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To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled (Titus 1:15, ESV).
Biblical ideas constantly receive negative reviews on social media.
The Bible talks about purity, but the world laughs at purity. The Bible teaches that without purity, our thinking becomes confused, and then our conscience loses the ability to discern good from evil.
The Greek word for “purity” is “katharos,” from which we get our English word “cathartic.” Katharos means cleansed, getting rid of impurities, or that which defiles us. Lose the Biblical idea of purity or katharos, and we ruin ourselves intellectually, morally, and emotionally.
Without cathartic repentance, we slowly poison our souls.
An example of this ruination from lack of purity is the Sexual Revolution that began in the 1960s. The Hippie Generation (of which I was part) promoted free sex for all with the motto “Make Love Not War.” How has it worked out? Are we freer?
Louise Perry, in her book “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution,” writes at the beginning, “The sexual revolution of the 1960s stuck, and its ideology is now the ideological sea we swim in.” Two hundred pages later, she reaches these conclusions about the sexual revolution and its consequences on single mothers and children without fathers …
Fatherlessness is associated with higher incarceration rates for boys, higher rates of teen pregnancy for girls, and a greater likelihood of emotional and behavioral problems for both sexes.
I have just one piece of advice to offer in this chapter, and you’ve probably already guessed what it will be. So, here it is: get married. And do your best to stay married. Particularly if you have children, and particularly if those children are still young.
In a recent issue of “Christianity Today,” I read an article entitled Have We Kissed Purity Goodbye? The author says …
I fear that in the process of tearing down the purity culture (of the past), we may have kissed purity goodbye … we’ve traded repression for indulgence, and the result isn’t freedom.
The irony is that the “sexual freedom” meant to liberate us has only left us lonelier. Sociologists note that young adults are having less sex, entering fewer relationships, and marrying later than any generation before them.
The more our culture obsesses over pleasure, the less capable we seem of connection. We’ve been trained to consume rather than commit, to perform rather than belong.
The Bible teaches purity as good, allowing peace, and encouraging a love that considers others rather than self, that living isn’t about taking (lust) but about giving (love). The Biblical word “katharos” conveys letting go or throwing away anything that pollutes our mind and body — and then receiving grace for healing!
Holiness sets us free to revere a holy God and enjoy Him forever. Purity doesn’t prudishly demean desire but shows us what to desire. It establishes healthy boundaries for when to stop and when to start, and destroys our shame through confession when we cross them.
We need a Purity Revolution.