To the pure all things are pure, but to
those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and
conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,
being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
- Titus 1:15-16
If one thing is clear in the Bible it is that our lives and
actions are not to be determined by the outside but by the inside. It is the
spirit of the law and not the letter. Our choices are a matter of the heart.
Our heart determines who we are and what we do. Our actions do not make us who
we are.
The setting is simple enough. There was a huge debate in the
early church about foods and special days. The squabble was between the Jewish
believers, who tended to hold on the Law and associated traditions, and the Gentile
believers who had no such connections. Paul was constantly trying to break down
those barriers and help people to focus on their unity in Christ and their
freedom to differ on the minor stuff. Paul lets us know here that some of those
who still held to the Law were unbelievers who thought they could somehow use
the Law enter the Kingdom.
Paul writes that ‘to the pure all things are pure.’ What
Paul was saying is that if hearts are pure whether or not meats were sacrificed
to idols didn’t matter. There were no clean or unclean meats. Observing certain
days on the calendar didn’t matter. When our hearts are pure we seek to honour
God in all we do so what we do honour Him. We don’t do things to dishonour Him
so if we are truly pure in heart we act purely.
On the other hand no matter what the ungodly do they are
still ungodly. No matter how they try to worship, what they eat or don’t eat,
what days they do or don’t observe their religious practices mean nothing.
It is not what we do on the outside that matters. It is what
is in our hearts. The pure in heart do purely. The defiled, sadly, can’t do
anything right to please God. Christ makes all the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment