contaminants

Paul has a simple, yet difficult, response to Jesus. Here it is, in 2 Corinthians 7:1

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

It’s simple in its logic: since Jesus did all these things and God promises all these other things, then the best way for us to react is to perfect our holiness. We should, Paul says, purify ourselves from everything that contaminates us, body or spirit. That’s how we show our reverence for God.

It’s devilishly difficult to do, though. There are a lot of things that contaminate my body: unsaturated fat, processed flour and sugar, saccharin, mono sodium glutamates . . . I put that stuff in every day. Most people do, so it seems unavoidable. But Daniel, offered the daintiest delicacies Babylon had to offer, pushed them away and ate fresh fruits and vegetables instead. It’s not undoable, I just don’t want to do it.

And how about all the stuff that contaminates my spirit? How about some of those jokes at work? The memes on social media? The books I read and movies I watch. The gossip I listen to and complaining I do?

Purity is difficult. It may be the most difficult goal I’ll ever tackle. But, as Paul says, it’s the only appropriate response to amazing grace.