KEEP THYSELF PURE
James Renton
Hebrews 9: 13,14; 2 Timothy 2: 22; 2 Peter 3: 1; 1 Timothy 5: 21-25
It is in mind to speak about purity. We go through the world where there is plenty to contaminate, even in the religious world: one of the great needs at the present moment is purity.
I would like to illustrate these scriptures which I have read from women in the New Testament. The first speaks about a pure conscience, which we see in the woman in John 4. The wherewithal for a pure conscience is presented in the scripture read in Hebrews 9, "how much rather shall the blood of the Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself spotless to God, purify your conscience from dead works to worship the living God? " The righteous basis has been laid by which we can have a pure conscience, which is a very important thing for every believer. In John 4, which is one of the most beautiful incidents in the New Testament, we see how the Lord Jesus in His conversation with that woman presents first of all the attractiveness of what is in God's mind in the gift of living water. He gains her confidence, and her interest in such a blessing as living water, and then He raised matters which affected her conscience. Things that were not on her conscience He raises with her, not to get her depressed or unduly occupied with her history, but to clear her history and to set her up with a pure conscience. He goes into her history as, dear brethren, He would go into every one of our histories. "Go, call thy husband, and come here." (John 4: 16) raises the whole matter. What had not been previously on that woman's conscience, the Lord put on her conscience to clear her conscience.
We arrive at and maintain a good conscience by self-judgment, and let us understand what self-judgment is. It is not the judgment of self to satisfy self; it is judgment of self to God's satisfaction. The woman arrived at a pure conscience to God's satisfaction. She said "Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done". She did not say, Come see a man to whom I told all things I had ever done. That would have been to her satisfaction, but she said "Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done". She knew that everything was cleared, everything was out, because He had undertaken it. Self-judgment is not judgment of self to satisfy self. Self-judgment is judgment to God's satisfaction. The woman saw herself as the Lord saw her. Self-judgment involved that we see ourselves as God sees us.
That is how we arrive at a pure conscience and how we maintain a pure conscience: "purify your conscience fro dead works to worship the living God?". Did not that matter of the worship of God come into the conversation with the woman? "The Father seeks such as his worshippers." Who would such be? They would at least be persons who had a pure conscience, who saw themselves as God saw them with everything cleared to Gods satisfaction. How that is needed at the present moment! I believe that all the difficulties that arise and continue among us are due to the lack of self-judgment, having judgment of ourselves to God's satisfaction. It is elementary, but it is most important to have and maintain. Hebrews 4 indicates the process of this judgment: "For the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than a two-edged sword, and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is a very inward process. "And there is not a creature unapparent before him; The word of God brings us to Him; "but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes, with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 2: 12, 13). We have to see ourselves as God sees us.
It has often been said, and it is very true, that the most difficult person for me to judge is myself. I have known men who had a pretty good judgment of everybody else except themselves. It is easier to judge others than to judge self. We tend to be easy on self. The woman said "Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done" she had come under the scrutiny of the Lord and everything was clear to His satisfaction. May this be true of everyone of us.
If we had and maintained this pure conscience what a wonderful company we would be. Such persons would be in unity, would see eye to eye, have the same judgment as God has. May it become attractive to everyone of us! It becomes attractive as seen in that woman. She went out in testimony to the very men whom she would likely know and who would likely know her. Her testimony was effective for they came to know the Lord for themselves. They believed not only because of her word, but because they had come to the Lord themselves. True testimony would result from persons who have this pure conscience.
Now there is a pure heart, and that relates to the affections. In 2 Timothy it says "with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”. Paul writes to the Corinthians and addresses them as those who call on the name of the Lord, but in times of public ruin, such as we are in and which 2 Timothy visualises, Paul adds "out of a pure heart." I believe we see the pure heart in the woman in Luke 7. Jesus was invited to the Pharisee's house and no doubt felt the cold atmosphere, but she brought the warmth of affection that the Lord appreciated. He did not find it in the Pharisee. He does not find it in mere profession, He finds responsive affection in pure hearts. She was a woman in the city, publicly known as a sinner, but she gave herself in response to the Lord Jesus. She washed His feet with tears, wiped them with the hairs of her head. It was herself fully committed with a pure heart in response to the Lord Jesus. She was one who loved much; she had a pure heart. Think of that house, the cold ness, the indifference of it; so it is with mere profession today. How the Lord Jesus values persons who have a pure heart! – "pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. May we all be concerned, dear brethren, to have this simple reality of purity of affection for our Lord Jesus Christ.
How important is attachment to the Lord Jesus with a pure heart as that woman was. The Lord said to her, "Thy faith has saved thee, go in peace." ( Luke 7: 50). She is not named. Her name could have been Faith or Peace but whatever her name was – the Lord said of her, "Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.'' The Lord said also, "Her any sins are forgiven; for she loved much; How he values a pure heart! The bridegroom says "my love , my dove, mine undefiled" (Song of Songs 5: 2). You can see it in principle in that woman, not long on the Christian way, but in reality with a pure heart. May we continue in simplicity, dear brethren, with purity of affection for the Lord Jesus Christ!
In 2 Peter we have a pure mind. In his first epistle Peter speaks about the pure mental milk of the word; "as new-born babes desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word " (1 Peter 2: 2). That, dear brethren, is to feed our minds. Our minds need food. If our minds do not feed on pure food our minds will be contaminated. Our minds are always occupied with something. I suppose the most important faculty a believer has is his mind. What kind of food do we provide for our minds? In the world around us there is abundance of food for the mind, but we need to be delivered from all such food and value the pure mental milk of the word. We need to feed on pure food to maintain a pure mind. The pure mind is illustrated in Mary of Bethany; "Mary... having sat down at the feet of Jesus was listening to his word." (Luke 10: 39). She was feeding on pure food which would build up and maintain a pure mind. Our minds, I emphasise, need food. We are always thinking of something, the mind never inactive when we are awake. The responsibility is in each one of us as to what kind of food we provide for our minds. There is an abundance of pure food in the scriptures which would build up and maintain a pure mind. When we think of all the contamination in the world around us, how valuable is pure food! The ministry that we value is pure food.
