“The Clarity”
God’s Third “C” Equals Moral & Spiritual Clarity
We are considering the 4 Cs of a diamond and how they represent the diamond cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. We have focused on how the 4 Cs can illustrate aspects of Christian Character & Faith. Remember how some people who have just become Christians are referred to as diamonds in the rough, because of the moral and spiritual condition they are in at the time they met the Lord and experienced salvation.
Last time we studied the 2nd C of diamond grading called “The Color”, which represents the work the Holy Spirit does in transforming a newly mined Christian (a spiritual diamond in the rough) into a bright, shiny, and valued believer (spiritual gem) who is transparent represented by a “Colorless Diamond”.
The Holy Spirit’s goal is to make each one of us transparent like Jesus was in His life on earth for 33 years. Therefore, my goal today is to equate the value of Clarity in diamonds in the physical world to the value of spiritual and moral clarity in the Christian life.
There is a closeness between transparency and clarity, so let’s compare the two from MerriamWebster.com.
Transparency that we studied last week is the quality that an object or substance has when you can see through it or the state or quality of being easily seen through.
Something is transparent if you can see all the way through it when it is viewed by a light shining through it or by projection....Translucent. We know the Holy Spirit’s goal is to make each of us, as children of God, morally and spiritually transparent.
Bible wise, moral and spiritual transparency means that when others hear us or watch us (i.e. look at us), they can see right through us and end up hearing and/or seeing the Lord Jesus. How awesome would that be if someone looked at us and said, “I just see or hear Jesus! Where is Gene (or you)”? How blessed we would be to hear someone express those sentiments.
In this study, we explore how the Holy Spirit is also continually working on the moral and spiritual clarity in our lives. Dictionary wise, clarity means:
: the quality of being clear in outline or sound
: the quality of being easily understood
: the state of having a full, detailed, and orderly mental grasp of something
: the quality of being easily seen or heard
: the quality of being easily seen through
: a lack of marks, spots, or blemishes
Bible wise, moral and spiritual clarity means that when others hear us or watch us (i.e. look at us):
: they easily understand that we belong to Jesus Christ.
: they have a full, detailed, and orderly grasp of who Jesus is and what He is doing in our lives.
: that the qualities of Christ (the God-Man) are easily seen or heard in us.
: that the pure image of Christ is easily seen through us.
: that there are no moral or spiritual marks, spots (blind spots), or blemishes in our personality, character, or habits that mar the image of Christ in us.
In today’s media, the term MORAL CLARITY is used quite regularly. So – what does that mean?
Moral means relating to beliefs about what is right or wrong. Moral Clarity means clarity of direction, clarity of expression, clarity of mind, clarity of purpose, clarity of vision, image clarity, or startling clarity.
Moral Clarity could only spring from moral character. Genuine and sincere moral character can only spring from Jesus Christ operating as Lord in our lives.
Have you heard people refer to what they call the 3 types of morality? Have you ever considered how you classify your morality? Which is the Biblical Model? Different people can define these three concepts in their own unique ways (relativism), but the explanations below should give you the spirit of the matter.
1. Moral absolutism 2. Moral Universalism 3. Moral Relativism
Moral absolutism is the belief that there are moral laws that are universal and unconditional. They are universal because they apply to everyone at all times. They are unconditional because they are not affected by circumstance, culture, or any other contextual condition. In other words, they are moral rules that always apply with no exceptions.
Moral universalism believes that what is right or wrong is independent of custom or opinion (as opposed to moral relativism), but not necessarily that what is right or wrong is independent of context or consequences (as in absolutism).
Moral relativism means that 'a claim about moral rules or values is true or false, depending on the culture in which it is presented'. So for example, the claim that 'individuals have a right to privacy', when interpreted through moral relativism, will only be true in some socio-historical contexts, but not others.
I could insert many verses and examples of how there is just one right view from a biblical perspective, but let me just use one example from Solomon’s wisdom in this study.
Ecclesiastes 12:13: The conclusion, when all has been heard, is to fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Truth is always truth and right is always right – not matter what people are involved or situations are involved. The Bible teaches this and the Lord Jesus lived it out for us. Now, let us refocus on spiritual and moral clarity in the Christian life.
