At the time of Jesus, those who were religious focused on the outward activities. Jesus turned the religious life inside out. It was what happened inside that mattered.
Stephen Covey wrote that all things were created twice. First, they were created in our inner world. Things become real in our hearts before they become real because we acted on them in life.
Moreover Jesus said these things were just as real if they only happened in our hearts. If we are angry with someone and imagine killing or torturing them, as far as the law is concerned we innocent of any wrong doing, because we did not do anything. As far as God's law is concerned, we are as guilty of murder as we would be if we pulled the trigger of a gun, or thrust the knife. And God knows our hearts and our intentions, and judge accordingly.
That's why spiritual purity in Jesus is not a matter of following the right rules, saying the right prayers or showing up at church. Spiritual purity flows from the inner to the outer.
Even good activity can be tainted because it is not motivated by the love of God and the love of people, but by the desire to look holy, spiritual or important.
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