I have been ruminating for a few weeks on the notion of purity; what it means, and what is its' purpose. Purity has meant many things to me throughout the different seasons of my life, and I suppose new light will be shed on this topic as I experience more in the future. For now though, I will discuss my perspective on purity. From my perspective, I see a few problems in the way purity has been discussed and viewed in our current society and those are...
1. Purity is seen as a lack of something. It seems that purity is often frowned upon by the larger society as being something that is restrictive and lacking in fun. Purity is seen as not living life to the fullest and succumbing one self to a life of lackluster experiences.
2. Purity is seen as immaturity. So often I hear people describing someone they believe to be pure, in a way that seems to imply the person is immature and not knowledgeable. Someone who is pursuing purity doesn't know what life is about, and needs to be caught up on what's cool.
3. Purity is seen as merely abstaining from sex. Purity is restricted to the area of sexual abstinence.
All of these viewpoints on purity have a negative connotation to them, and I believe it translates strongly into our society as well as individual beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in the area of purity. Given the three points made above, I propose a purity paradigm shift to look at purity in a new light (or should I say an old light). We may see that there is more to purity than we are commonly led to believe. I propose a look at purity in more than just what it restricts us from, but to look at it in more depth to see what it provides for us. I have to say I believe it is necessary to look at purity in more depth because I believe strongly that many of us are being mislead by our society at large and this has painful implications on our hearts, relationships, and souls.
Paradigm shift 1: Purity lacks vs. Purity is fullness
It is true that purity is a lack of something. Just reflect on this definition of purity for a moment. Purity: Freedom from adulteration or contamination (synonyms: cleanness, clearness, clarity, freshness). It is a lack
of adulteration and contamination. More than a lack of something it is freedom from something. As I said
earlier, too often purity is looked at as a something that robs us of something we are lacking. But when we
look at purity as freedom from contamination and adulteration we see that it gives us a full experience. Take
a moment and think about water...
When you think about pure drinking water what comes to mind? Do you think about all the things that the water is not? Or do you think about how fresh and clean the water tastes? Purity in water is something that is greatly desired. We don't generally think about what we are missing out on when we are drinking cool fresh water. No, we are thinking about how great that cool fresh water is. So why is it when we think about purity in our lives, we do not focus as much on how fresh, reviving, and wonderful it is to experience something pure, but we tend to think about purity in what it takes away from us right now, or what we would be missing out on if we pursue purity. We all know that pure water tastes better, things that are uncontaminated provide us with a better experience. (Examples: fresh air, or a clear sky at night which reveals the stars).
So what if we were to look at purity in our lives as giving us an opportunity to actually experience the fullness of what any given experience can offer. When we pursue purity in our life we can actually live the life that God offers in it's fullness. We no longer cheat ourselves by having a mindset that purity lacks something, but see the fullness in the world, others, and God through uncontaminated eyes. ie. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."-Matthew 5:8
Paradigm shift 2: Purity is immature vs. Purity is mature and discerning
The notion that purity is equivalent to immaturity does not give purity the justice it deserves. The definition of immaturity is: the state of being immature or not fully grown or behavior that is appropriate to someone younger. We already know the definition of purity as being freedom from contamination or adulteration; and it is clear that it does not reference being young, or not being fully grown.
While I can see that the notion of purity has been made to seem equivalent to immaturity (ie. that a young child (immature) has not been contaminated or had to experience the dirtiness of life yet 'pure'); purity and maturity level do not mean the same thing, but they do coexist with each other. I would argue that you can be both pure and immature, and pure and mature.
While it may be true that children are immature and in a sense "pure," I do not believe this notion translates the same into adulthood. As one grows older the pursuit of purity is just that, something that has to be pursued. In adulthood, we are exposed to many more things that have the potential to steal away the fullness of purity. As we grow older, purity begins to be about being mature and making wise, discerning decisions to focus on, and live in what is helpful and not harmful to us and others. Purity is no longer something we have, just by sheer lack of experience (ie.. child's lack of exposure to the world), but it is something we must fight for and maintain.
In regards to sexual purity, I have heard that it is simply not having knowledge or a maturity in sexuality. To that I would argue in the words of C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity who wrote, "On the contrary, those who are seriously attempting chastity are more conscious, and soon know a great deal more about their own sexuality than anyone else. They come to know their desires are Wellington knew Napolean, or as Sherlock Holmes knew Moriarty; as a rat catcher knows rats or a plumber knows about leaky pipes. Virtue, even attempted virtue, brings light; indulgence brings fog."
Paradigm shift 3: Purity is sexual abstinence vs. Purity is sexual, physical, mental, and spiritual wholeness
As a young girl growing up in Christian circles, I was frequently exposed to talk about True Love Waits rings and necklaces. These necklaces and rings were supposed to be worn as signs of purity (but the focus was mainly on sexual purity). Growing older, I have found that purity is more than just a pursuit of remaining sexually abstinent before marriage. It's a pursuit towards wholeness of the mind, body, and soul. It is the pursuit of experiences in their fullness. Mostly, it's the pursuit of God.
If purity is purely about remaining sexually pure, without an understanding of it's purpose; it will be very difficult to pursue purity. Pursuing purity turns into the do's and dont's, and that doesn't get us very far. It becomes a mindless pursuit, and doesn't hold under pressure.
So as I said, pursuing purity is really about pursuing being a whole person. The struggle and pursuit of purity is about pursuing God. It is about working to keep our lives fully devoted to God, and living in His life. It is allowing God to speak to us and to convict us to repent of the things that keep us separate from Him. It is asking God to help us defeat evil thoughts and actions of jealousy, lust, and pride so we can continue to be transformed. Purity provides us with clarity on our life, and sheds away the darkness so we can see God. When we work towards purity in our physical, mental, sexual, and spiritual life we are building a stronger connection with God.
Let us take up the challenge to pursue purity in our lives, and stop buying into the deception that purity is somehow depriving us. God gives us everything for our good, and He loves us. He knows that life is better lived in full communion with Him, the Life giver. Let us pursue purity so we can live life in the fullest way, and in the way God intended for us in the beginning.
