The pure in heart (Part 2)

In Part 1 we saw that the only way to become one who is “pure in heart” is to believe in Jesus Christ, who has sanctified us in the truth (John 17:19), cleansed us through “the “washing of the water of the word” (Ephesians 5:26-27) and filled us with the “Spirit of Holiness” (Romans 1:4). As a result of the new birth, Hebrews 10:10 tells us that “we have been sanctified [made holy] through the offering of the body of Jesus.” There is nothing we can do to earn this state of holiness – it was accomplished by the will and grace of God, and the obedience of Jesus; all we can do is believe in him.

But the New Testament also speaks about another aspect of holiness that involves our own choices, actions and behavior. Consider the following verses:

2 Corinthians 7:1

“Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

1 Peter 1:15

“Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior.”

Holiness in this sense dos not refer to that which Jesus accomplished for us at the cross, but the degree to which we keep ourselves “unstained by the world” (James 1:27) in day-to-day life. In Deuteronomy 23:14 Moses told the people of Israel, “Your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you.” Because the Israelites were a Holy people, set apart by God’s own choosing, God expected them to keep themselves and their camp undefiled.

This same thing is true of us as Christians as well. Even though we are a holy people, we live in an unholy world, and every day we are faced with the temptation to set our hearts on the things of this world, including “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” (1 John 2:16) Even though God has sanctified us by His Holy spirit, we can still defile ourselves by yielding our hearts, minds and bodies to be used as “instruments of unrighteousness” (Romans 6:13)

A substance is said to be “pure” when it is unmixed with anything else. In the same way, the “pure in heart” are those whose heart is given entirely to fulfilling the will, purposes, and desires of God. There can be no divided allegiance in a pure heart. For example, if we are still trying to “serve God and wealth” then we do not have a pure heart. This is why James 4:8 says, “purify your hearts, you double-minded.” If there is an area of our life where we are still giving a portion of our heart to the things of the world, then we are still double-minded, and do not yet have a pure heart.

The blessing Jesus spoke over those who are “pure in heart” is that they will see God. This does not just refer to being given a brief glimpse from a distance, but rather to being able to regularly behold the glory of His presence. (Exodus 33:19) And through this continual beholding of his glory, we are transformed into his own image and likeness, and become as he is. (2 Corinthians 3:18, 1^st John 3:2) No wonder Jesus said that those who are “pure in heart” are blessed! I’m not sure about you, but this makes me all the more eager to be one of those “who call on the Lord from a pure heart!” (2 Tim. 2:22)