Uncleanness
The third “work of the flesh” listed in
Galatians 5:19-21 is translated “uncleanness” in the New King
James Version and “impurity” in the Revised Standard and New
International Versions. Thayer, in his Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament, translates its Greek root AKATHARSIA as, “not cleansed,
unclean; a. in a ceremonial sense...b. In a moral sense, unclean in
thought and life…”
Other passages use the word also and contexts help reveal its meaning.
In Matthew 23:27, Jesus rebukes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and their
love for men’s praise, rather than God’s praise. In Romans 1:24, Paul
indicates the lust of men’s hearts led to homosexuality. In Ephesians
4:19, Paul warned that the uncleanness of many Gentiles’ minds led to
greed. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says, “For God did not call us to
uncleanness, but to holiness.”
Living pure lives begins with keeping our minds pure—free from
uncleanness.
September 2006