Jesus was blessing the pure in heart

JESUS WAS BLESSING THE PURE IN HEART
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
MATTHEW 5:8 Blessedare the pure in heart, for they
will see God.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Beatitude Of The Pure In Heart
Matthew 5:8
P.C. Barker
Blessedare the pure in heart: for they shall see God. If the foregoing
Beatitude were one that turned its face principally to man, and lookedas it
were fixedly on him, yet with most undoubted aspectGodward, this, on the
other hand, the eighth in order, must certainly be held (and all the more so by
force of the latter clause of it)to place us face to face with God - how certainly,
also, to the subsequent advantage of our fellow-man none candoubt. Simple
as are the words of this Beatitude, the central word, that one on which the
meaning of all hinges, may be rendered yet a little more expressivelyand
unmistakably by the word "clean," whichis the Authorized Version
rendering ten times out of the twenty-eight times of its occurrence in the New
Testament. Three other times is this "cleanheart" spokenof, viz.: "The end
of the commandment is charity out of a clean heart" (1 Timothy 1:5); "With
them that call on the Lord out of a cleanheart" (2 Timothy 2:22); "Love one
another with a cleanheart fervently" (1 Peter1:22). And in addition twice is a
"cleanconscience"spokenof, viz.: "Holding the mystery of the faith in a
cleanconscience" (1 Timothy 3:9); "God, whom I serve from my forefathers

with a cleanconscience"(2 Timothy 1:3). It is a ." cleanlinen cloth" in which
the sacredbody is wrapped (Matthew 27:59); the "sevenangels" are "clothed
in cleanand white linen" (Revelation15:6); the "Lamb's wife" is "arrayed in
fine linen, cleanand white" (Revelation19:8); and "the armies, which
followedthe Word of God," were "clothedin fine linen, white and clean"
(Revelation19:14). If it were possible to hesitate as to what "the pure heart"
of this Beatitude might mean, few could hesitate as to the chief meaning of a
"clean" heart.
I. THE CLEAN IN HEART ARE THOSE WHOSE AFFECTIONS,
THOUGHTS, WISHES, ARE CLEAN. David's prayer, "Create in me a clean
heart, O God," is ever a most practicalcommentary on the too solemn, too
dangerous subject. And St. Peter's earnestentreatyto those whom he counts
even as "dearly beloved," that they "abstainfrom fleshly lusts, which war
againstthe soul," is another. This unclean heart is described by the lips of
Jesus Christ himself: "Out of it proceedevil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew 15:19). And the
description is followedon by St. Paul, when he speaks ofthe "works of the
flesh" (Galatians 5:19). Human affections, pure, clean, innocent(partial and
imperfect and temporary though they be), lead on to the Divine and eternal;
but human passions and the desires of the flesh are the worst foes to the spirit.
Into the heart contaminatedby entertaining such guests, higherand purer
cannot, will not, come. It cannot be pronounced "blessed;" it cannot be
"blessed."It has its own eyes indeed, but they are not eyes with which God
can be seen. Purity of heart must mean first of all pure thoughts, pure desires,
pure affections. Love of the visible, the near, the present, always takes
advantage to hinder the love of God, but impure affections fail not to destroy
it absolutely.
II. THE PURE IN HEART ARE THOSE WHOSE HIGHER JUDGMENT,
BETTER FEELING, TRUER VISION, ARE NOT DISTURBED BYTHAT
ILLUSION OF SELF-INTERESTWHICH HAS SO BRITTLE, AND AT
THE BEST SO BRIEF, A TENURE OF LIFE. The largerexamples of the
disastrous interferences ofwhat for a while wears all the semblance of

