Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
The promise for the pure in heart is that they will see God. We would do well to remember what is required for us to enter the kingdom of God and thus see God. Consider these three truths about eternal life.
- Seeing God Requires Faith
…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Galatians 2:16
Our quest for purity does not come from our works rather our standing in Christ by faith. When we place our faith in the perfection and purity of Jesus as a satisfactory sacrifice and payment for our sin, we are then set free to live lives of purity. This spiritual freedom brings with it the ability to make choices that we might have otherwise rejected in our former life. God is looking for purity in our hearts and that purity comes from His working in our lives.
- Seeing God Requires Humility
And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:2-4
Our quest for purity comes as we humble ourselves and receive Christ like a child. This is not an instruction to be childish rather a call to trust Jesus through simple, childlike faith. As we recognize our own spiritual stains and lack of purity and begin to long for the innocence that comes from the attitude of a small child, we begin to understand what God desires for us as believers, even in adulthood. Humility and trust in Jesus brings spiritual rest. God is looking for purity in our hearts and that purity comes as we trust Him with a childlike faith.
- Seeing God Requires Spiritual Birth
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot seethe kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
Our quest for purity comes after our spiritual rebirth. Unless we have been born again and have received the Spirit of God, any attempts to live in purity of thought, word, and deed will ultimately fail. Our salvation comes from God. Our righteousness comes from Jesus. Our eternal security comes from His promises. God is looking for purity in our hearts and that purity comes from a spiritual rebirth.
Happy are the pure in heart for they shall see God!
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 24:3-5
mytwocents.info 