I am not so sure about literature that is sometimes attractive to our young people. It may be more readable than the ministries that we value, but I can commend to everyone here the pure food of the ministries that the Lord has been pleased to give us in abundance in the recovery of the truth. Our brother referred to about 200 volumes. Is that not sufficient for us? Do we want any else? The mind needs food, and there is enough in the scriptures and ministry which has been accredited and the ministry which the Lord is giving currently. Mary of Bethany as a result of feeding on pure food became affectionate, but also intelligent. The Lord said "Suffer her to have kept this for the day of my preparation for burial." The Lord had taught His disciples about the Son of man suffering, going into death and rising again but they were not sufficiently interested. They understood not the saying; they did not follow it up; they were not interested in the suffering side; but Mary of Bethany is accredited with having understood what the Lord was saying in that time. We ought to be in the current mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not come about without feeding our minds with pure food which is available in abundance for every one of us. May we be concerned, dear brethren, to have a pure mind! Think of what it means for the Lord Jesus to have persons here who have a pure mind to whom He can communicate what His mind is at any given moment. We read in 1 Corinthians 2: 16 "But we have the mind of Christ." By means of having the Holy Spirit we have the wherewithal – I hesitate to say it – to think as the Lord Jesus Himself thinks. What capacity we have in the spirit of our minds!
In 1 Timothy – a very interesting scripture – we have "Keep thyself pure". We say this sometimes to young people and, of course, it applies to young people. How important it is to keep themselves pure, to keep their bodies pure! I am not minimizing the importance of this word to young people, but the context would indicate it is not only for young people. The writer says, "I testify before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels" – how solemn he is in his testimony – "that thou keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing by favour." This keeping thyself pure is being without prejudice. Young people can have prejudice, but so can older ones. Prejudice and preference are two matters to which we are all susceptible: "keep these things without prejudice, doing nothing by favour." These two matters of prejudice and preference are often what hinders us in knowing what the mind of the Lord is. Then he says, "Lay hands quickly on no man, nor partake in others' sins." Then verse 23 is obviously a parenthesis; "Keep thyself pure. Drink no longer only water, but use a little wine on account of thy stomach and thy frequent illnesses." Verse 24 obviously links with verse 22; "Lay hands quickly on no man, nor partake in others' sins." verse 24; "Of some men the sins are manifest beforehand, going before to judgment, and some also they follow after." In between, there comes, verse 23; "Keep thyself pure." I believe the emphasis is, keep thyself from wrong influence. This applies not only to young people, but applies to elderly ones too. "Lay hands quickly on no man"; do not commit yourself too quickly. Keep thyself from wrong influence. We are all susceptible to wrong influence. This was written to Timothy and he is mentioned in this epistle as having youth – "Let no one despise thy youth" – for he would be younger than some of his contemporaries, but he was to have moral power and authority.
There were at least seven kings of Judah who were good kings, helped of God, some in a remarkable way, but they failed when they were old. This is a word, therefore, for those of us who are older. Beginning with Solomon, what a bright start he had! What a wonderful king he was! He had wisdom, given of God. What happened to him when he was older? He took 700 wives. That was not very wise, was it? They influenced him; they turned his heart at the end of his life. We need to keep ourselves pure when we are old. "Keep thyself pure. Drink no longer only water, but use a little wine on account of thy stomach and thy frequent illnesses." If we get weak in body, old and feeble, we are more liable to be wrongly influenced. It seems to me that this verse 23 comes in in that context. Then Asa, a good king who was greatly helped, was characterised by dependence on God, but at the end of his life he ceased to depend on God, but depended on the king of Syria for help. Jehoshaphat was a commendable man in many ways, but he made alliance with the ungodly. Joash, another good king, began as a young man and while Jehoiada the priest was alive – when under right influence – he was commendable and helped of God. Jehoiada died and Joash began to be wrongly influenced by princes. Uzziah was marvellously helped, but later he presumed to take up matters for which he was not qualified and became a leper. Hezekiah began a wonderful recovery in his time and was a pious king, but later he succumbed to the flattery of the men of Babylon. Josiah was a great man who set on a great passover; there was no such passover since the time of Samuel. Think of the help Josiah received from God. Then what happen ed to him? He tried to interfere in a matter that was not his responsibility. Dear elder brethren, Keep thyself pure. Brothers and sisters, Keep thyself pure. It is a word for all of us.
We are rightly concerned about our young people. I am a little more concerned about elderly ones who know the truth, have taught us and instead of uniting they tend to divide the brethren. That is a greater concern. We may have been greatly helped when we were younger – I am addressing older ones, and I am one of them – but let us continue in humility and dependence, and keep ourselves pure. Nehemiah consulted with himself. David strengthened himself in Jehovah. his God, the God he knew. Nehemiah had intimacy with God, he often appeal to God. He is in touch with God. In consulting with him self he would be acquiring the mind of God. I have no doubt Mary of Magdala in John 20 was keeping herself pure. She had one object to the exclusion of all else.
Dear brethren that is all I have to say. I say to young people and to older ones, keep thyself pure for the Lord's own sake. Amen.
PLAINFIELD
29 May 1989