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