Purity, Truth and Love

“Having purified your souls in the obedience of the truth
through the Spirit to unhypocritical brotherly love,
love one another earnestly out of a pure heart”
1 Peter 1:22 (LSV)

Purity of soul, clarity of purpose, and an earnestness of the Spirit are fruits of a life that has become obedient to the truth. Obedience is the spring from which His cleansing waters flow. Knowledge of the truth, apart from obedience, will avail us little. Obedience is simply our participation in His truth.

The perfection of His Life within is revealed as we “love one another earnestly out of a pure heart.” The mark of our growth in Christ is not knowledge (though important) it is revealed in our genuine desire for His people “to grow up into Him in all things.”

“We know that we have passed from death unto life,
because we love the brethren…”
1 John 3:14

The purity of soul is the result of our obedience to His Truth, His Person, and His “still small voice” within the recesses of our hearts. The deep interactions of all that we do, and the “why” of what we do, are tempered by our relationship with HIM, who is the truth. Things which appear good to many may in fact be abominable in His sight.

In this crucible we either walk in the path of becoming pure or we remain unchanged, unaffected by the Life of Him within. An unloving life is the result of disobedience; where self-will and self-seeking have usurped His promptings within.

“To expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence.”
― A.W. Tozer

Neglect and stubbornness are the harbingers of spiritual decay and death. To persistently deny His convictions within will culminate in His voice becoming silent, leaving us to our own ways.

Much of the gospel preached today is with a pervading theme of a salvation that emphasizes forgiveness at the expense of obedience and a life of radical ongoing change. It is a ministration that appeals in large part to the human condition rather than to draw His people to God’s end: people who love one another AS God has loved them.

Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth concerning their obedience which was the “proof” of their walk with God, while today we only concern ourselves with someone’s belief.

“For to this end, I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you,
if you are obedient in all things.”
2 Corinthians 2:9

The apprehension of God’s end can only be realized by our obedience to the truth. The love of God expressing itself through us, by its very nature, must be pure and free from any selfish motives and agendas.

“Having purified your souls in the obedience of the truth
through the Spirit…”

Purity is the consequence of our intentional offering of ourselves unto Him (Romans 12:1) that we may be transformed into the likeness of Him.

“By this shall all men know
that ye are My disciples…”

There is a singular distinguishing attribute that marks those who are HIS disciples.

“if ye have love one to another.”
John 13:35

Love is that single distinguishing mark that characterizes HIS disciples. His Love in our lives is uncompromising, self-less, pure, and unmoved by external forces. It lives the truth, speaks the truth, and reveals the wonder of Him without hypocrisy.

“Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:
because as HE IS, so are we in this world.”
1 John 4:17

Related Post: How to know that we know God

“Whatever Jesus is, the glorious Godhead is; and to have fellowship with the Son is to have fellowship with the Father. To know the love of Christ is to be filled with all the fullness of God”
— James Hamilton.