Titus 1:15-16

Titus 1:15-16 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

John 3:19-20 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. Over the years I have met people who fulfilled this scripture to the letter. Their minds were continually focused on the unseemly, the impure. Every statement they made was either outwardly filthy and dark or possessed a double-entendre. Some people's lives become so sinful that their focus is always on lawlessness, sinfulness, darkness. They seemingly have no light within them. Paul calls these kind of lives detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. However, these people are usually easily detected, and we Christians tend to avoid them. But all people, Christians included, possess traits, actions, and thoughts that are not acceptable to God. The Bible says that all have sinned, that all are like sheep who are going their own way. The Bible indicates very clearly that sin is endemic in mankind; therefore, a Savior is needed. Sin hides most of the time behind acceptable roles, presentable demeanor, and kindly faces; festering underneath a thin facade of acceptability. This, of course, is what makes humans so dangerous, so unpredictable, for you cannot gauge the nature of a person's heart by his or her outward appearance or actions. That is why the Bible says that we look at outward appearances, but God sees the heart.

In Revelations the Lord mentions several times "I know your deeds." Otherwise, I know the real story of your life. No deed, no action, no thought ever escapes the purview of God, for He is omniscient and omnipresent. No injustice, no matter how slight, will lie unaddressed by God in eternity. All things will be exposed to the light and subsequently to his righteous judgment. Consequently, we need a Redeemer, the Christ. Without his blood of redemption, without his passage to God's heart, we are hopelessly lost in our sins, for the heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it? We even deceive ourselves. We tend to add up our lives as good by comparing ourselves with the worst of sinners. A senator who has been unfaithful to his wife just recently announced that he wasn't as bad as Bill Clinton because Clinton lied. I don't think that defense will hold up in God's court. The drunkard will say, I am not as bad as the drunk down the street, for he is in the gutter. The liar says, I only lie occasionally, but my friend lies all of the time. The impure says, I only think lustful thoughts when I see a beautiful woman, but Joe's mind is always in the sewer. Of course, none of these defenses will hold up in the court of the Almighty.

The Bible says, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) How many who are reading this are perfect? How many of you ever hope to be perfect in this world? Nothing but perfection will escape the judgment of God. Nothing but perfection will enter into heaven. I don't care what holy mountain you hide yourself on, what blissful retreat you escape to, what isolated island you live on, you will find sin there, for you will be there. In you resides imperfection: sin, doubt, anxiety, fear, double-mindedness, lack of peace, instability, restlessness, and the like. You have inherited your father Adam's characteristics. Sin is your inheritance. Therefore we need a Savior: we need Jesus Christ. We need to be found IN CHRIST, for He is PERFECT. WITHOUT HIM WE ARE TOTALLY EXPOSED TO GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. Many of us hide our deeds and thoughts from others, but we will never hide them from God. He knows us as WE ARE, NOT AS WE WANT TO BE. As a fetus in the womb of its mother, we are totally dependent on Jesus Christ's life. We are hidden in him. As long as we have his CLEANSING blood circulating through us, as long as we receive his nourishment, we are new, living creatures IN CHRIST. But, if we cut that cord by not choosing to be IN CHRIST, we are but a dying fetus, no longer a new, living identity, IN CHRIST. To the pure, (THOSE IN CHRIST) all things are pure. Light has come into the world, may we walk joyfully in the hope and freedom of that glorious light today.