“Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God.” –Matthew 5:8
This is a beautiful promise that has captured my heart the
last few days. The pure in heart shall see God. How exciting! As I pondered
this, I wondered what it looks like to be pure. It’s not just the chastity
model so many of us have learned, nor is it all about abstinence or determining
how far is too far sexually. Purity of heart goes deeper than sexual purity,
and while sexual purity starts in the heart, true purity encompasses much more
than this. Jesus teaches that what one speaks comes from his heart and defiles
a man (Matt 15:18), and Paul admonishes us not to allow unwholesome talk to
escape our mouths since this violates purity. At another time, Jesus compares
harboring unjust anger towards one’s brother to the Old Testament command about
murder saying, both will lead to “danger of the judgment” (Matt 5:21-22). This, too, violates purity, and there are
many other violations of purity noted throughout the Scriptures. With each of
these issues, purity is not necessarily about abstinence or pushing boundaries.
Purity ultimately is a condition of the heart.
I believe that the secret of living with a pure heart is
found in Matt. 6:1-4. In these verses, Jesus warns the multitude of doing good
deeds before an audience as many of the religious people did at the time. He
encourages them that the Father will reward a good deed done in secret, and
it’s a far better reward than the momentary praise of men. This passage speaks of motives. Ask yourself: what is the motive of your
heart in pursuing purity? Is it to please your family, significant other, or
pastor? Is it to follow the “rules” to ensure you have a place in heaven? Are
you trying to put on a good show for those around you? Or are you honestly
living to please God? How you answer the motive question will determine whether
you are truly pursuing purity or living for a fleeting reward. If you are truly
living to please the Father, then purity will no longer be a matter of what you
can or can’t do. You won’t even want to go near those things if you think for a
second that you could bring displeasure to His heart by engaging in them. Walking
with a pure heart is seeking to please the Father in whatever you do. This leads to the fulfilled promise of seeing
His face.
Psalm 24 speaks of a generation that will seek the face of
the LORD, a generation who has clean hands and a pure heart, the generation of
Jacob. This generation will be pursuers
and lovers of purity made up of those who have counted the cost and still find
Him worthy. When we pursue purity, we pursue the heart of Jesus for He is the
only one truly undefiled. Jesus lived to please the Father, and in doing so, He
walked untainted within this world. He didn’t compromise for the sake of
relevance, but, in staying true to the call of the Father, He walked in
obedience and stood out as one man among the nations of the known world. Like Jesus, we all have a unique calling and
destiny, and our walks of purity are going to be unique to how we are created
by God, which is why it’s important for us to understand that purity doesn’t
look one way. The Bible does point us on the same path towards purity with the
stipulations and warnings it notes, and, along with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, we should seriously consider and apply the prescriptions found in the
Bible. Even so, the application may not look the same for everyone, and that’s
where the understanding of purity draws us back to our motives. Purity looks like seeking to please God
within the realm and community He has placed you. You express one aspect of God
that no other person can, and you are beautiful in your uniqueness. Be that
expression of God within that community without being afraid to stand out. Seek
to please Him among whatever people He has placed you.
There is a line being drawn in the sand, and the people of
God will have to choose where we will stand. We can no longer compromise, but,
like Jesus, we can still remain relevant. He wasn’t relevant in the way the
people desired, but He was still relevant through His obedience, and it changed
the history of the world. Let’s follow the example of Jesus, and get back to
true purity.
