to revealed will of God. Maturity is both developed, and revealed, in the way we react to temptation. Even when we are pure in heart, we still need to be vigilant and sober. If we neglect watchfulness, we will be surprised by temptation. It is sobering how quickly we can slip and fall into a besetting sin. We need to learn how to continually guard our hearts and walk a Christian walk. Accountability to other Christians is extremely helpful; taking a public stand for Christ also helps us to be true to our Heavenly calling.

In the maturing process, we are tested and tried in many ways. We find ourselves feeling weak in the time of temptation. Some fall right here, because they equate temptation with committing sin. Though our hearts are pure, we are still mortal and liable to sin. Temptation is real, and we usually feel like sinning when we are tempted. Some erroneous thinking on heart purity says that if we're free from something, we can never be tempted in that area. We need to be on our guard lest we transgress and “build again the things we destroyed" (Gal 2:18). Temptation is not sin; yielding to temptation is when we commit the sin.

It's easier to endure temptation if our hearts are pure. Pure hearts don't want to lose the peace and joy that comes with the Presence of the Lord. They have become accustomed to His fellowship and the immediate comfort in our lives. A man wearing a tuxedo does not want to get under the hood of a car.

If we are going along in life and are surprised by temptation (usually because we neglect our watchfulness), we may yield to the temptation and sin. We may not be sure, and even wonder if we have sinned. But our conscience will be troubled, and convict us. So we should keep a short account with the Lord. We are to go immediately to Him in repentance and prayer (1 John 1:8). We are not to wallow in the mire of the filth of sin, but respond to the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. We will be renewed in the spirit of our mind. We don't need to continue in uncertainties of conscience, but He will show us how to apply the blood of the cross of Jesus to our hearts.

We are on probation in this world where sin always crouches at the door, but we can have a heart that is as pure as the courts of Heaven. God Himself resides in us, and He will have a blessed place to live. He is to reign and rule in our lives and has made every provision to bring us into place where our hearts are a sanctuary for His Presence.

Though we are never glorified in this life, we are to be ready to receive the Crown of Life, should we die or be translated (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). Jesus said in Matt 5:8, Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Those who have made purity of heart their quest in this life will be honored by the Lord Himself on that day.

Prov 22:11 He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

How the Heart Is Purified

The Bible clearly teaches us that the purification of our heart is by faith in the blood of Jesus.

Acts 15:8-9
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

If purity is by faith, why not be pure right now? The Holy Ghost is waiting to apply the blood of Jesus to our lives and make our hearts a throne for the Lord—a throne from which He reigns in us, and sends forth blessing from and through us.

Heb 9:14
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! I Jn 1:7-9 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.