The apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, gave this
young man some timely advice which is sorely needed in this 21st
century. In 1 Timothy 5:22,
we read, “Do not lay hands on
anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep
yourself pure.” It is
the last statement of that verse that I want to emphasize presently.
Jesus
taught, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God” (Matthew 5:8). Christians
are exhorted in Hebrews 12:14
to
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no
one will see the
Lord.” It must be inferred from these latter two passages
that a pure heart and
a pure life are essential in order for one to see God. A pure life is
the
outgrowth of a pure heart. Solomon declared, “For as he
thinks in his heart, so
is he” (Proverbs 23:7). It is impossible to think evil
continuously and live a
good life; likewise, it is impossible to think pure continuously and
live an
impure life.
It is important that we all understand that our thought
process controls our actions. That is why Paul instructed the
Philippian
brethren to think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of
good
report and things that would be worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). To
do such
would prevent evil thoughts and evil deeds. Jesus taught,
“But those things
which proceed out of the mouth come for the heart, and they defile a
man. For
out of the heart proceed evil thought, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man,
but to eat
with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew
15:18-20). Our thoughts are
influenced by what we see, what we hear, what we read and by our
association
with other people. Scenes on television, movies and computers which
portray
nudity, sexual acts, etc. cause one to think impure thoughts. This is
also true
with pornographic literature. Even scantily attired women can
contribute to a
man thinking lustful thoughts. Jesus mentioned this as recorded in Matthew 5:27-28,
“You have hard that it was said
to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that whoever
looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with
her in his
heart.” Some men, of course, have “eyes full of
adultery and that cannot cease
from sin…” (2 Peter 2:14). However, women
professing godliness should be very
careful in their actions and dress so as to not encourage evil thoughts
in the
hearts of men. Christian ladies are instructed by Paul to
“adorn themselves in
modest apparel, with propriety and moderation…” (1
Timothy 2:9). When women
wear apparel that reveals eighty percent of their bodies, such could
hardly be
called “modest.” And what is said in regards to
women should also apply to men.
Christian young people should avoid places and people
which would encourage impure thoughts. Movies, television and the
internet
programs that are filled with illicit sex, suggestive remarks and dirty
jokes
will eventually pollute the mind. Heavy petting on dates often
contributes to the
sin of fornication. It is difficult for one to keep pure in this
sexually
oriented society in which we live, but the requirement is still to be
heeded
that was given nearly two thousand years ago, and that is,
“Keep yourself
pure.”
