Study 69

Purify Yourself

The apostle John gives us some D.I.Y. advice. Overwhelmed at the great love the Father has bestowed on us by calling us his children, he further contemplates the staggering grace that ‘when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is’ (1 John 3:1,2). John adds, ‘Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure’ (1 John 3:3). Purifies himself? Surely it’s God we’re asking to purify our hearts, not ourselves.

I love this worship song:


It particularly appeals to me because of its Biblical balance. As we sing it we ask God to do his part in this purifying work but we also acknowledge our own responsibility for some D.I.Y. ‘I choose to be holy.’ In reality practical holiness depends on your constantly making good choices. The choices you make every moment of every day reveal the kind of person you have become and increasingly shape the person you are going to be. Your character is developed one choice at a time as you face the diverse circumstances that come your way.

Pleasing the Lord

Your choices aren’t meant to be based on common sense, convenience, or even on what seems acceptable as the Christian norm. They’re based on pleasing the Lord. Right choices emerge from inner convictions based on God’s word enlightened by the Holy Spirit and always motivated by grace rather than guilt. Gradually, winning habits are formed in your character and good choices become easier.

Your life is shaped by practical choices around the house, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in front of the television, in the workplace, at college, in relationships, in styles of speech and in the giving of forgiveness and mercy. Hidden choices that no one else knows about regarding money, use of time and the Internet begin to purify your heart. There are things you choose as priorities and things you choose to avoid. Having this hope, you purify yourself.

Standing out

It’s all too easy to regard the Bible as less than an authoritative guide to your personal conduct. It can be a book of wonderful promises, fascinating stories, or quaint history. It can even be a basis for discussion where group members all share their thoughts on certain verses. In our post-modern generation it’s common for Bible study groups to encourage each person to ‘Tell us what these verses mean to you personally,’ without any real attempt to discover what the text is actually saying or to challenge individuals to change their lives accordingly.

A life rooted in Bible-based convictions will tend to stand out in the crowd, even the Christian crowd! Merely to acquire a grasp of biblical doctrine without personal application to your own life can lead to the ugly snare of pride. There’s a ‘knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness’ (Titus 1:1) but there’s also a knowledge that simply ‘puffs up’ (1 Cor. 8:1). We need to apply Scripture to actual situations in our daily lives so we’ll develop genuine bible-based convictions and experience a transformation of character.

Naturally we don’t take such steps to earn grace from God. Rather, because grace has freely flowed to us, we choose to prioritise. Grace isn’t meant to lead us into passivity, but into a joyful response and partnership with the Holy Spirit’s inward activity.

 

To Meditate On

God rewards those with pure hearts.

‘Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart’ (Ps. 24:3,4).

‘Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart’ (Ps. 73:1).

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matt. 5:8).

 

Food For Thought

We’ve been chosen out of the world (John 15:19; 17:14,16; 2 Cor. 6:17)

We must avoid conformity with the world (Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:3-5; Titus 2:12; James 1:27; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; 1 John 2:15; 5:4)

We must maintain contact with the world (John 17:11; 1 Cor. 5:9,10)

We must do good in the world (Gal. 6:10; Titus 2:14)

To Be Inspired

‘To pursue holiness, one of the disciplines we must become skilled in is the development of Bible-based convictions. If we do not actually seek to come under the influence of God’s word we will come under the influence of sinful society around us.’
Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, NavPress 1994