[3] A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, Purves earned degrees in philosophy and divinity from the University of Edinburgh, and a Master of Theology degree from Duke Divinity School.
Originally a member of the Church of Scotland, Purves moved to the United States in 1978 and was ordained in 1979.
He served as pastor of the Hebron Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Pennsylvania, until 1983 when he began teaching at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
He continually argues for a vital connection between the person and work of Jesus Christ in his vicarious humanity and the Christian life; a connection founded upon the believer's union with Christ.
He has become a leader of evangelical renewal in the PCUSA and has become known in that denomination for his support of views concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.