The 4 Absolutes

✨ TOOLS & INSIGHTS: The Four Absolutes ✨

The Four Absolutes—Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, Love—give us a simple way to hold our lives up to the light of Christ. Don’t get stuck on the word absolute. This isn’t about perfectionism or nit-picking every tiny mistake. It’s about clarity and repentance: bringing our motives, desires, and choices into the open before God so His Spirit can transform us.

Sometimes we get hung up on this sin or that. Sometimes we catalog every small fault and miss the elephant in the room. Other times we truly believe we’ve done nothing wrong at all, blind to our faults.

I can see now that if I had filtered some of my key decisions through this simple lens, I would have spared myself needless suffering, minimized harm to others, and maximized joy and impact. My alarming capacity for self-justification clouded what was simple all along. Please take my word for this: God’s way is always best.

The Absolutes simplify matters. They focus us on the life of Christ as a yardstick. And here’s the astonishing news: by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are not only forgiven but changed—bit by bit, glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). And when we stumble? We run boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), receive mercy, and continue on.

This is not religious perfectionism—who wants to live under that weight? This is supernatural living: walking daily in the peace and power of God, brimming with gratitude for the grace of the Cross that stands in the gap between us and perfection.

HOW IT WORKS

When considering a thought, action, or word, ask yourself a few questions:

Honesty

✦ Am I telling the truth—fully and without hiding?

✦ Am I keeping secrets?

Purity

✦ Are my thoughts, motives, and actions clean before God?

✦ Does this choice help me stay free?

Unselfishness

✦ Am I considering others before myself?

✦ Am I holding too tightly to control, credit, or comfort?

Love

✦ Does this reflect Christ’s love?

✦ Am I building up—or tearing down?

If you “fail” one of these checks, it doesn’t always mean the desire or action is wrong. It may mean God is still shaping your heart—or rearranging circumstances—so that His will becomes clear in the right time. The test isn’t meant to condemn, but to keep you open and surrendered.

PRAYER:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10 (ESV) Lord Jesus, help me pause, pray, and then proceed by this measure of Your perfection. Thank You. I love You.💖

DIG DEEPER:

The Four Absolutes originated in early 20th-century revival preaching by theologians like Robert E. Speer, and later carried into the Oxford Group and recovery.