Purity comes by repentance; Loss of purity comes from sin. I know this is true because of the scripture in Jacob 3:3, which states, “but wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes”. Only by repentance can we be saved at the last day and live in a curse free land. Only by repentance can we be pure. Sin will always happen because we are humans and humans are imperfect. That is where repentance will help you overcome sin and be more perfect.
Purity can be attained by following the commandments and the counsels of the prophets and apostles. Conference after conference, I have heard the leaders of our church plead with the members to dress modestly. In the November 1999 General Conference, Sister Mary Ellen Smoot, the Relief Society General President, said, “We speak out to stop the flowing tide of filth and corruption that is a plague in our society. Sisters who know right from wrong…dress modestly”. Back in middle school, I used to wear immodest clothing. After a while and after a few more lessons in Young Women, I knew that immodest clothing was not the right way for me. I prayed about modest clothing. I started wearing more modest clothes and no immodest clothes. I know that I feel more pure and more comfortable when I wear modest clothing. In 1 Tim. 2:9, it reads, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel”. I can even honestly say that even if I was attending a university that did not have an honor code concerning the attire of the student body, I would still dress modestly because of the attention I receive and the way I feel about myself when I dress with Heavenly Father in mind.
In addition to how we dress, purity can be extended to how we present ourselves to our spouses before marriage. According to the November 1998 General Conference talk given by Jeffrey R. Holland, “young adults may be confused about principles of personal purity, about obligations of total chastity before marriage”. Men and women need to stay virgins until marriage. The Lord has spoken through the scriptures, saying, “For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts” (Jacob 2:28). It is a sin to have sex before marriage and as we’ve seen before, loss of purity comes from sin. Staying a virgin in terms of the sacred act of love between husband and wife is important for us to be pure.
Some people may feel that purity is unimportant. They are wrong because “blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). I know that Heavenly Father places importance in being pure in heart because this same precept comes up at least 5 times, in the New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants. If purity was something to be brushed aside, would the Lord have divinely inspired the scriptures various writers to repeat this commandment? The answer is no.
Purity can even be said to be the reason why we all inhabit this planet instead of staying behind the veil. Joseph Smith once taught, “We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom.” If we want to keep ourselves pure, and therefore reside in the celestial kingdom after our life on this planet, we have to repent and follow what the Lord has said in the scriptures, and what the prophets and leaders have said in many mediums.
Works Cited
Mary Ellen Smoot, “Rejoice, Daughters of Zion,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 92
Jacob 3:3
Matthew 5:8
1 Tim 2:9
Jacob 2:28
Book of Mormon
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 181
Jeffrey R. Holland, “Personal Purity,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 75
10 comments:
This blog is very simple and clear: pure, you could even say! Thank you for your testimony!
Daphna-
Wow I can honestly say I'm the worst partner for this so I'm sorry about not doing this sooner. You're blog was awesome. I've never really thought of pure in the different ways that you shared. It opened my mind to why dressing modestly and keeping the law of chastity is so important; because it really does make us stand out. Thanks again and awesome job!
You do have a gift for simple and sincere expressions of faith. Your straightforward way of explaining important principles will give great influence when you work and serve as a teacher.
This was very helpful in talking about why modesty is so important. It makes me so grateful to have purity in our lives and repentance.
i really enjoyed your blog. i liked how everything flowed very well. i loved how you talked about many different parts of being pure. good job.
I did like your opening sentence, that purity comes by repentance, however I think the bulk of your blog is about avoiding sin and remaining pure - and not so much about becoming pure through repentance.
I had never considered the idea that we came here for the purpose of presenting our bodies pure before God at judgment day. That so makes sense! Way cool, way cool. That was the part I enjoyed the most, but I sure do love the purity and cleanliness of chastity also. Good job!
Your thoughts connecting purity and modesty really stood out to me. Growing up, all I saw around me was immodest clothing, even in members of the church. I upheld my standards and was blessed because of it. I'm proud of the change you made in your life, to dress appropriately.
I loved the connection of purity with modest attire, both are being trampled by the world. But as Joseph Smith said, our reason for being here is that we may become pure in Christ.
I enjoyed how you related purity to how we dress cause that makes a big difference. Good job!
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