The Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Continuing in this short Bible Study, the late Theologian RC Sproul comments on this Beatitude that the thing that keeps us from having the vision of God now is our impurity, our sin. The Apostle John said that when we see Him, we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Jesus said that those who are pure at their very core are the ones who will see God. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “pure” as: Free from moral defilement; without spot; not sullied or tarnished; incorrupt; undebased by moral turpitude; holy. The bi-product of being pure, “purity” is defined as: Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; as purity of heart or life.

Dr. Sproul points out that we are given glimpses of what heaven will be like, but we don’t have a complete picture of what to expect when we cross over to the other side. The Apostle John was cognizant of the limits of our knowledge, and even the limits of the revelation that he received about these matters from the Lord, but He doesn’t leave us groping in the darkness. We don’t yet know what we will be like, but this much we do know: we will be like Him, that is, Christ.

1 John 3:1-3 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are; 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.

The New Testament speaks about the consummation of Christ’s kingship at His return, it uses the language of apocalypse, which means “unveiling.” At this point, Christ will be made manifest; He will appear in His full glory. This truth promises something even greater, if that’s conceivable, than seeing Christ face-to-face in the fullness of His glory. We won’t simply see the expression of the perfect image of God; we will see God in His very essence, face-to-face.

American Theologian Jonathan Edwards, speculatively, suggested that the experiences that we think of as direct and immediate eyewitness experiences are really indirect and mediated experiences. They pass through the intermediate steps of light, sensation, nerve stimulation, and so on. According to Edwards, the ultimate vision of God will be one that takes place without the eyes. It will be a direct and immediate apprehension by the human soul of the very essence of God—a completely and dramatically transcendent mode of perception. All of the barriers that prevent our seeing God will be removed, and we will be filled in our souls with direct, immediate apprehension of the being of God.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 “In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”

So, keep it always in front of you as the ultimate promise and blessing for the fullness of your soul.

Blessed in Christ