‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matthew 5:8)
It was common in Israel for people to be regarded as externally pure if they followed the procedure laid out in the religious rituals connected to their worship. If a person touched a dead body, for example, he was regarded as unclean until he had performed the various requirements connected to him being regarded as clean. The obvious danger that people faced was empty formalism, based on an assumption that the Lord only cared about outward observance. As long as they did what was expected of them, others would regard them as devout, whereas what really mattered was what a person was like on the inside.
Have you ever listed Bible verses containing the word ‘pure’? In case you have not, here are some:
It is the initial feature of heavenly wisdom: ‘But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere’ (Jas. 3:17).
It marks dedication to Christ: ‘But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ’ (2. Cor. 11:3).
It is something to pray for regarding one another: ‘And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ’ (Phil. 1:9-10).
Without it we cannot pray: ‘So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart’ (2 Tim. 2:22).
It should mark our thought life: ‘Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things’ (Phil. 4:8).
It is from a pure heart that Christian love emerges: ‘The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith’ (1 Tim. 1:5).
It includes separation from sin: ‘Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure’ (1 Tim. 5:22).
It defines brotherly love: ‘Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart’ (1 Pet. 1:22).
It includes visiting those in need: ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world’ (Jas. 1:27).
It includes thinking about glory: ‘Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure’ (1 John 3:2-3).
That brief list reveals that purity includes our thoughts, our affections, our prayers, our practices, and our focus on the glory to come.
Where to begin
We must begin with the fact that our hearts are impure by nature. What makes them impure is our innate sinfulness. The heart refers to our entire inner personality, who we are. It includes our thinking, our affections and our desires. Proverbs tells us to keep the heart with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life. We can hide our inside from other people, but we cannot hide from God. We know what Jesus said about the heart: ‘But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone’ (Matt. 15:18-20). Obviously what we need is a different heart.
What should we understand by ‘pure in heart’?
We must distinguish between different kinds of personal purity. First, there is the purity that God possesses. Second, there is created purity which Adam and Eve had before they fell. Third, there is the purity that we receive at conversion. Fourth, there is ongoing purity throughout our Christian lives. Fifth, there is the purity that Christians shall have when they cease to be affected by sin either in heaven when they die, or when Jesus returns should they live until the second coming. The first and second types of purity are not available to us. But we do and will experience the remaining three if we are Christians.
The purity mentioned by Jesus is connected to sanctification. Sanctification can be divided into three aspects, and the aspects fit with the three areas identified above as numbers three, four and five. At conversion, believers receive positional sanctification; during their lives on earth, they experience progressive sanctification; and at the end of their lives here, they experience perfect sanctification. So we can think of purity in heart and what it means in each of those aspects.
I would also add that there are two ways by which we obtain purity and cleansing. They are not equal, but both are necessary. One is the blood of Christ and this is referred to in 1 John 1:7: ‘the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.’ The other is the Word of God and this is referred to in Psalm 119:9: ‘How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.’ Obviously the blood of Christ is much more essential and effective, but in the process of sanctification we also need the instruction and guidance of the Word of God.
What happens at conversion?
Several things take place when a sinner responds to the gospel. We know that he is justified (accepted as righteous by God for the sake of Christ) and adopted into the family of God. Those blessings follow regeneration, but they are declarations made outside the person by God. In addition, there are inner effects following regeneration because it is the beginning of sanctification, the onset of the life of holiness.
I would mention three features of this initial sanctification and they are linked to sinners becoming saints. First, when they repent of their sins and trust in Jesus they are cleansed from their sins. Jesus alluded to this when in John 13 he describes believers having a bath as well as smaller washings. He said that conversion was like a bath, and we see from elsewhere in the Bible that we are cleansed from the defilement of sin through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. This experience is illustrated by the Old Testament invitation which says that although our sins are very red we can become white as snow.
Second, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell their hearts. His indwelling has many benefits and one of them is that his presence requires purity. He does not dwell in an unclean place, even although the hearts of his people are still sinful. The Spirit is fully aware of the efficacy of the blood of Jesus. It not only makes it possible for us to dwell with God, it makes it possible for God to dwell with us.
Third, the Spirit when he regenerated his people, made them new creatures. They are no longer dead in sin for they are alive to God. They are made partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. They start to live there, but they can only do so because they are now pure, fit to begin a journey that will last for the rest of their lives. As the apostle John indicates, in order for them to walk in the light with God, the blood of Christ has to go on cleansing them from all sin.
What happens through consecration?
How would we describe the Christian life? No doubt there are many ways of doing so. One word that describes it is consecration. We dedicate ourselves to God repeatedly, and often the cause of the re-consecration is a lapse into sin. The fact is that the only people in this world who consecrate themselves to God are sinners, although they are sinners who are being sanctified. Ongoing consecration in this world always takes this reality into account. Therefore, they do so, aware of their need of the blood of Christ.
The verses that I read at the start of this service have to do with ongoing sanctification. That is the case with regard to prayer, with regard to brotherly love, with regard to our thoughts and our affections, our practices, and our focus on the glory to come. As the verses indicate, they are expressions of purity, even although the people so described are never totally pure in this life. They know that they should be fully consecrated in those areas (and in many more), but they are thankful that they can have this divine provision – the blood of Jesus and the application of the Word in the hand of the Spirit – that brings about this experience for them of being pure in heart, even although they are not sinless. They become Christlike, even although they are not yet fully like him.
What happens at the conclusion of the Christian life?
They become perfect in their hearts. All trace of sin will be gone. This will be the case inwardly and outwardly. When they die, their souls go to heaven; in a second, they are transformed into perfection. Never again will they experience sin. They will be pure in heart for the whole of eternity.
The vision of God
It is important to say that this sight of God will not be that of a visible shape. God is invisible and will remain so forever (John 1:18). So how can creatures see God?
It is true that God has at times revealed himself by taking a human form. In Old Testament times, he appeared in this way, for example, to Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, the parents of Samson, and Isaiah. Ultimately, the Son of God became a man and he remains God and man forever. So we will see God when we see Jesus, even although what we will see is his glorified humanity.
The Beatitude does not limit the sight of God to the eternal state. Instead, it says that the pure in heart will see him. In this life we see him by faith, which obviously does not refer to visible sight. We see him truly even if we do not see him fully. We see him as the God of salvation who planned it, procured it and applied it. We see the Father as our Father, the Son as our Lord and Saviour, and the Spirit as our Comforter in a wide range of ways.
Thomas Watson wrote that ‘faith sees God’s glorious attributes in the light of his Word’. In creation, we see some of his attributes, but we don’t see all of them until we read his Word. The sight of them causes us to be amazed at who God is, to admire God for who he is, and to rejoice in him.
In the world to come, we will see Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, in his human nature. It will be an endless sight, a shared sight (all God’s people will see him), and a satisfying sight (it will fulfil all our desires). We will see an exalted Saviour who will be delighted to be with his people eternally. It will also be the case that the sight of the exalted Christ will be a transforming sight, a joyful sight, and a sight that leads to endless praise.
Application
It does not take a lot of time to work out the application of each of the Beatitudes. All we have to do is ask ourselves if we have them? Yet we can ask some other questions of ourselves? Here are four.
First, are we using our hearts in ways that prevent us seeing God as we should? Second, do we value the cleansing of the blood of Christ when we fail, or do we forget to ask for cleansing? Third, do we use God’s Word as a lamp to show us how to please God? Fourth, are we looking forward to seeing Jesus in his glory?