Purity

Purity is defined as freedom from foreign admixture or heterogeneous matter; cleanness; freedom from foulness or dirt; freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; chastity; freedom from contamination by illicit sexual connection; freedom from any sinister or improper views; as the purity of motives or designs; freedom from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as purity of style or language.Webster’s American Dictionary


Purity is an absolute and abstract principle, a law of being, and a soul virtue. The metaphysical mesh of Light (physically symbolized by the Jewish prayer shawl = talis) that you create through prayer reveals your degree of purity, which is complete when your mesh is as perfect as the Master’s.







Edna Lister on Purity

Sorrow is a purifying process.—Edna Lister, March 12, 1938.


Soul wings, which you make from your purity of heart, mind and purpose, give you the freedom to ascend.—Edna Lister, October 26, 1939.


You can do the "greater works" after you purely balance your choice of desire by mating desire to the will of God.—Edna Lister, October 26, 1939.


You must possess seven qualities of love in full measure to attain honor: Purity, humility, compassion, empathy, loyalty, sincerity and gratitude.—Edna Lister, A Design for Ascension, 1941.


Only a cleansed mind and heart can receive the fullness of God’s perfection.—Edna Lister, June 25, 1945.


Make yourself a chalice of purity. Empty the old every day, every hour, lest when you come to the Fount of All, you either have no room for the real, or have dirt and sediment within your cup and so muddy your stream of life.—Edna Lister, June 26, 1945.


Hold your standpoint in purity and constancy of Light.—Edna Lister, July 5, 1947.


Only in purity of heart, purity of soul, and purity of will can you speak words of life. These are the keys that open all doors to all Power.—Edna Lister, November 20, 1949.


When you are merciful to personalities, events, animals and things, you create purity of heart, mind and purpose within yourself.—Edna Lister, Be-Attitudes, June 19, 1951.


The greater the Power released, the greater is the purity demanded. Search for hidden self within even your best motives. Make certain no self-delusion remains to spread again in subtle ways.—Edna Lister, April 10, 1952.


The white Light of the Christ moving through the pineal gland comes with purity of heart, mind and purpose.—Edna Lister, Seven Churches, November 25, 1952.


As an understudy for greatness, you must achieve the greatest possible purity upon earth.—Edna Lister, July 6, 1954.


The quickest way to cleanse self is to go through the shaft of fire every night to the Lake of Purity.—Edna Lister, December 2, 1957.


As you purify your heart and emotions, you become purity of mind and heart.—Edna Lister, As I See the World, June 15, 1958.


Soul vision makes itself at home in purity of heart, mind and purpose. The one with vision teaches no punishment, because he knows that each plants his own thorns in his own path.—Edna Lister, The 33 Degrees of Soul Conquering, November 3, 1959.


Integrity and purity of heart are living by the hallmark of Oversoul, "Honor above all things."—Edna Lister, How Do I Wait Upon the Lord? June 28, 1960.


Pythagoras taught the soul’s immortality and the necessity of a personal holiness and purity to prepare oneself for admission into the society of the gods. We call this soul ascension.—Edna Lister, Pythagoras, His Three Degrees, June 8, 1965.

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New Testament on Purity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.—Matthew 5:8.


And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.—Mark 7:14-23.


Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.—Philippians 4:8.


Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.—1 Timothy 1:5-7.


Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.—1 Timothy 4:12.


Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.—1 Timothy 5:22.


In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.—2 Timothy 2:20-22.


Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.—Titus 1:15-16.


Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.—James 1:27.


The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.—James 3:17.


Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.—James 4:8.


Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.—1 Peter 1:22-23.


Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.—1 John 3:2-3.

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Old Testament on Purity

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.—Psalm 12:6.


The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.—Psalm 18:20-26.


The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.—Psalm 19:7-9.


Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.—Psalm 24:3-4.


All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.—Proverbs 16:2.


Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?—Proverbs 20:9.


Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.—Proverbs 20:11.


There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.—Proverbs 30:12.


Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.—Psalm 51:10.

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Wisdom, which is the worker of all things, is an understanding spirit holy, One only, manifold, subtle, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good, kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtle, spirits.—Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-23.


Wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passes and goes through all things by reason of her pureness, for she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore no defiled thing can fall into her. She is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness. Being but One, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she makes all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she makes them friends of God, and prophets.—Wisdom of Solomon 7:24-27.

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Edna Miriam Lister
1884 – 1971
The original Pioneering Mystic,
Christian Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.


Edna Lister


Etymology of purity: Late Latin puritatem (nom. puritas), "cleanness, pureness," from Latin purus "pure."


Purity is an absolute principle, for God is pure.
Purity is a law of being.
Purity is a soul virtue.


References

Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, 2024.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).

The Nag Hammadi Library. James M. Robinson, editor. San Francisco, Harper and Row, 1981.

The Compact Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary: 2 vols. E.S.C. Weiner, ed. Oxford University Press, 1971.

Webster, Noah. “purity,” Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language. New York: S. Converse, 1828.