The Way to Purity

Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart . . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man . . . —Matthew 15:18-20

Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from our Lord, we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.” We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own “innocent ignorance”? If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me.

The only thing that truly provides protection is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.

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清潔的賬

從心裡發出來的……（太十五18-20）

我們起初都信任自己的無知，稱之為無罪；又信任自己的無罪，稱之為清潔。於是當我們聽見主這番嚴厲的話，就會怯生生地說：[我從不覺得自己心中有這些可怖的髒東西呀！ ]我們厭惡主所揭示的。若耶穌基督不是人心里至高的權威，他就根本不值一顧。我是否願意信任他的明察，還是信任自己的天真無知？只要我試驗一下自己的清白，就勢必栗然醒覺主話的真實，也必震驚於自己偏向邪惡的性情。我之所以未淪為惡匪，無非是膽子不夠大，及文明社會的保障罷了。若在神面前赤露敞開，就必知道他的診斷無誤。

耶穌基督的救恩是唯一的保障。我若把自己交給他，就不必經歷內心那些可怕的性情。清潔太深邃了，憑天性我無法達至，但當聖靈來到就把那在主耶穌生命中彰顯的靈，帶進我生命中，我就變成毫無玷污的純潔。

祈禱◆噢，我的神，我在你的火焰中被焚燒和煉淨——今天我所發現的渣滓似乎太多，在我處理別人的錯失上，卻太少流露你那甜蜜而親切的恩典。主啊，赦免我。