As always, the Lord Jesus is our example. When someone saw and/or heard Jesus, there was no mistaking what He was saying or doing and why He was saying or doing it. There was never a time He was not perfectly clear about who He was, where He came from, why He was here, and how we fit into that. The Holy Spirit will give us the spiritual and moral clarity of Christ, if we will let Him.
Psalm 25:4: Show me your ways (clarity) Lord and teach me your paths (more clarity).
Psalm 32:8: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go (clarity). I will counsel you with my loving eye on you (more clarity).
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (clarity).
James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (clarity). But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (No moral or spiritual clarity)
Isaiah 30:21: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (clarity)
If people saw you or me act in life and heard us carry on conversations, can they say we were perfectly clear in who we are as Christians, how we became Christians, our purpose on earth as Christians, and how we were an example to them of what Jesus Christ can do for them, while they are still alive on this earth...before they enter into eternity?
Matthew 5:14-16: Jesus said “You are the light of the world…..let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works (clarity) and give glory to your Father in Heaven”,
Matthew 16:24: Jesus made it clear (clarity) to “Deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him (moral & spiritual clarity).
Philippians 2:5: Let this humble mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus”. (clarity)
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (clarity).. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God (clarity), who loved me and gave himself for me.
To better understand the Holy Spirit’s work in helping us become the moral and spiritual window of clarity into who Christ is, where He came from, why He was here, and how they fit into Christ’s mission on earth....it will help to understand the work of a diamond grader in classifying the clarity of diamonds.
This pear-shaped diamond is one of only a handful in the world to have been graded by experts to have both perfect color and clarity. At 101.73 carats it is more than twice the size of a similar 'flawless diamond’ which recently sold for $9.4million.
The world's largest 'flawless diamond’ ever to go on sale took 21 months to polish.
The Holy Spirit began polishing you the day you surrendered you life to Christ and He will continue polishing you until the moment you die on this earth. Consider these wise words of C. S. Lewis.
If we let Him — for we can prevent Him, if we choose — He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a ... dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and Iove as we cannot now imagine, a bright, stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness.
C.S Lewis
Diamond Color vs. Clarity Guide | Diamond 101
Technical details are summarized from: www.rarecat.com
What Is Diamond Clarity?
Diamond clarity refers to the purity and rarity of the stone, and the degree to which it presents blemishes and inclusions. When forming, natural microscopic characteristics can be trapped within or on the diamond. These internal and surface characteristics are inspected by gemologists, who use 10x magnification and a qualitative grading system to assign a numerical value (clarity grade) to each diamond.
The lower the number of imperfections and flaws in a diamond’s aesthetic appearance, the higher the clarity grade. When determining the optimum clarity for a diamond, keep in mind that no diamond is entirely pure. However, the closer it gets to purity, the clearer it becomes. Diamonds with no or few inclusions are considered particularly rare and highly valued.
While clarity has a significant effect on the value of a diamond, most defects are invisible to the naked or unassisted eye.
How Are Clarity Grades Determined & Diamond Clarity Chart
Evaluating diamond clarity entails assessing the quantity, size, relief, type, and location of the microscopic characteristics, as well as their effect on the stone's overall look. Experienced gemologists use 10x magnification to identify and classify these clarity characteristics by size, type and position. The characteristics are then mapped on a “diamond plot” which looks different for every diamond! Gemological labs, such as GIA and IGI, measure diamonds on a scale from “Included” to “Flawless”.
Diamond clarity is measured on a scale from:
- Included
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2)
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2)
- Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2)
- Internally Flawless
- Flawless: These gems are free from surface blemishes and internal flaws, making them extremely rare. Only about 1% of stones receive an FL clarity rating.
Then there are the diamond clarity ratings to consider. These go from a rating of highest clarity to lowest clarity using assigned codes. These codes are:
- FL/IF: If you see anything on diamonds with a flawless clarity rating, it's most likely dust. If that small particle were an inclusion inside the diamond, it would undoubtedly reduce the stone to a VVS2.
- VVS1: Only a strong microscope can reveal the pinpoints. At this magnification, VVS1 size inclusions are not visible. A standard picture, even enlarged, can only concentrate on a single degree of depth.
- VVS2: A gemological microscope is required to detect a VVS2 inclusion since the pattern is often composed of many smaller VVS1-sized spots that add up to a VVS2 clarity grade. Because the individual dots are too tiny to view with a jeweler's loupe, they must be identified using a microscope.
