Purify Yourself
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3 (KJV)
When you truly belong to Christ, something changes deep inside of you. His Spirit gives you a new nature, and that new nature cannot be comfortable in sin. You may stumble, you may fall, but when you do, you run back to God with a repentant heart. That is what it means to be His.
But Scripture is plain. If you are practicing sin, if you are living in it without repentance, then you are not walking with God. The difference between “stumbling” and “practicing” is everything. Stumbling grieves you because your heart longs to please God. Practicing shows that your heart is still chained to the world.
The truth is sobering. Revelation warns us that a lampstand can be removed. You can have light and lose light. You can drift so far into compromise that you convince yourself wrong is right. Abraham thought he was doing the right thing when he took Hagar, but he was wrong. Aaron thought he could make a golden calf and call it worship, but he was wrong. People today do the same. They dress sin in religious words and call it acceptable, but God does not put His approval on what He has already declared unholy.
Paul confronted the church in Corinth because they had allowed sexual immorality to live openly among them. The tragedy was not only the sin itself, but that the people were puffed up about it. They carried on praising as if nothing was wrong, when the truth was eating away at the purity of the church. Paul did not shrug it off. He said plainly that judgment had to begin in the house of God.
This may sound harsh in a world that constantly says, “Do not judge.” But real love tells the truth.
God calls His children to live pure because He is pure. If you claim His name, then let your life reflect His holiness.
Do not let feelings deceive you. Feelings can lie, but God’s Word stands forever.
Lord, search my heart today. Show me anything that is not pleasing to You. I do not want to excuse sin or call it acceptable. I want to live pure, even as You are pure. Keep me in Your truth and give me strength to walk in holiness. Amen.
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