“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Euodia and Syntyche needed to realign their attitudes. The biblical way to do that is by displacing sinful thinking with God’s thinking. They needed to restructure their thought life from sinful retaliation to qualities that build a good relationship. We come to the fourth category for doing that.

“whatever things are pure”

“Pure” refers to that which is undefiled because it resists or is untouched by evil. This is not freedom from sins of the flesh alone but from all avenues of the heart and life that violate God’s will. Both motive and deed need to be undefiled if we are to build a proper attitude.

The minds of both Euodia and Syntyche were cesspools of hatred. Evil thoughts launch and germinate from the heart:

“For our of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Mt 15:19)

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.” (James 4:1-2)

All sinful conflict comes from sinful pleasure. This attitude believes there is pleasure in hurting other people if they hurt us.

Principle:

The principle of purity is the principle of simplicity in dealing with other people. 

Application:

The principle of purity is the principle of simplicity in dealing with other people. We cannot mix both the pleasure of hurting someone and living in the will of God. If we live in the will of God, we must be pure in our dealings with others.

Have you contaminated your relationships by a mixture of your motives? Do you want both to have your cake and eat it too? Do you want to hurt God’s people and yet walk with God? God does not want us to mix our drinks!