All Things Pure Titus 1:15 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Some people have used, “Unto the pure all things are pure,” in Titus 1:15, to literally prove that whatever they want to do is okay with God because they are purified by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. They put this verse with a verse like 1 Cor 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” Then they go about doing whatever they want with no conscience of sin or wrongdoing about it. Their attitude toward this verse produces a Christian who looks like the evil men of Deut 12:8, where every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
The verse needs to be studied in its entire context from Titus 1:10-16. Paul is dealing with vain talkers and deceivers who are covetous, liars, defiled, unbelieving, abominable, disobedient and reprobate. Consequently, everything to them is impure. Their motives are impure, their consciences are impure, their thoughts are impure, their words are impure, and so on. Filth doesn’t bother them. As a matter of fact they would prefer it. Pornography, dirty jokes, bad music, bad companions, and so forth bring them pleasure without regret or a guilty conscience.
The pure, on the other hand, have pure consciences, and so they will have pure motives, friends, desires, ambitions, thoughts, and so on. They abhor the filth that attracts the defiled and they desire the purity that is abominable to the defiled [Prov 29:27]. Pure men and women have a desire for purity. And defiled men and women have an appetite for impure things. Impure people are motivated by the lust of the flesh and aim to satisfy it without concern for their consciences.
The verse cannot be used out of context to prove that once a man is saved, every filthy thing that he can imagine is sanctified and purified just because he is a saved man. While there are those who take this liberty, this verse does not grant them that liberty. Peter told us that we are to do well, “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God,” (1 Pet 2:16).
Concerning purity, the Bible gives us excellent instructions on how we are to live our lives once we have been purified by the blood of Jesus Christ. First, in Rom 14:20-23, even if a thing is pure for us, we have to consider our brothers in Christ, whether what we do might cause them to stumble. Second, according to Phil 4:8, we are to think on pure things and the purest things on which to think are the words of God (Jas 3:17). Third, in 1 Tim 1:5 and 2 Pet 3:1, we are to keep our hearts, minds and consciences pure. And fourth, we are to follow our greatest example for purity, Jesus Christ. Our greatest reason for purity is that we are sons of God and we will be like him when he comes (1 Jn 3:1-3). To men and women like this, all things are pure.