January 2026
We now return to the passage in Titus to continue our study.
Purity and Depravity, according to Calvinism
- “Pure” = those regenerated by irresistible grace
- “Defiled” = unbelievers whose minds are corrupt
Must we not remind everyone that Calvinism holds that this corruption, depravity, defilement, and purity is the result of a pre-creation divine decree? Creatures are as corrupt or pure as decreed by God. Do you honestly believe that?
Guardrails
Reformed theology (Calvinism) insists:
- Liberty is bounded by love
But how is that love defined and expressed when they actually teach that all Christians sin daily? Is it possible to love biblically and at the same time sin daily? Is this not morally incoherent?
Jesus said If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Is this not morally coherent?
- The moral law remains binding
That sounds very pious, but isn’t it empty Calvinistic rhetoric? The law remains binding on Christians, but no Christian can ever stop sinning, according to the Calvinist. All Christians sin daily according to Calvinism, and the law is still binding, so how in heaven’s name can a Christian be saved? Christ must do it all and impute His righteousness and His obedience to us. This is the deception and fiction of Calvinism.
- Titus 1:15 cannot justify immorality
But what does that mean when Christians sin daily? It is more deceptive, pious-sounding, empty Calvinistic rhetoric. Clearly, the verse in Titus doesn’t justify immorality, but Calvinism does.
V. Arminian Interpretation
1. Emphasis on Conscience
Arminians stress:
- Personal holiness
- Ongoing obedience
Titus 1:15 means:
- A pure heart rightly discerns God’s gifts and obeys God
- A corrupted conscience misuses freedom
The verse supports:
- Freedom from ceremonial law, not the moral law of God
- Not freedom from moral responsibility
VI. Evangelical Interpretation (Modern)
1. Common Usage
This verse is often cited by evangelicals to argue:
- Freedom from religious rules
- Neutrality of created things
But frequently it is:
- Detached from v.16 (“they deny Him by their works”)
- Used to justify personal preferences, which set aside the moral law of God
That is a significant problem that is often overlooked. Scripture is not to be privately interpreted or ignored. Jesus taught that we are to make the tree good or bad, for a tree is known by the fruit it bears. Evangelicals often excuse and rationalize bad fruit in the life of Christians. In addition, the doctrine of Eternal Security is used frequently to reassure the sinning Christian that they are going to heaven even if they never repent of their sins. That is the gospel of the serpent. I do not recommend it.
2. Risk of Abuse
Evangelical readings sometimes:
- Overgeneralize “all things.”
- Underemphasize conscience and actual absolute holiness
The early church Fathers would regard this as a misreading and a doctrinal error that must be overturned. I agree with the early church fathers. How about you?
VII. What v.15 Does Not Mean
Paul does not say:
- Sin becomes pure
- Moral laws disappear
- Intent sanctifies immorality
“All things” refers to:
- Created goods
- Ceremonial matters
- Non-moral externals
This verse does not mean or permit:
- Sexual immorality
- Greed
- Dishonesty and other sins that Paul taught disqualify Christians from inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, for example)
VIII. Theological Fault Line: Purity Location
| View | Where Purity Resides |
| Judaizers | External observance |
| Paul | Mind and conscience |
| Fathers | Heart formed by charity |
| Reformed | Regenerated conscience and imputed obedience (fiction) |
| Arminian | Faith working through love |
| Evangelical | Often, individual liberty (and that is a big problem) |
IX. Final Synthesis
Titus 1:15 is a diagnostic statement, not permission to continue sinning.
Paul teaches:
- External things do not defile
- Internal corruption does defile
- False teachers reveal themselves by:
- Obsession with rules
- Moral hypocrisy and sinful deeds
Purity is not what you touch or eat. It is what governs your mind and conscience, which is seen in the deeds you do. Purity is birthed in a supreme love toward God. A pure heart is a pure motive. Some vainly think that intention and any motive cleanse all things, but that is not the case.Top of Form
Final Comments on Article 8Bottom of Form
I wrote an article that addresses this very subject, “What defiles a person and what makes them holy”, see my website, seekgodintruth.com. The Jews were upset at Jesus because he let his disciples eat without washing their hands first. Jesus rebuked them and said that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of a man that defiles him. As is typical, the theologians of the day had it all wrong. Could that be true of today’s theologians?
Even today, we have Christians who believe that they become holy or get the grace of God by eating and drinking: by what goes into the person. We do not defile ourselves or become holy by such things.
Purity is all about what is in our hearts. Out of the heart come the issues of life. Our heart reveals who we are, either a good tree or a bad tree. The heart reveals who we love the most. Any theologian who claims that our eating and drinking or any ritual observance at all can make us holy is one to withdraw from. To the pure in heart, all things are pure. If we love God supremely, everything that comes out of us will be pure.
However, if we love ourselves supremely, then nothing that we do will be pure and holy, including our religious exercises. We can give away all our money, give our lives to be burned, and remain unmotivated by love and charity (1 Corinthians 13). And it profits us nothing.
