In the New Testament church, God is calling a spiritual royal priesthood, requiring absolute purity. This spiritual purity, essential for preparation for the Kingdom of God, involves the cleansing of the mind and attitude. Purification is a continuous process due to the constant need to rid our minds of sin. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is to keep oneself unspotted from the world, meaning unblemished and unstained by sin. The purifying of our thoughts comes through studying God's Word and applying it in our lives, spiritually healing our minds from the damage sin inflicts. By dwelling on God's way of life, we replace carnal thoughts with righteous, pure thoughts. Purity is the spiritual cleansing of our mind, resulting in complete devotion to God. We purify ourselves by obeying the truth, as God's law and Word are truth, and His words are pure, capable of replacing impure, carnal thoughts. Christ serves as the perfect example of Christian conduct, embodying truth as He declared Himself the way, the truth, and the life. By observing His life and reactions to various circumstances, we can apply His example to our own situations. When Christ returns, God's people will have been purifying themselves by replacing carnal thoughts with the knowledge of God's truth and the hope of His promises to His royal priesthood. Everyone who holds this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Our loving God and Father has purified us from our former life of sin through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Without purification, sin separates us from God, making salvation impossible without growing toward spiritual purity. As God's royal priesthood, it is our duty to prepare for His Kingdom by purifying our minds with the words and thoughts of our holy God.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, as expressed in Matthew 5:8, setting a standard that is exceedingly difficult to attain. Purity of heart signifies an inner state that is unmixed, unadulterated, and undefiled by anything foreign to itself, embodying qualities such as sincerity, morality, and honor. God Himself, in His inspired Word, distinguishes between what is pure and impure, shifting the focus from mere ceremonial actions to moral conduct as time progressed toward the arrival of Jesus Christ. David understood this by 1000 BC, noting in Psalm 51:16-17 that God desires a broken spirit and a contrite heart over sacrifices. Purity is closely tied to God's election of His people, as He confers purity through His grace, yet it requires vigilance, effort, and attention to maintain, for defilement is easily communicable. Scriptures like Isaiah 1:16 and Jeremiah 4:14 call for personal responsibility in spiritual cleansing, urging us to wash our hearts from wickedness. Jesus Christ confronts the failure to perceive the spiritual intent beyond external rituals, emphasizing that no matter how clean the outside appears, an unchanged heart will return to filth if habitual sin persists. The purification process is far from complete with initial cleansing through God's grace and faith in Christ's sacrifice; it has only begun. After baptism and receiving God's Spirit, human nature remains, carrying seeds of defilement that must be overcome daily as we pursue sanctification and perfection. The Bible highlights the roles of Jesus Christ as High Priest, the Holy Spirit, and God's Word in this ongoing cleansing, with scriptures indicating the need for daily renewal of the mind and spirit, as seen in Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:22-24. Human nature constantly seeks to pull us back into sin's defilement, as the carnal mind is at enmity with God, deceitfully convincing us of our goodness while hating His law. Guarding the heart, as advised in Proverbs 4:23, is crucial, for it is easy to lapse into old habits. Psalm 24:3-4 reveals that only those with clean hands and a pure heart may stand in God's holy place, requiring truth in the inward parts and a foundation of godly integrity. God is vitally concerned with the purity of heart, character, attitude, motive, and service of those who serve Him, necessitating specific and continuing daily attention. Though we will never be as pure as God in this life, the work of cleansing has begun, and He is faithful to complete it. The pure in heart, who seek to remain free from sin's defilement, are blessed with spiritual discernment, gaining clear views of God's character and will. This beatitude promises not only a present closeness to God but also a future fulfillment in His Kingdom, where the pure shall see His face and stand in His presence as the highest honor. Remaining clean demands constant vigilance, determined discipline, and exacting self-examination of motives to ensure our work, service, and spiritual practices stem from a heartfelt desire to commune with God.

Spiritual cleanliness is a vital element in approaching God through Christ. Just as physical cleanliness enhances physical health, so also spiritual cleanliness enhances spiritual health. We must be spiritually clean to ensure spiritual health and progress. If we want to stand before God, we must be clean. The kind of person who can approach God is one who has clean hands and a pure heart. Clean and pure are essentially synonymous, meaning undefiled, untainted, unblemished, uncontaminated, and wholesome. Clean hands imply righteous actions, as it is through our hands that we perform our work. Our actions must be righteous, pure, undefiled, uncontaminated, and wholesome. Purity of heart focuses on inner aspects like character and thoughts. Thus, one who comes before God must be clean and pure both in actions and internal ideas, beliefs, and thoughts, which are often expressed in words. This encompasses the whole person, inside and out, in private moments and public works. Everything a person does, thinks, and says—their whole being—must be clean and pure when approaching a clean and pure God. If He will not allow sin in His presence, He will not allow one who is unclean into His presence, as sin and uncleanliness are the same. In His children, God seeks not only right belief but also godly conduct and works. Both must exist together; good works cannot exist without right belief, nor can right belief exist without expression through right works. This idea of being clean inside and out, in thoughts, beliefs, works, and actions, is why the laver holds a prominent place in the tabernacle courtyard, as we need both internal and external cleanliness to approach God.