Are We Pure?

Are We Pure?

“Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Acts 20:25-28

Paul in meeting with the elders of the Church at Ephesus for the final time, revealed the purity of the Fire of God that burned within him. He was not swayed from his utter dedication to serve God even with the knowledge that he would not see them again. He testified that he was “pure from the blood of all men” in that he never shunned to declare to them the truth of God; he did not seek their money, their loyalty nor their affection. To him all things were subservient to the truth of God in Christ.

The Eternal Question

Are we pure in our dealings with others? Do we discriminate or are we partial in our handling of truth? Do we, for the sake of our standing with others, blunt the edge of truth? As King Saul, do we spare that which has the sentence of death upon it and in so doing lose our right to enter the Kingdom of God (1 Samuel 15:8-23)? Are we allowing recurring sins in our life that are hidden from the sight of others? Do we compromise for the sake of our own self-interests?

Faithfulness to God is the supreme privilege in this life. It is here men and women reveal the purity of their relationship with God.

Pure Relationships

In a study of the Tabernacle, the Mercy Seat is a picture of the relationships that should characterize the people of God who live and walk in some measure of His holiness. The wings of the Cherubim were touching as they beheld each other’s face through the Shekinah Glory of God. Their interactions were based on His Truth, His Purity, and His Love. Nothing carnal, nothing self-seeking, nothing of compromise could enter the relationships of those desiring to dwell in this Holy, Holy, Holy place (John 17:21).

In every generation God looks for those who are “pure from the blood of all men”, those in whom the truth and glory of God burns. There is a cost and a price to pay to walk in faithfulness to Him. In our day, seeker-friendly, tepid hearts that encourage one other while turning a blind eye to sin, cause apathy and lukewarm expressions of love that care little for the true condition of our brothers and sisters. The workings of the Cross arise from our faithfulness to the truth. To spare the truth is to become an enemy of the cross. To defer “speaking the truth in love” to save self is the bane of religion and the root of hypocrisy.

“…this is a rebellious people, lying sons; sons who are not willing to hear the Law of Jehovah; who say to the seers, Do not see; and to visioners, Do not have a vision for right things to us; speak smooth things to us; have a vision of trifles. Turn aside from the way; stretch from the path…”
Isaiah 30:9-11 (LITV)

Whenever relationships become more important than the truth of God, we must recognize our love for Him has grown cold and the fire of Him is beginning to wane in the sanctum of our hearts. It is the compromised who desire “smooth things”. It is the lukewarm who declare they “have need of nothing” for they know not Him who is the Eternal Consuming Fire. Only the pure can dwell in such a holy atmosphere.

How little we hear of this Gospel truth in our day:

“but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct; because it has been written, “Be holy,” “because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15-16

Can we not hear the Call of God in this hour:

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Isaiah 6:8

To which Isaiah replied:

“Then said I, Here am I; send me”
Isaiah 6:8

To whom is Isaiah sent?

“And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:9-10

“This people” are God’s people, not the world, nor the governments of this world. It is His own who fail to give heed. It is those who have lost their saltiness, who fail to bear His cross and speak the truth to one another.

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
2 Peter 2:20-21

Let us lay to heart His Word!
May we see rightly that we may walk rightly.

“For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

See related Post: Holy Words – Holy Lives

♥

“If I am afraid to speak the truth lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, “You do not understand”, or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other’s highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
– Amy Carmichael

Brian Troxel