To the pure, all things are pure

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience is defiled"

Titus 1.15

I had no idea about this -- no correct idea, anyway; I had always thought it was talking about how some people are evil-minded and always suspect the worst.

But I was reading it one of my teenagers tonight -- reading it from a modern translation/paraphrase -- and she asked what a modern-day equivalent of that would be. Beer, maybe? Because the passage reminded her of some parts in the Bible about meat sacrificed to idols (cf. 1 Corinthians 8), that sort of thing.

Shazzam! Look at the context, I said to myself. (Actually I think I said it out loud.)

Sure enough, just before that part, he says he wants people to ignore ... myths and the commands of those who reject the truth (1.14). OK, so what does that mean to us today? To the pure, there's nothing wrong with a beer on a warm afternoon, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, even a non-alcoholic "Sharp's" would be impure? H'rm.

To be sure, there are good reasons to abstain, particularly if nearby friends struggle with self-control and alcoholism. But absent that and any considerations of prudence, "all things are pure."

That reminds me of another passage where Paul says that we can partake of anything God made if we do so with thankfulness, because God has generously given us so much to enjoy.

Sounds good to me!