“This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:” (2 Corinthians 13:1–2, KJV)
Purity is important. Years ago, as a part of my investment strategy, I purchased some Canadian silver coins. They were marked with 9999 pure silver. This meant that the coins were 99.99 percent pure silver. The purity of precious metals is accomplished through a metallurgical process called refining. There are various methods for refining silver. The most important thing for the ones minting the coins is that they maintain the purity of all coins. Purity is important to the value of the coinage.
Purity is also vital to the value of the church. Reading through the letters we have that Paul sent to the Corinthians, we can clearly see that he had a host of concerns regarding this church. He had previously visited the church two times and on his second visit gave them a warning. He warned the church regarding the issue of sin in the church. Here he writes to them concerning the issue again. The church had a variety of potential issues. He had written about some of these in the letters to the church. some of the issues involved moral failures and divisions. In this letter, he wrote of the false teachers. There was a danger of the church compromising theological truth with false doctrine. Moreover, the false teachers worked to undermine Paul’s apostolic authority over the church.
These were all dangerous issues for the church in Corinth. A compromised church is an impure church. An impure church is an oxymoron. The reason is that the church is the body of Christ. Christ is the spotless Lamb of God. He lived an impeccable life. He was not 99.99% pure, He was always and still is infinitely pure. Any impurity in the body of Christ does not fit with the perfect purity of Christ. It is for this reason that the Lord established a process for dealing with issues of sin in the church (Matt 18:15-17).
What happens to a church that does not deal with issues of impurity? That church becomes weak and it will lose its influence in the world. When I pastored churches, I often had to deal with these types of issues. On several occasions we had to deal with moral issues. On others we discovered parishioners spreading false teachings. The later problem is one which is very serious. False teachings will destroy a church.
Today, we have major denominations that are embracing a variety of ills. Some are openly condoning sexual practices that are directly forbidden in the Scriptures. Some are condoning abortion. Some groups are denying the full infallibility, sufficiency, truth, and authority of the word of God. By undermining the foundation, God’s word, they undermine the faith. This ultimately weakens the church.
When the church loses its purity there is only one remedy. It is the refiner’s fire. In this the impurity is removed and purity is maintained. Thus, the church has a vital responsibility to purify itself.
Renewing the Heart 