Purity

What is clear from Jesus’ teaching is that keeping and growing the gift of purity and the righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees is a life-and-death battle. We are not passive. Jesus gives the decisive power, as John 15:5 says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” But we experience that power in the willingness to engage in radical and persistent attacks on our own sinfulness. Jesus pronounced a blessing on “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” They are the ones who “shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Hunger and thirst are relentless. They never stop. They are signs of life. We will do almost anything in our power to satisfy hunger and thirst. That is how Jesus teaches us to pursue purity.

Read the rest of this entry »