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1 John 3:3 encourages those of us who have hope of resurrection to purify ourselves as Jesus is pure. As we think about whatever is pure, this verse provides an example of someone who is the epitome of pure.
So how are we to be pure as Jesus is pure? Are we supposed to scrupulously count each good thing we do? Should we rail against all those who fail to live a holy life? Must we devote significant time to observing spiritual rituals? Are we supposed to live an “I’m better than you” lifestyle?
No. Not hardly. That is the way of hypocrisy. We could spend a lot of time examining how Jesus lived a pure life, including his ethics and worship. But today let’s focus on how Jesus dealt with broken people. There are several examples:
- The woman who had shacked up with half a dozen different men, or
- The woman literally dragged from the bed of her lover, or
- The man who corruptly gathered taxes, or
- The crazy, demon-possessed man who cut himself and howled on the hillside.
In all these examples, Jesus treated people with dignity, respect and truth. He maintained his purity, but encourage each to find the answer to their brokenness.
You see, purity is not simply keeping ourselves unspotted by evil. It also means we have the best interests of others at heart. We will love our neighbors, even our broken neighbors, as ourselves.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.