The Problem of purity

In our society purity is something to aspire to, something to be grasped, we are told that Vodka is triple distilled for absolute purity. But what does the bible have to say about purity?

Well in the gospel of John we get the answer in a strange place, in the story of Jesus turning water into wine. You can read the whole story in chapter 2 but i just want to look at one verse of it. Verse 6 says, "Now there were 6 stone water jars there used for the Jewish rights of purification, each holding twenty to thirty gallons." These jars, which were filled with water would be the ones that Jesus would turn into wine, but Jesus is making more of a point here than its ok for Christians to have a bit of a drink. These jars the Jewish people would have dipped there whole arm in incase they had touched anything that a gentile had touched and by doing this would have been purifying themselves from the world around them. But so what? What does this have to say to us? Well my question to you reading this is are you really any different? Granted you probably dont put your arms into jars to purify yourself before God, but i guarantee that you are doing something. Maybe you are relying on going to church and going to church events to be pure before God? Maybe you are trusting in all the things that you do, such as giving to charity or helping old ladies across the road to get you pure before God? Or maybe you are trusting in all the things that you dont do to get you right before God, well i dont drink or smoke or swear so i must be right before God right? Well no im afraid not. The only way to achieve real purity before God is through his son, through his death and his resurrection, this is is the only way to achieve real purity, never mind being triple distilled.

But so what? What does it matter? Well it matters if we are pure before God or not because one day we will have to stand infront of a holy God and give an account for the lives that we have lived, and at that stage God wont ask us how many times did you go to church? Or how much money did you give to the poor? Or did you enjoy the odd drink? He will simply ask what we have chosen to do with his son? Are we trusting in him for our real purity? It is my prayer that you are

"We'll make heaven a place on earth"

The prophetess Belinda Carlisle once sang:

Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

And the great 21st century theologian Bryan Adams worte:

Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see We're in heaven

But is this a big enough view of Heaven?

Its true, heaven is about the intimacy of relationship, and it might even be true, on some secondary level, that it is a perfect relationship between human beings, but is that the whole story?
It seems to me that the relationship the Bible wishes to emphasis is our relationship the living God:

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." Rev 21:3

The final act of redemption history is the coming of God to be with his people; the sin that separated us from our creator has been finally destroyed and all that remains is love, fellowship and intimacy with the one for whom we were made.

As I have dwelt on these things this week I have found it interesting that "heaven" in these lyrics is relational, particularly, sexual intimacy. There is no doubt that sex is wonderful, glorious and good but it is a shadow of the intimacy and 'oneness' enjoyed by Jesus and his bride, the church.

In buying into these sentiments as a culture, have we narrowed our view of Heaven or is it just a pipe dream to think that we can ever be close to a transcendent, majestic and holy God?

One of the most wonderful pictures in this passage of revelation is the image of God comforting each individual believer, wiping away each tear with tenderness and mercy:

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:4

On the 20 March 1991 Eric Clapton's four year old son Connor fell to his death from the 53rd story of his mother's apartment building in New York. This tragedy prompted him to write one of the most moving songs I have ever heard and in thinking about Heaven this week I wonder if Eric wasn't onto something when he wrote:

Beyond the door
There's peace I'm sure.
And I know there'll be no more...
Tears in heaven