- VS1: Unlike VVS2 clarity inclusions, a VS1 never requires the use of a microscope. However, it's still tiny and will never be seen by just the human eye.
- VS2: To the naked eye, VS2 clarity inclusions are nearly always clean.
- SI1: The diamond rated as an SI1 clarity is just below the VS2 clarity. One must remember that a clarity grade may be assigned to a diamond based on various distinct inclusion spots. It's uncommon for the clarity grade to be determined by a single focused inclusion. Typically, the clarity grade is composed of some smaller spots and clouds of tiny dots. Because each inclusion is so slight, the diamond seems flawless to the human eye in these instances.
- SI2: With step cuts like the emerald and asscher, an inclusion with SI2 clarity is almost always apparent to the naked eye. In most cases, an SI2 clarity inclusion will be visible to the naked eye when used with other dazzling forms.
Types Of Inclusion In Diamonds And In Our Lives
When a diamond forms, small crystals may get stuck inside. Occasionally, when a crystal develops, its atomic structure may acquire imperfections. The size, location, and visibility of inclusions all affect the clarity of a diamond. When evaluating the clarity of a diamond, there are many distinct kinds of inclusions to consider. Here are a few of the most common kinds, along with an explanation of what they are. After each explanation, there are examples of how moral and spiritual inclusions can be present in the lives of Christians.
Crystals: A crystal inclusion refers to a small mineral crystal embedded within a diamond. Depending on the nature of the minerals, crystals may be colorless, red, black, or green. Colored inclusions degrade the gem’s appearance, so you should always aim for colorless imperfections.
Just as a small mineral crystal can get embedded with a diamond, spiritually for us living in this fallen world, a contaminant can be an unwanted substance that can make us unclean, such as lust (sinful fantasizing), envy, greed, pride (considering ourselves above others), bitterness, revengeful, malice, obstinacy, etc.
1 Thessalonians 4:7: God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Clouds: Cloud inclusions refer to a group of crystals or pinpoints dotted closely together. Cloud inclusions can sometimes negatively affect a stone’s visual appeal. For example, when the clouds are too big, the diamond will have an unsightly, hazy appearance. When diffused, clouds aren’t an issue and don’t impact light transmission properties. If a diamond has many big clouds, it's referred to as a cloudy diamond.
Spiritual Cloud Inclusions in our lives can be a group of spiritual or moral crystals or pinpoints dotted closely together in our character. These can represent gossip (a whisperer) along with bad or evil reports, sharing rumors or half-truths, meddlesome actions, character assassination, and the like!
Proverbs 18:8: The words of a whisperer (or group of whisperers together) are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Graining Inclusions: Due to the uneven crystal development, this kind of inclusion produces internal graining that manifests as white, colored, or reflecting lines, giving the diamond a highly hazy look.
Graining Inclusions came from uneven crystal development, making the diamond look highly hazed...even more than clouds. Uneven spiritual development can be caused by Ignorance, incomplete repentance of failures in the past, refusing to gain a clear conscience, double-mindedness, apathy, lukewarmness (delighting in the things of the world), partial submission, or refusing to accept or submit to the Lordship of Christ.
When King David refused to confess his adultery with Bathsheba and the plan he put into action, which would cause her righteous husband to be killed in battle, he suppressed his feelings of guilt. BUT he paid a heavy price spiritually and physically. His baby died and his health failed: ‘When I kept silent, my bones wasted away and my strength was sapped’ (Psalm 32:3-4). He had to be confronted by Nathan the prophet before he faced his sin and sought God’s forgiveness. Then his health returned, but he said he would not get to see that child again until he got to heaven.
Cavity Inclusions: A cavity inclusion is a small hole in the diamond, just like a tooth cavity. The cavities may look colorless, depending on the kind of contained minerals found inside the diamond's body. If the crystal inclusions in the cavity are colored, they become considerably more visible and are likely to be visible to the naked eye.
A spiritual cavity inclusion can be like a blind spot in our lives...people can see a hole in our character and/or testimony that we don’t see. We don’t want to go through life with a mouth full (a life full) of spiritual cavities.
