Reference: Purity
Hastings
1. Ceremonial purity is acquired by the due observance of external rites. The Jewish law prescribed various regulations by means of which outward defilement might be removed and the 'unclean' person be restored to fellowship with God. But the OT recognizes that moral purity is essential to acceptable worship of the Holy God (Ps 24:4); the question of Eliphaz expresses the conviction of those who know how absolute is the Divine holiness: 'Shall a man be pure before his Maker?' (Job 4:17 Revised Version margin); only to the man who 'purifies himself' can such a God reveal His glory (Ps 18:26, the verb is reflexive). The writer of the Ep. to the Hebrews reminds Christians who were familiar with the OT ceremonial of purification that the voluntary sacrifice of the Son of God is the means of purification under the new and better Covenant; 'the blood of Christ' removes the inward defilement which unfits sinful men for the service of the living God (Ps 9:13 f.).
2. In the NT 'pure' has the more restricted meaning of 'chaste' in a few passages. Underlying the true reading of '/2-Corinthians/11/3/type/emb'>2Co 11:3, 'the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ,' is the metaphor of 2Co 11:2 (RV), 'I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ' (cf. Tit 2:5; 1Pe 3:2). The same noun is tr 'pureness' in 2Co 6:8 (RV); cf. 1Ti 4:12; 5:2; also, for the wider meaning of the verb, Jas 4:8; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jo 3:3; and of the adjective, Php 4:8; 1Ti 5:22; Jas 3:17. See, further, art. Holiness.
J. G. Tasker.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
and commanded the people saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and, the priests the Levites, bearing it, ye also, shall break up out of your place, and come after it.
Shall, mortal man, be more just than GOD? Or a man be more pure than, his Maker?
Show me favour, O Yahweh! Behold my humiliation due to them who hate me, Lift me on high out of the gates of death;
With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
The clean of hands, and pure of heart, - who hath not uplifted, to falsehood, his soul, nor sworn deceitfully,
through glory and dishonour, through bad report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true,
For I am jealous over you with a jealousy, of God; for I myself betrothed you unto one husband, to present, a chaste virgin, unto the Christ, - But I fear lest, by any means, as, the serpent, completely deceived Eve, in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the singleness and the chastenesswhich are due unto the Christ.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are dignified, whatsoever things are righteous, whatsoever things are chaste, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, - if there be any virtue, and if any praise, the same, be taking into account;
Let, no one, despise, thy youth, but, an ensample, become thou of the faithful, - in discourse, in behaviour, in love, in faith, in chastity.
Elderly women, as mothers, younger women, as sisters, in all chastity.
soberminded, chaste, workers at home, good, submitting themselves to their own husbands, - that, the word of God, be not defamed;
But, the wisdom from above, is - first pure, then peaceable, reasonable, easy to be entreated, fraught with mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy.
Draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. Cleanse hands, sinners! Chasten hearts, double souls!