For many Christians, the concept of “purity” is oversimplified; purity has been poorly portrayed and taught in our culture. Purity is NOT just an avoidance of sexual sin.
Rather, purity should be more fully understood as delighting in the Lord and what He delights in, and detesting and avoiding what the Lord detests.
In this article, we will first look at “positive purity” and “negative purity“, explaining these terms and examining a few Bible verses. Then, we will explore how we can better apply the biblical concept of “purity” to our lives, and conclude with a few questions for reflection.
Positive and Negative Purity Defined and Examined Biblically
I’ve found it helpful to think of biblical purity in terms of “positive purity” and “negative purity“. I don’t mean these as “good” and “bad” purity, but rather like electric currents, flowing in opposite directions.
I understand “positive purity” to refer to delighting in God and the things of God, and “negative purity” to refer to shunning sin and anything of which God doesn’t approve.
Let’s look at a few passages of Scripture. (There are a lot of verses we could look at on this topic, but we’ll keep it brief and just select a few.)
Positive Purity
Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Psalm 37:4: Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.Matthew 6:33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In these verses, God is commanding His people to actively center themselves on Him. This is the essence of positive purity: Focusing our minds, our desires, and our lives on Him. This is good for our souls, but God also wants us to focus on Him!
Negative Purity
1 John 2: 15-17: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 Peter 2:11: Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
Proverbs 4:14-15: Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
In these verses, God is commanding His people to actively avoid sin. Nobody stumbles into righteousness; we need to make an ongoing and constant choice to not delight in the things that God detests.
Of course, there are also verses that are emphasizing both positive and negative purity. 2 Tim 2:22 is a good example: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.“
Application: Purity and Accountability
When we reduce the biblical concept of purity to just avoiding sexual sin, we lose sight of the holistic calling of God for us to delight in the things that He delights in, and to shun anything of which He doesn’t approve.
It doesn’t work if we try to grow in our relationship with God exclusively through either positive or negative purity. That’s not how a relationship works. In a marriage, if a man is trying to better love his spouse, he will look for ways to better support and encourage her, to spend time with her (positive purity), and he will also avoid being harsh towards her or cheating on her (negative purity). Trying to just do one and not the other will not, and cannot, produce a good marriage.
This should tie into our practice of accountability! Within many modern Christian traditions, accountability is suggested as a helpful spiritual practice. And the call to accountability comes straight from Scripture. (For example, see James 5:16, Proverbs 27:17, 1 Thes 5:11, Galatians 6:1-2, Hebrews 10:24-25, etc.)
But I often see people practice accountability only in terms of negative purity, focusing on avoiding sin like alcoholism or pornography. And that is good and necessary, but accountability should also be about positive purity and a time where we also call each other higher. (“How have you been delighting in God this week?”, etc.)
Conclusion: Questions for Reflection
Purity is vitally important for all of us. After all, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
How can you grow in these things? Take a few minutes to prayerfully reflect with God.
– What is an area of positive purity that I ought to grow in?
– What is an area of negative purity that I ought to grow in?
– Who can I ask press forward with me in accountability?
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