The Purity of the Church
Eph. 5:25-27

Introduction:

1. Any series of studies on the church would be incomplete without a lesson on the purity of the church. This is implied even by
   the term "church" - a word which means "called out." Its members have been delivered from the powers of darkness and
   translated into the kingdom of his dear Son (Col. 1:13). They wear the name "Christian" which means that they are "of Christ,"
   and are thus obligated to be "conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom. 8:29).
2. The need for purity in the church is especially evident in our text - Eph. 5:25-27.
   a. Through obedience unto the gospel our alien sins were forgiven (text. cf Acts 2:3 8).
   b. We have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus (Matt. 26:28).
   c. That which will be presented unto God is/will be holy and without blemish.

Discussion:
I. God Wants the church to be Pure.

   A. Text.
   B. "Keep thyself pure" (I Tim. 5:22).
   C. Implied by the need to practice discipline (I Cor. 5:4-6).

II. Purity In:

   A. Doctrinal Matters.
      1. Doctrine is important!
         a. Acts2:42; I Tim. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; Tit. 1:9;
            Tit. 2:1; I Pet. 4:11.
      2. What happens when we pervert, go beyond, add to or take from the Scriptures?
         a. Gal. 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Rev. 22:18,19.
   B. Moral Issues.
      a. I Cor. 6:9,10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5; Phil. 2:15; Tit. 2:11-14; Jas. 1:27; Jas. 4:4; I Pet. 4:3,4; I John 2:15-17.

III. Things Which Threaten the Purity of the church.

   A. The conditioning effect of the society in which we live.
      1. 1 Cor. 15:33; Ex. 23:2; Matt. 24:12.
      2. Think of the influence of TV, the movies, and and modern music!
   B. Ignorance of the Scriptures.
      1. Hos. 4:1,2,6.
   C. Loose Views on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.
      1. What Jesus taught (Matt. 19:3-9).
      2. But many, in order to justify their own situation, or that of a loved one, have introduced a host of new theories. Many of
          them are convoluted, complicated, and involve a lot of mental gymnastics. But they generally come out at the same place;
          they allow for divorce and remarriage on grounds other than what Jesus taught.
   D. Subtle Forms of Unbelief.
      1. Among those who believe in God, but who do not really believe God! cf. Rom. 4:3; cf Heb. 3:19-4:1,2.
      2. Some professed Christians are dishonest in their dealings with others, profane in their speech, and worldly in their actions,
          speech, and dress. They do not dispute that such Scriptures as (Tit. 2:12; Rev. 21:8; I Tim. 2:9; I Cor. 6:9,10, etc.) are in
          the Bible. Their problem: They don't really believe God said what He meant and meant what He said!

IV. How to Maintain Purity.

   A. Conduct ourselves as we ought.
      1. Rom. 12:1,2; Col. 3:1,2.
   B. Expose Evil for what it is.
      1. Eph. 5:8-11.
   C. Practice Corrective Discipline when it is needed (I Cor. 5:3-6).
   D. Put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18).
   E. Pray for Strength (I Thess. 5:17).
   F. Keep Your eyes on the goal (Phil. 3:13,14).
   G. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:1,2).

Conclusion: