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Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (NIVUK)

Purity is an absolute measure: something is either pure or impure; it cannot be 99% pure … because it is then impure. To be 'pure in heart’ is to be 100% free from sin, and totally pleasing to God. “… without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). This is a tough standard, especially when we consider that holiness is not measured over an hour or a day – but over a lifetime.

Jesus places 'purity of heart' as the condition for seeing God. This seems an impossible objective because nobody except Jesus has ever lived a totally pure life (Romans 3:12). And we cannot make ourselves pure if we have previously been impure, because just one impurity disqualifies us from the joy of God's presence.

And yet Jesus promises joy in God's presence for those whose hearts are pure. How can this be? Although it is impossible for us to mask previous failure by good deeds, the death of Jesus paid for the offence of our impurity and as we repent of it, He takes it away (Psalm 103:12, Micah 7:19). So our purity is not the result of our perfect record but of His removal of our imperfections, as His grace meets our repentance. Then we find great joy in experiencing the presence of God.

Our happiness is directly related to our purity, because any shadow of sin removes the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12). So the believer is urged to continue in pure living by discerning what is best (Philippians 1:10), refusing to complain and argue (Philippians 2:15) and by obeying the truth (1 Peter 1:22). Every time we fail, we need to confess our sin and ask the Lord to take it away (1 John 1:9). Living in the grace of Christ is the only route to real happiness and to the assurance of His presence with us each day until we see Him face to face.

Prayer 
Holy God. Thank You for the joy of knowing that my sins are taken away as I confess them. I am sorry for being satisfied to live without the freedom of a clear conscience, and without the assurance of Your favour. Please help me to keep coming back to the cross of Christ where His blood paid for all my impurity; and help me to have a new desire to keep living in holiness and purity as I obey Your Word and ask for Your cleansing each day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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© Dr Paul Adams