The beatitudes describe a life of happiness that is rooted in the experience of the grace of God. The saving grace of God by the work of Jesus Christ works in the believer a deep desire to personally know and experience God more day by day. Psalm 42 describes the believer panting and thirsting for God. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This is what every true believer craves, a personal, intimate encounter with God.
Purity of heart describes those who will see God. That reminds us that God’s concern for me goes beyond outward words and actions to the heart. In Mark 7, Jesus said that the people of that day honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. Proverbs 4:23 says that we must guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. It is possible for a person to live by a strict code of biblical do’s and don’ts while having no intimate connection with God. Our purity needs to be on a heart level, our affections and emotions and desires. These are the true battleground of the soul.
The purity that is referred to here has the idea of that which is unmixed. We are all good at hiding our flaws. We don’t like seeing them, so we try to hide them from others. In Matthew 23, Jesus said that the Pharisees were diligent to scour the outside of the cup while leaving the inside filthy. The inside of the cup is not as visible, but it is much more likely to make you sick. We work hard to present ourselves as good and spiritual people, but what do people see when they get a glimpse into our souls? The answer is not the mere transparency that is satisfied in sin and content to allow others to see it. It is an honest authenticity that emanates a passion for purity of heart.
Christianity is not a “fake it until you make it” life. David tried to live a double life- going through the motions of being right with God without repenting of his sin. In his psalm of repentance, he said in Psalm 51:6, “You desire truth in the inward parts.” Many people are going through the motions of superficial religion, but God is not satisfied with false fronts and superficiality. You may fool those closest to you, but you have not fooled God. Those who are pure in heart will see God.
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