expedience, policy, self-interest, and even justifiable self-regard, speak
distinctly for themselves when they occur. But the amazing, the incredible
work of mischief, invisibly, sometimes unconsciously, rarelyenough
confessedly, piled up with the effectof crushing unsuspectedly all that is best
in the individual heart, it would seemonly the plunge into the eternal world
can reveal, whether to others or to the victims themselves, whose name is
legion. Souls could not have been gambled away more mercilesslyor in more
ruinous number than they have by these ways committed suicide. They have
melted down like the snow, and vanished like phantom troops. The pure in
heart know and abide by the right, though it be dressedin rags, and they have
no fellowship with the plausible, though arrayed in purple. The pure in heart
have an instinct, which holds them faithful adherents to that higher judgment,
that better feeling, that truer vision of which the world thinks so little, and
which it sells for a delusive nothing. A pure heart believes in it all, without a
sidelong glance and without" looking back;" guides itself by what it knows to
be the right, and brushes off sophistry as it would a detectedtraitor-friend.
That heart is training to "see God."
III. THE PURE IN HEART ARE THOSE WHOSE HEART ANSWERS AS
FAR AS POSSIBLE TO PURE MOTIVE ONLY. Motives are those hidden
impulses and inducements of individual actions which so soonusurp the
authority of habitual guides of our conduct. Perhaps, to aid our feeble
conceptionof a subject little within our grasp, we might imagine that our
heart in its first form was just the scene and domain of feeling - feeling
blessedlygentle like infants' breathing; blessedlyinnocent, that knew no evil;
exquisitely sensitive, and - grateful, it knew not why nor to whom. In the midst
of that calm scene the plant of thought grew up, inevitably colouredwith
colour's every tint by feeling. It was no clearthought of reasonor of the
intellect alone. It was warm with the warmth of human life, and with all its
mystery of individual hope, wish, and inclinings. This peculiar domain of
feeling and thought, the human soul, became the main place of the originating
of action - the fruitful, too prolific seed-bedof all those deeds of the body for
which, when we "allappear at the judgment-seat of Christ, we must receive...
according to that done, whether goodor bad." Now, that is a motive which

determines feeling and thought to shape itself into action, and which decides
its form. Whence those motives come (so multitudinous, so various, so mixed
in their character), often enoughthe heart itself has lost the stern simplicity to
know, and no earthly judge can safelypronounce. The complication has
become what human skill cannotdisentangle. Even the uncharitable and
censorious worldhas, to a proverb, professedat any rate to renounce the
judging of men's motives. None the less realities, yet are they fearful ghostly
realities to summon before our bar, indeed I Grant all this, yet every one of us
knows, if he will say it, whether those inducements of his actions within him
are or are not honest, kind, useful, right, unpoisoned by absolute selfishness,
fit to be brought to the light, good, holy - in a word, whether they are "pure,"
or prejudiced by every degree ofthe taintedness of impurity, from the leastto
the greatest.To setthis house in order is indeed a task. To suffer, to harbour
in it no ill motive, to encourage eachbetterand higher motive, to keepa
"cleanconscience," the fairestflower and fruit of which is "charity" toward
the motives of others, stern strictness towardour own, or humbly, earnestlyto
try and pray to do this, as far as it is not" impossible with man," is to have, or
to approach towardhaving, the "pure heart," which begins even now to "see
God."
CONCLUSION. Dwellupon the very encouraging light thrown on human
nature, and on its future - that the vision of God is suggestedas grantedeven
here to a growing moral likeness to him, and a nearing moral sympathy with
him; while every present and necessarilypartial vision of him here is an
earnestof the vision of full fruition to came. Partialthough the clearest,
brightest, best vision here confessedlyis, yet is it not the deepestand purest
bliss to be had? To this said the reputed Chrysosomof old, "So far as any one
has rescuedhimself from evil, and works things that are good, so far does he
see God, either hardly, or fully, or sometimes, or always, according to the
capabilities of human nature." - B.
Biblical Illustrator

The pure in heart.
Matthew 5:8
Purity of heart
J. Jordan.
I. Purity of heart DEMANDS OUR ATTENTION.
1. It implies a change ofheart.
2. It implies that the faculties of the soul are purified.
3. It implies the purity of the affections. 4, It implies the purity of the thoughts
and desires.
5. It leads to purity of worship.
6. It leads to purity of life.
II. THE BLESSEDNESS PROMISEDto the pure in heart.
1. What is denoted by seeing God.
2. This vision will constitute the blessednessofthe pure in heart.
(J. Jordan.)

The blessednessofthe pure in heart
E. L. Hull, B. A., Dr. J. Caroming., J. E. Good., Henry Grove., Thomas
Watson.
I. Inquire into THE MEANING OF PURITY OF HEART.
1. The words carry us into the inner regions of man's being. At first sight they
only suggestthe absence ofthe impure. But, there is no purity apart from the
absolute authority of God in the affections. Man is not made by negatives.
II. PURITY OF HEART GIVES THE VISION OF GOD. The phrase "see
God" does not refer to any manifestationof His glory visible to the eye of
sense. It is to the far deeper sight of the soul that Christ refers. Your best
friend is not seenby the eye of the body; you see him spiritually, his qualities
of mind and heart.
1. None but the pure in heart cansee Him. It is useless to tell the selfishabout
the beauty of unselfishness;you might as well tell the blind about the glory of
colour.
2. That to the pure in heart the full glory of the Divine nature reveals itself.
God is light and love. These are seenby the pure soul.
III. THE VISION IS ITS OWN EXCEEDING BLESSEDNESS.
1. It is blessedbecause to see Godsatisfies the longings of the heart.

