To The Pure All Is Pure Series

A sophisticated social leader was expecting a large group of

friends at her home one evening. Knowing her husbands habit of

using guests towels indiscriminately when he came home from the

office, she put a note on the ones she put out for the occasion. It

read, "If you use one of these towels, I'll slay you in cold blood."

Even the most insensitive husband would get the message loud and

clear. The problem was that she got busy and forgot to remove the

note before the guests arrived. At the end of the evening she found,

to her shock, that the note was still there, and not one towel had

been touched. Here was a message that called for interpretation. A

discerning guest should have known that in this context the note was

a warning to the husband and not to the guests. They should have

felt free to use the towel without fear.

Life is full of messages that have to be interpreted wisely or they

make no sense, or they lead to consequences not intended. It is like

when Mrs. Grand instructed her old servant, "Now Maggie, for the

first half hour you stand at the drawing room door and call all the

guests names as they arrive." "Thank you very much ma'am," she

replied, "It's what I've been wanting to do to some of your friends

for the last 10 years." Maggie was getting a message that was quite

different from the one Mrs. Grand was sending.

Sometimes messages are deliberately made difficult to interpret.

Like the man who said to another, "I have two and a half dozen

children." The man was amazed, but the father explained it so that

it was not that amazing. "I have 2, and then a half dozen more,

which is 6 plus 2 making 8. I have 8 children, or as I said, 2 and a

half dozen." Without explanation the words carry a different

message.

At other times people read into a message more than the speaker

intends to say. The disciples did this with Jesus. In John 21 Jesus

said, "If I want John to remain alive until I return that is my

business and not yours. You just follow me and don't worry about

John." The rumor spread among the disciples that John would not

die, but Jesus did not say that at all. John had to write and put a

halt to this misinterpretation, and tell people that Jesus did not say

that he would not die, but only that if it was His will that was His

business and not theirs. Even the Apostles could interpret the words

of Jesus in a way that did not convey His true message. This means

that correct interpretation is absolutely vital to the understanding of

truth. The Bible does not mean whatever you or I feel it means. It

means only what the author intended to convey when he was

inspired to write it.

It is true that people get many different impressions as they read

the same words, and there can be a variety of perspectives, but the

bottom line is that only the message the author intended to convey is

valid. The reason this is important is because without this principle

the Bible can be used to support all kinds of nonsense that

contradicts what it clearly means to convey.

We have come to Titus 1:15 which is an ideal example of how

important it is to know what Paul intended, and not just let any

interpretation be acceptable. Paul makes a startling claim when he

says, "To the pure all things are pure." This verse can be used to

justify every form of evil and folly known to man. It has been used

to justify polygamy, stealing, and even murder. Is that what Paul is

saying? There is nothing impure to the pure, and so all evil becomes

pure?

Sirhan, the assassin of Robert Kennedy, read Madam Blavatsky,

the founder of theosophy. She taught that every man has the right

to interpret truth in his own way regardless of what others think.

The New Age religion teaches this to children. If something seems

right for them, than it is right for them, even if it is contrary to the

value system of their parents or society. If it's right for you, than it

is right. Sirhan concluded that he was doing the will of God when

he murdered someone he felt should be eliminated, for it seemed

right to him.

Do you think for a moment that this was the message Paul was

trying to convey, and that he was teaching that everything was right

and pure to certain people? Was he saying that they can do

anything the Bible forbids if they just have the right spirit? You can