Every morning, before I get up, there is one thing I must do. No matter how early or late, no matter what else I have decided to do that morning, I absolutely must put my glasses on. Without them my bedroom is a blur of soft colors, and my path is treacherous. Seeing clearly is essential to my day.
Today’s Beatitude is Matthew 5:8:
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. — Matthew 5:8
My glasses are the only way I will be able to see the path out of my room. And having a pure heart is the only way to see God.
What Is a Pure Heart?
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. — Psalm 24:3-4
A pure heart is a heart that can stand before God. We might say a pure heart is about holiness.
Purity of heart consists in that steady direction of the soul toward the divine life which excludes every other object from the homage of the heart. — John Peter Lange
When our hearts are inclined toward anything other than God, we are double-minded. But how difficult it is to be single-mined in our devotion to God! That is because we are all sinners:
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” — 1 John 1:8
How Can I Purify My Heart?
If we are all sinners, how can it be possible to be pure at heart? Proverbs 20:9 asks, “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’?” The answer, of course, is no one! We can not purify our own hearts. David cried out to God:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. — Psalm 51:10
It is only through Jesus that you and I can be cleansed in our innermost being. All our hope is in Him!
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
My glasses correct my broken eyes so that I can see the world around me clearly, and Jesus corrects my broken heart so that I may see the Father.
The “pure in heart” exhibit a single-minded devotion to God that stems from the internal cleansing created by following Jesus. Holiness is a prerequisite for entering God’s presence. — Craig Blomberg
Results of a Pure Heart
What is the result of a pure heart? Matthew 5:8 tells us that those with pure hearts will see God!
We won’t visibly see God on this side of heaven, but when Jesus dwells within us, we see His transforming power, and His beautiful life-giving work. He blesses us by allowing us to participate in that work! Cleansed hearts are hearts that are able to truly 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 Peter 1:22
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. — 1 Timothy 1:5
And the great joy of our hearts, the eternal happiness we look forward to, is seeing the Lord God face to face:
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. — Revelation 22:3-4
Blessed indeed are we who serve the Almighty God!
Our hearts are mended and our hope secure!
For further study:
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God by RC Sproul
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart by John Piper
Pure in Heart by Billy Graham
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God excerpts from Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine
What does it mean to be pure in heart?
What does it really mean for believers to see God?
The Beatitudes on DoNotDepart:
Read more of our series on the Beatitudes
Join us in memorizing the Beatitudes
[…] For more on Matthew 5:8, see Patti’s post, “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart for They Shall See God.” […]