As we interact with people, they can notice something is missing in our integrity or in our moral and spiritual consistency. We can end up judging others for issues we are actually guilty of. We can come across as rude, insensitive, cold, unloving, as a know-it-all, etc. The blind spots can eventually cause us to make up excuses when others question us about them. You have heard of and/or used one or more of these one-liners identified at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/can-you-see-your-spiritual-blind-spots/
- “This is just the way I am.”
- “I’m only human.”
- “Oh, it’s no big deal.”
- “Everyone else is doing it.”
- “It’s okay as long as no one is getting hurt.”
- “It was just a little white lie.”
- “God will understand.”
- “At least I’m not as bad as [fill-in-the-blank].”
James 1:23-24: Anyone who listens to the word, but does not do what it says, is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (Forgets the blind spots)
Romans 2:1 & 21-23: Why do you judge others for the very things you do?
Feather Inclusions: Tiny fractures inside the diamond that may seem translucent or catch the light and give the diamond a white appearance, depending on the angle from which it's seen.
Feather Inclusions in our faith can come from many different things. They begin as tiny fractures and lead to major cracks, which will be revealed when exposed to light and truth and various kinds of pressures in life.
- Uncertainty: We cannot figure out what is right or wrong in a situation.
- Tragedy: We lose a loved one, a best friend, our health, our finances, etc.
- Betrayal: We are betrayed by parents, a spouse, children, friends, church members, etc.
- Fear: We fear the future or the unknown or people or losing something important, etc.
- Unbelief: We lose the feeling of confidence in our faith when challenges overwhelm us.
- Confusion: We can become confused when others we believed in and looked to - fail to honor God or fail to live up to their own professed beliefs or convictions.
- Unanswered prayer: We can lose hope or faith when it appears God is just not going to answer one of our prayers that seem very important to us and urgent at the time.
We can be tempted to conclude that God must not be real or He must not really love us and our faith feels fractured or cracked. Our spiritual diamond can stop reflecting the light and love of Christ. What is the solution?
We can do what Job’s wife did when God allowed all of their ten children to die in one day and all of their property was lost. It was too much for her and she told Job to just curse God and die?
Or we can stop relying on our own supposed faith and just rely on Christ alone and His faith!!! As long as we rely on our own faith (presumption), we really don’t have Biblical faith. Biblical faith starts when we totally rely on Jesus Christ and His faith and His faithfulness. What a relief to not have to depend on our faith (peace & rest)!
Mark 11:22: Have faith in God! (When Hudson Taylor was translating the Gospel of Mark from Greek into Chinese in the 1800’s, he discovered how the fullness of the Greek words actually convey this: “Have faith in God’s faithfulness”. The faith of Christ cannot be fractured or cracked or splintered.
Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
Years ago a faithful Jewish Rabbi, who was a real student of the Word, said this about biblical faith....“With faith – there are no questions. Without faith – there are no answers!”
Job 13:15: Even though He kills me, yet will I trust in Him.
Twinning Wisps: Twinning wisps also occur during a diamond’s development phase. The gem grows in one direction, but abruptly stops due to unfavorable circumstances. When it continues developing in a new direction, twinning wisps appear. These inclusions are a cluster of clouds, pinpoints, or crystals.
Spiritual Twinning Wisps happen when a growing Christian has some kind of experience in life (unfavorable circumstances) that challenges their faith and discourages them or overwhelms them. If and when they start growing again spiritually, they can grow in a new direction (looking for new truths so to speak) and end up getting doctrine out of balance, etc...
Their focus in life can become spiritually lopsided. I heard a wise man say years ago, that truth out of balance leads to heresy. This can then lead to the formation of cults over time, as one or two doctrines are taught to the exclusion of other doctrines. And...this can lead to church splits along with a lot of hurt and wounded people.
Acts 20:27: For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
2 Timothy 2:15: Do 2 your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. {Learning and sharing the truth in balance.}
Pinpoints: Pinpoints are black or white crystals inside a diamond that mimic small dots, which of course take away from a diamond’s transparency, clarity, and ability to reflect light.
Spiritual Pinpoints In our lives can represent a mixture of the right and good in our lives along with the bad and carnal, not yet dealt with. This of course can take away from our Christ-like transparency, Christ-like clarity, and Christ-like ability to reflect light and truth. This results in spiritual lukewarmness, which Jesus said makes Him sick.
