What Does the Bible Say About Purity?

Many people wonder what the Bible has to say about purity. The Bible only mentions the word "purity" a handful of times, but the Bible mentions "impurity" more frequently. In both cases, purity and impurity tend to apply to sexual choices. God can cleanse people from their impurity when they dedicate their bodies to Him.

Identification

The word "purity" only appears in the Bible in five verses. The word "impurity" appears in 15 verses in the Bible. Whether the Bible is talking about purity or impurity, the context is typically regarding sexual sins, such as in Galatians 5:19: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery." The Bible mentions purity as one of the ways people "commend ourselves to God" (2 Corinthians 6:4-6).

Function

Purity is one of the ways that people represent themselves as one of God's children. In the Bible, Paul instructed his protégé, Timothy, as follows: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Purity enables people to interact with fellow believers in a non-threatening way: "Treat ... younger women as sisters, with absolute purity" (1 Timothy 5:1-2).

Effects

According to the Bible, purity has the ability to lead ungodly men to God. In I Peter 3:1-2, the Bible says, "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." Purity separates God's children from the ways of the world and is a testament to the difference that God makes in their lives.

Warning

Impurity has a way of building upon itself, leading the person who shuns purity never to be satisfied. In Ephesians 4:17-19, the Bible tells you not to live like the world does: "Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." This is why the Bible urges you to "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5).

Prevention/Solution

God has the power to cleanse us from impurity. In Zechariah 13:1-2, the Bible says, "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity...I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." The solution is to offer your body to God: "Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness" (Romans 6:19).

Resources

• Importance of purity