2. Becauseit clothes life in glory.
3. Becauseit is the dawning of immortal hope.
(E. L. Hull, B. A.)
I. Let us try to ascertainWHAT THIS PURITY Is which is here so extolled. It
was in Adam by nature — it is in us by grace, etc. In us it is as seedcastinto
the soil, etc. It is a living principle, everpowerful, ever resisted, yet never
beaten, growing daily in aspirations and likeness, until it is made perfect by
seeing Christ as He is, when we shall be like Him, because we shallsee Him as
He is. Constantly enjoined. Is true beauty. The qualification for heaven. The
Holy Spirit its author. The heart its seat. Manifestin the outer life. Will ever
be ready to disclose itselfto God in prayer.
II. Such persons are BLESSED. In having this characteristic. Evidence of
being amongstthe people of God. To them all things are pure. "Shall see
God" — in life's trials, life's prosperity, providential dealings, in all creation,
in the sacredpage, in ordinances, and, above all, in glory — transforming,
satisfying, joyful. "Create in me," etc.
(Dr. J. Caroming.)Bythe "heart" we are to understand the inward part of
man, comprehending the mind and soul with all their faculties and affections,
purposes and inclinations, the secretrecessesinto which mortal eye cannot
penetrate.
I. The foliage and branches are of the same kind with the stock that bears
them.

1. Before we canbring forth goodfruit we must be renovated.
2. There may be the semblance of purity in the life when there is no real
principle of holiness in the heart.
II. Purity is
(1)the mind renewed, the
(2)disordered spirit restored, and
(3)conformed to the " image of God," in righteousness and true holiness.
III. From the definition of the principle there are three things which it.
includes.
1. Frank and genuine sincerity in opposition to dissimulation and deceit.
2. Spiritual worship in opposition to that which is formal.
3. A holy and heavenly mind, in opposition to one that is polluted and sensual.

(J. E. Good.)
I. A greatprivilege proposedby our Saviour to His followers. "Theyshall see
God" — in this life and in heaven.
II. The qualification required for this enjoyment — parity of heart. Nature
and necessityofheart-purity.
1. Try your hopes of heaven by this rule.
2. Follow afterpurity — heart and life.
(Henry Grove.)Seehere what is the beauty that sets off a soul in God's eye:
purity of heart.
I. Thou who art never so beautiful, art but a spiritual leper, till thou art pure
in heart,
1. Therein God sees His own picture drawn.
2. Holiness is a beam of God.
II. Thou who art pure in heart hast the angel's glory in thee, and the
embroidery and workmanshipof the Holy Ghost upon thee.

III. The pure heart is God's paradise, where He delights to walk;it is His
lesserheaven. The dove delights in the purest air; the Holy Ghost, who
descendedin the likeness of a dove, delights in the purest soul. How may this
raise the esteemofpurity! This is a beauty that, never fades!
(Thomas Watson.)
I. Purity of heart stands in direct opposition. to that external affectationof
purity which is the offspring of hypocrisy.
1. Actions are the outward symbols or expressions ofvirtue and vice, not
virtue and vice themselves.
2. Actions when separatedfrom their motives are indifferent, but it is the
disposition of benevolence by which the mind is actuatedin which the virtue
lies.
3. Words, like actions, whenseparatedfrom their motives, are indifferent; but
it is the inward malignity of soul from which the words proceed, in which the
vice consists.
4. The form of purity, like that o! godliness without its power, is only a
delusive counterfeit.
5. All external services and sacrifices are ofno value without this internal
purity.

II. Purity implies the absence ofmoral grossness. Whateveris defiled is
essentiallyrepugnant to the spirit of purity.(1) By the law of nature clouds
darken the face of the sky, fogs and vapours stagnate and corrupt the air.(2)
By the law of conscienceandreligion, moral blots and corruptions stain the
beauty of the soul, and casta shade upon its brightness.
III. Purity is an active and vigorous disposition, which incessantlyprompts the
soul in which it resides, to(1) admire what is amiable;(2) To approve what is
excellent;(3) To relish what is delicate;(4) To pursue what is refined. Purity is
the only way to blessedness-purity is blessednessitself.
(David Lament, D. D.)
The man of heart blessed
E. J. Haynes.
So came these peacefulwords of Jesus:Blessed, notthe man of force, but the
man of heart.
(E. J. Haynes.)
A pure heart uses God's creatures without injury
E. J. Haynes.
We stood, the day we left home to begin life for ourselves, amid all the
"creatures"ofGod, as stands the druggist's clerk on the first morning of his
apprenticing, not knowing which is sweet, or sour, or would kill, or would
make alive; aye, and with a perverted impulse for the wrong use of all. Behold
that tree which nods at the church window. Sometimes there is too much

