How can we apply the principle of purity from Leviticus 11:36 today? Setting the Scene Leviticus 11:36: “Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall remain clean, but whoever touches the carcass in it shall be unclean.” God’s holiness standards protected Israel both physically and spiritually. A source of “living” water stayed pure, while anything dead defiled the one who touched it. The principle still speaks. Timeless Truths We Draw • Purity flows from what is living, God-given, and continually refreshed. • Defilement comes through contact with corruption—anything dead, decaying, or opposed to God’s life. • Purity is preserved by separation, not isolation: the water stayed available to everyone, yet remained untouched by death. Bridging the Old and the New • Jesus identified Himself as “living water” (John 4:10-14). The purity symbolized by a spring finds its fulfillment in Him. • Believers are “washed with water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). Scripture is our ever-fresh cistern. • Holiness is still commanded: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Leviticus supplies the pattern. Practical Ways to Live the Principle Today Guard the Source • Make time daily to drink from the Word before other voices (Psalm 1:2; Proverbs 4:23). • Keep short accounts with God: confess sin quickly (1 John 1:9). • Prioritize gatherings where Scripture is central, so the communal “spring” stays clear (Colossians 3:16). Watch Your Contact Points • Entertainment, friendships, and online content: avoid what is spiritually “dead” (Ephesians 5:11). • Work and school settings: engage without absorbing corruption—like clean water running through a pipe without mixing with sludge (2 Corinthians 6:17). • Speech: words can carry life or decay (Proverbs 18:21). Choose life-giving conversations. Practice Cleansing When Contaminated • Immediate repentance restores purity, just as washing restored an Israelite (James 4:8). • Replace defilement with renewal—worship, Scripture memory, fellowship (Philippians 4:8-9). • Serve others: pure water flows outward; stagnation breeds impurity (James 1:27). Live as a Conduit of Life • Your body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Treat it accordingly—diet, sexuality, substances. • Offer grace to the unclean without partaking in uncleanness, as Jesus did with lepers and sinners (Luke 5:12-13; Hebrews 7:26). • View good works as channels, not reservoirs, of purity (Matthew 5:16). Encouragement to Persevere The river of life depicted in Revelation 22:1 will one day remove all impurity forever. Until then, keep returning to the spring—Christ Himself—so that what flows from your life stays clear, refreshing, and fitting for a holy God. |
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