Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
To be pure is to be clean and unstained, being free from all inordinate desires and sin. The word “heart” is often used in Scripture to refer to the human spirit. The Greek word translated heart in this Scripture, “kardia”, also refers to our thoughts, mind, character or will. Therefore being pure in heart does not end at being born again and receiving a recreated human spirit, created in Christ Jesus in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). It also requires that through the grace God gives, we choose to stay pure in our thoughts, mind, motives and character – cleansing ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit (see 2 Corinthians 7:1).
Purity of heart before God denotes holiness before Him and this is infinitely crucial because it is the key to seeing God as Jesus pointed out: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Again we are told: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord ” (Hebrews 12: 14). “Not seeing God” (see Hebrews 12:14) -does not just refer to not being able to discern the hand/move of God in our everyday lives. It also refers to not being present as a part of the bride He comes to at His appearing as we shall see below. We get ourselves into such a bad deplorable when we choose to make a practice of unholy living.
1 John 3:2-3 establishes the fact that those who will see Jesus when He appears are those who will be like Him, and those who have this hope of seeing Him keep themselves pure, just as He is pure. This is not a figurative “seeing of the Lord”, but an actual seeing of the Lord by being a part of His bride at His return. The Greek word translated shall see (i.e optanomai) in 1 John 2:2: “…but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as He is” – is the same word translated “shall see” in Hebrews 12:12 “…and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”. It is also the same word translated “shall see” when Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). If we believe that we will actually see the Lord at His coming when we keep ourselves pure as He is ( see 1 John 3:2-3), then there is no reason to think that we can choose not to be as pure as He is by living after the sinful flesh, and still see Him. For He has said it is those who are like Him that gets to see Him (1 John 3:2-3). Therefore He says, “be holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). You must be like Him to see Him.
Being holy/pure in heart does not mean that you never sin (for we all stumble in many ways -James 3:2; but if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness – 1 John 1:9). But it does mean that we do not make a practice of sin: “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil…”(1 John 3:7-8).
We cannot partake of Christ and go on living in the ways of the evil one; if we are Christ’s, we will pursue righteousness by love (Rick Joyner). For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13). And when He appears, it is those who have kept themselves pure that shall see Him (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 2:2-3; Hebrews 12:14).
-Kwadwo Omari
(c) 2016