The Bible encourages us in Philippians 4:8 to think on things that are pure. But what exactly does it mean to think on what is pure? Here is an in-depth look at over 9000 words on this important biblical concept.
To begin, we must first understand what is meant by “pure” in this verse. The Greek word translated as “pure” here is hagnos, which means free from defilement, clean, innocent, modest, perfect, chaste. So when Paul instructs us to think on whatever is pure, he is telling us to dwell mentally and focus our thoughts on things that are morally excellent, wholesome, righteous, and undefiled by sin.
Thinking on what is pure stands in contrast to thinking about what is impure – things tainted by immorality, indecency, evil desires and intentions. Paul makes this distinction clear in the verses immediately before and after Philippians 4:8. In verse 7 he instructs us to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Then in verse 9 he urges us to put into practice what we have learned and received and heard – which would include this command to focus our thoughts on purity.
Paul is essentially telling us we have a responsibility to carefully control what we allow our minds to dwell on. We must be purposeful about only permitting thoughts that align with moral purity and excellence. This requires being vigilant to reject impure thoughts when they arise and instead purposefully redirect our minds to wholesome meditations.
This command has profound implications for how we live our daily lives. It means we must be careful about what we expose ourselves to through media, entertainment, and relationships. We should avoid inputs that would provoke lustful, angry, jealous, greedy, dishonest, or other sinful thought patterns. Instead we need to pursue influences that provoke love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and other fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Thinking on what is pure also affects how we interact with and view other people. We should see others through the lens of Christ-like love instead of objectifying them or judging them unfairly. We must combat stereotyping, racism, sexism and other sins by intentionally countering those sinful thought patterns with pure thoughts centered on each person’s equal value in God’s eyes.
In addition, thinking on purity combats the tendency to dwell on past sins, hurts, and sources of bitterness. Ruminating endlessly on wrongs done to us prevents us from fully receiving God’s forgiveness and moving forward in freedom and joy. Instead we need to consciously turn our focus to reflections on God’s mercy, justice and sovereignty.
Thinking pure thoughts also forecloses opportunities for the enemy to gain footholds in our minds. Impure thoughts often open the door to deeper entanglements with sin. Temptations gain strength when entertained mentally even if not acted upon physically. But when we refuse to indulge in sinful mental tangents and instead redirect to pure meditations, we slam the door on enemy schemes.
This command has particular relevance to our thought lives in relation to sexuality and relationships. In a sexually charged culture, we are bombarded with impure messages and images aimed at cultivating lust and discontentment. A mind saturated in such influences will inevitably spawn sexual thoughts and fantasies that lead to spiritual impairment and sin. The antidote is to rigorously reject sexual impurities and instead dwell on things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, as Paul exhorts in Philippians 4:8.
What exactly does it look like in practice to think only pure thoughts? Here are some examples of applying Philippians 4:8 in everyday life:
– When seeing an attractive person, consciously shift focus from lustful thoughts to praise for the marvelous way God created that person in His image and for His glory.
– When offended, avoid stewing over how the other person wronged you. Instead pray blessings over them and meditate on ways to biblically love and forgive them through the power of Christ.
– When facing temptations to lie, steal, cheat, or cut corners, consciously redirect your mind to contemplating how you can conduct yourself with integrity to honor Christ.
– When making decisions, shun unbiblical advice from worldly voices and instead carefully focus on biblical wisdom that leads to purity and righteousness.
– When engaging in leisure activities, be vigilant about rejecting entertainment that celebrates immorality. Seek instead wholesome activities that refresh your spirit and foster thinking on things that are pure.
– When dwelling on past sins, shift mental focus to meditating on God’s gracious forgiveness through Jesus and determining to walk in newness of life.
– When assailed by impure sexual thoughts, pray Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Redirect your mind to meditate on God’s perfect holiness.
– When facing trials, steer thoughts away from bitterness, complaining or self-pity. Instead meditate on God’s sovereignty, promises and redeeming purposes in suffering.
The more we intentionally refuse to indulge impure thoughts and instead redirect our minds to pure contemplations, the more our thought patterns will be transformed and brought into alignment with God’s perfect will. This thought renewal process is described in Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Thinking pure thoughts is a spiritual discipline we must constantly nurture through prayer, saturating our minds in God’s word, fellowship with other believers, and practicing Philippians 4:8 in everyday life until it becomes more reflexive. We must also rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to detect and reject impure mental tangents while redirecting our focus to righteousness. As Galatians 5:16 advises “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
What are some specific areas of thought we need to carefully guard and direct toward purity?
– Our thought lives in relation to God – Do we think about Him with reverence, awe and deep love for His holiness and glory? Or do we harbor thoughts of ingratitude, resentment, or anger toward Him that need to be confessed and renounced?
– Our thought lives toward others – Do we view people through the lens of Christ’s love and see them as eternal souls to win for His kingdom? Or are we quick to judge, stereotype, objectify and think the worst of others?
– Our thought lives concerning ourselves – Are we plagued by ongoing condemnation, comparison, and self-hatred? Or are we thinking biblically about ourselves as dearly loved children of God created in His image with His purposes planted inside us?
– Our thought lives about the past – Do we ruminate on hurts, regrets, and sources of bitterness? Or do we bring those thoughts into alignment with God’s sovereignty and forgiveness?
– Our thought lives concerning the future – Are we anxious, fearful and distrusting of God’s control over what is ahead? Or do we think with confident hope and faith in His good plans for us?
– Our secret thought lives – Do we hide parts of our thought lives riddled with greed, lust, jealousy and other sins? Or do we freely bring those thoughts into the light so God can purify them?
As you can see, every arena of thought must be brought under the lordship of Christ and aligned with the standard of Philippians 4:8. This is a challenging lifetime pursuit that requires honesty, transparency, vigilance, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. But the reward of living with minds transformed and renewed by God’s purity is incalculable. Our relationship intimacy with Christ deepens exponentially when our thought lives are centered on Him. Our lives overflow with the fruits of righteousness as our actions begin to flow increasingly from minds saturated in His truth and purity.
What about when we fail in this pursuit? Perhaps no other verse better captures how we should respond when we discover lapses in our thought lives than Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
We acknowledge and take full responsibility for wrongful thoughts. We don’t blame others, make excuses, or minimize the impurity. We openly bring it before the Lord, asking Him to search our hearts down to the deepest recesses. We invite the conviction and cleansing of the Holy Spirit. And weDetermine to learn from the stumble by taking practical steps to prevent that area from tripping us up again. As James 1:14-15 warns, uncontrolled sinful thoughts escalate into sinful actions and ultimately spiritual death. So we desperately need God’s intervention to bring every thought captive to Christ.
In summary, thinking on what is pure means we intentionally shape and guard the content of our mental life to align with God’s perfect will. This requires continually rejecting impure thoughts aimed at deceiving us and conforming us to the world’s mold. And it requires purposefully redirecting our minds to dwell on things that reflect God’s righteousness, beauty, truth and excellence. This discipline will profoundly shape us into the image of Christ and bring great glory to God.
What are some additional key Bible verses that speak to the importance of thinking on what is pure?
– “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
– “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)
– “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
– “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
– “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
– “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
– “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)
– “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” (Proverbs 14:30)
– “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
– “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” (Charles Reade)
– “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
In conclusion, making the discipline of thinking purely a regular practice requires diligence, self-awareness, truthfulness before God, and reliance on the Spirit’s power to transform us. But the spiritual fruit produced is invaluable. Our lives are empowered to glorify Christ when our minds are fixed on Him and His righteous truth. We must make the choice daily to take every thought captive to obey Christ until pure thinking becomes our natural posture.