September 21 THE PURE ONE "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3, NKJV). All John's portraits of Jesus depict Him as the great paragon of all virtues. He urges believers to walk as Jesus walked (see 1 John 2:6) and to become like Him (see 1 John 3:2). In today's text, John urges believers to be pure just as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:3). The Greek word by which John describes Christ's purity is hagnos. It comes from the same root as hagios, meaning holy. The word, hagnos, describes freedom from defilement. Everything about Jesus was impeccably pure. His words, teachings, actions, and relationships all carried the hallmark of purity. Jesus was morally, spiritually, and doctrinally pure. His purity originated in the mind. His mind was like a clear, unpolluted, life-giving fountain. He once reminded His audience that pure and impure water cannot proceed from the same source. Through unbroken contact with His heavenly Father, Jesus kept the avenues to the soul constantly guarded. He never acted from expediency, but always acted from principle. Duplicity and sham were always repugnant to Him. Why He did what He did was always more important than what He did. He always acted right because He thought right. Because of His inner purity, everything about Jesus was refreshingly transparent. In one of His masterful statements, He said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8, NKJV). To be pure in heart is the equivalent to being clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness. Here's how we too can be pure just as He is pure: "Let the lesson be of an elevated, ennobling character, that the mind may be filled with pure and noble thoughts... As God is pure in his sphere, so man is to be pure in his. And he will be pure if Christ is formed within, the hope of glory; for he will imitate Christ's life and reflect his character."--General Conference Daily Bulletin, February 6, 1893. My Prayer Today: Lord, clothe me in the righteousness of the "Pure One," that I may be like Him. Amen.