It’s a hot day and you want to get some water. You are given two bottles of water to choose from. Bottle number one has never been opened, and it’s at room temperature. Bottle number two is larger, crystal clear, but has been opened. In addition, a drop of toilet water from a public restroom has been placed in the bottle, but it looks clean and it’s ice cold. Which bottle do you choose? Hands down you’d pick bottle number one because it’s pure. Bottle number one’s seal has never been opened and no impurities have entered. When it comes to purity, the Lord desires you to be a person of purity—mind, body, soul, and spirit. He desires you to be like bottle number one, not allowing the impurities of the world to enter in.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
—1 Peter 2:2–3 (NIV)
Just like a baby needs pure milk to grow and become healthy, you, too, need the pure Word of the Lord to maintain your purity and grow in Christ. Read the following verses. Notice there are two translations. Read both verses twice, underline any recurring words, and write out the significance of the verses. In addition, answer the questions to help you apply the Word to your life.
ONE
2 Corinthians 11:2–3 (NIV): I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:2–3 (NLT): For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
According to these verses, how is your purity corrupted?
What distractions has the enemy placed in your life to corrupt your purity?
What areas in your life need to change to protect your purity?
TWO
Philippians 2:15 (NIV): . . . so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe . . .
Philippians 2:15 (NLT): . . . so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
When a person lives purely, what is the result?
What needs to change in your life in order for this verse to be fulfilled?
1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV): The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1 Timothy 1:5 (NLT): The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.
1 Timothy 5:22 (NIV): Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
1 Timothy 5:22 (NLT): Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
What sins of others are you participating in that are hindering you from having a pure life?
Titus 1:15 (NIV): To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
Titus 1:15 (NLT): Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.
What parts of your life need to change?
SIX
1 Peter 2:2 (NIV): Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation . . .
1 Peter 2:2 (NLT): Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment . . .
What needs to change in your life to live purely?
SEVEN
Hebrews 10:22 (NLT): . . . let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 (NIV): . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
What needs to change in your life to live purely?
Galatians 5:9 (NLT): This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!
Galatians 5:9 (NIV): "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
Think, is there any friend or company you keep (including TV, music) that is infecting your purity?
What needs to change in your life to live purely?
Now go back over the verses and write down the words you underlined that were recurring.
Word: Meaning:
Word: Meaning:
Word: Meaning:
Word: Meaning:
What do you think the Lord is trying to communicate to you through these recurring words?
Read the passage below and list the areas that corrupt purity. There are three major areas.
1 Timothy 6:1–14 (NIV): All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .
What are the three main areas of corruption?
1.
2.
3.
What needs to change in your life to keep you from this corruption so that you can live purely?
ELEVEN
Take a moment and list examples of people in the Bible who were pure and also those who were impure. As you list them, think about the three ways the enemy corrupts (lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life).
Look at the example of Jezebel. Why does this example encourage purity?
1 Kings 16:31 (NIV): He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. [emphasis mine]
Read the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings. What affect did the lives of Jezebel and her daughter have on the world?
What lessons can you learn from their testimonies?
Matthew 5:8 (NLT): “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”
How is purity related to your communication with the Lord?
What needs to change for you to live purely?
SUMMARY
Go before the Lord and ask forgiveness for the areas in which you've missed the mark in living pure. Praise Him for His forgiving nature (1 John 1:9). Using your answers from the study, make a list of biblical action steps you need to take in your life in order to LIVE PURE—mind, body, soul, and spirit.