Revelation 3:15-16: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
So - How Important Is Diamond Clarity?
Clarity affects how a diamond shines and appears when illuminated — and fewer inclusions mean the diamond will shine more brilliantly. When determining the optimum clarity for a diamond, keep in mind that no diamond is entirely pure. However, the closer it gets to purity, the clearer it becomes.
How Important Is A Spiritual Diamond’s Clarity?
Moral and Spiritual Clarity affect how a Christian shines and appears when illuminated — when the lights are turned on us and everything is showing. Fewer moral and spiritual inclusions will mean we, as God’s diamonds, will shine more brilliantly and reveal more of Christ.
Just as when graders are determining the optimum clarity for a diamond, they know no diamond is entirely pure. However, the closer it gets to purity, the clearer it becomes. This is God’s will for us. The closer we get to the purity of Christ (impurities and flaws removed), the clearer our lives become. During the 33 years Christ lived on the earth, His life demonstrated perfect moral and spiritual clarity.
@ Even Pilot had to admit that he could find no fault in Jesus. What a testimony from the Roman authorities who put Him to death (Luke 23:14).
@ Even Judas openly confessed in Matthew 27:3-4...“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood”. AND...He knew Jesus as well as anyone.
@ Remember the Roman Centurion that was a part of the crucifixion team in Matthew 27:54? As he watched Jesus die and the way Jesus died, he concluded that surely this was the Son of God. What a testimony from a hardened Roman soldier! When people watch us go through hard times, pain, suffering, and loss...may they say, “Surely this is a Christian!”
Our calling as spiritual diamonds is to have even our enemies confess they can find no fault in us and if they betray us, they will know and admit they betrayed our moral and spiritual innocence. What is standing in the way of you and I having this affirmation?
Therefore, one of the most important works of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as God’s children and disciples of Christ, is to develop His moral and spiritual clarity in us, so that it is as close to Christ’s as possible. Our testimony should be that of Christ in 1 Peter 2:22: Jesus committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth....Deceit will certainly cloud our transparency and clarity.
We should have moral clarity and spiritual clarity in everything we say and do and in the way we say it and do it. It should come across as though Christ Himself is saying things and doing things in us and through us.
What are our challenges in cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s work to finish off our spiritual diamond’s clarity, where we are as close to a flawless spiritual diamond for Christ as possible? This would mean as Christians we were above and beyond reproach or blameless or beyond criticism.
(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/be-above-beyond-reproach)
SYNONYMS FOR BEYOND REPROACH (HTTPS://WWW.THESAURUS.COM/BROWSE/BEYOND%20REPROACH)
*blameless *exemplary *faultless *good *guiltless *impeccable *inculpable *innocent *irreprehensible *irreprovable *perfect *pure *reproachless *righteous *unblameable *unblemished *unimpeachable *virtuous
The words above still fall short of describing the moral and spiritual perfections of our Lord Jesus Christ, but they sure give us a clear picture of where the Holy Spirit is taking us on our journey to Christ-likeness through CLARITY.
Paul summed up our holy calling like this in Philippians 2:14: Live a cheerful life, without complaining or division among yourselves. For then you will be seen as innocent, faultless, and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe, offering them the words of eternal life. Oh my friends, what a high calling we have!!!
I thought you might enjoy seeing how one of the great Christians in early church history phrased our calling to mirror Paul’s words in Philippians.
Justin Martyr
We who formerly delighted in fornication, now embrace chastity alone. We who formerly used magical arts now dedicate ourselves to the good and unbegotten God. We who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock, and communicate to everyone in need. We who hated and destroyed one another and on account of their different manners would not live with men of a different tribe, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them and pray for our enemies and endeavor to persuade those who hate us unjustly to live in conformity with the good precepts of Christ - to the end that they may become partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from God the ruler of all.
Justin Martyr was born in 100 AD in Flavia Neapolis, Palestine [now Nāblus]. He died in 165 AD in Rome, Italy. He became a Christian in 132 AD in Ephesus (Turkey). He was denounced by the Roman authorities as subversive for his teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ. He was condemned to death with six companions. The authentic records of his martyrdom show that he was beheaded. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Justin-Martyr)
Thanks again for your precious time!
Gene
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