moisture in the air; sometimes too much heat; poisons are at its root, its leaf,
its stock. Yet so "pure" is the tree, so does it follow just God's law, that it
choosesand uses, not abuses, but fructifies by all. So amid all nature will be
the really pure in heart; not that pure heart is all-wise, but it is so in harmony
with God's law, so far as it is instructed, that it uses all things according to the
Creator's intention. How? Forbeauty, purity, peace, and joy.
(E. J. Haynes.)
A pure heart is blessedin the feeling of security
E. J. Haynes., E. J. Haynes.
He says, "I am not consciousofany desire within which shall go half-way to
meet the allurements of sin; no little rivulets of half-indulgence which have
eatenthe sand from under my walls." Oh, how weak is guilt, how strong is
purity! I have seenthe hawk flap out of the top of tall hemlocks at my coming
in the pasture. "Why, hawk, I'll not shoot you; it is but a walking-stickI carry
in my hand." "All! yes, but I think it may have a ball in it." And he sails high
above the village steeple. "Nay, hawk," says the steeple, "I'll not hurt. I'm but
the finger pointing to your Maker." "Ah! but I think you are a trap." He even
parts company with the harmless sparrow, for the sparrow " may be a snare."
Not so the dove. It lives in the cornice of men's dwellings, and nods good
morning to the children in the chamber crib; it touches the foot of the
housemaid as she shakes hercloth of crumbs; it rests up in the steeples ofold
churches, and the Sabbath bell, far from being a fright, is but the signalfor
the cooing chorus to begin. The man of pure heart is blessedwith peaceful
self-respect. He is not happy who cannot respecthimself. And no man can
respecthimself who is living in more or less constantcommunion with bad
thoughts and evil pictures of imaginatian. Suppose we grunt that we are not
altogetherresponsible for our thoughts, but, by the complications of daily life,
before we know it we have planned a sin; or, by Satan's foes beleaguered, we
are thrust upon by pictures of iniquity. Still my proposition is true, that no
such life could be a happy one. Could the master of a strong house be at peace,
even if bolts and bars and granite strength kept all his foes at bay; if, ever and

anon, the mob thrust the death's head at his windows? Aye, more, could he
respect-himselfif, now and then, as impure hearts do, he showeda face for
parley, or cautiously, yet surely, invited one of the red-shifted horde within, to
see how ha lookednearby? The sunflowermight sayof wasps, andhornets,
and bees:"Why do they pesterme, and so hang about? " and the wasps would
reply: "You enter-rain us, sir; you have what we love." And so the judge
within man, true to his heaven-giveninstinct, makes reply to him pesteredby
bad thoughts: "There's something, sir, about you that these buzzards love!" I
saw by Lake Leman the old castle of Chillon. Up above, the royal, tapestry-
hung apartments of the Duke of Savoy and his gay bride; down below, the
dungeon where Bonnivard was chained; where creeping things crawl forth to
ogle at the visitors, and instruments of torture are; and I wondered if never, in
some scene of revelry above, the groans of martyrs rose to stir the arras on
gorgeous walls.There are those we meet in sociallife, the rooms of whose
souls which are open to friends are fair as a palace. But alas!who shall tell us
of the secretkeptunseen? Not so pure heart. I do not pretend to say that ever
on this earth we are freed from all solicitations ofevil; but there is many a
soul so " blessed" that, when winged thoughts of sin come flying to the
windows, God's angelrises up, and draws the shutters to; when disturbing
thoughts of hate, revenge, avarice, and pride draw near, God's angelmeets
them at the outer gate, and bids them all begone.
(E. J. Haynes.)Pure heart is "blest" in his relations with his fellow-man. Pure
Heart is blest because he knows no envy of another's successjealousyat
another's praise. Dear, simple old heart, it never occurs to him that there is
any less of summer's sun for him because a million others bask in its beams. O
King GreatHeart! thyself no man's enemy, thou thinkest no man thine, but
dost beam upon the world like the October sunsetupon the harvest fields. "He
shall see God." How? Thus. Mozartand his friend, the royal huntsman, went
forth arm-in-arm to the fields. The wind came up heavily through the copse of
trees. "Look!" says the hunter, "it will startle a hare!" "Listen!" says Mozart,
"whata diapason from God's greatorgan!" A ]ark rose on soaring wing, with
its own sweetsong. "Look!" says the gamester. "whata shot!" "Ah!" says
Mozart, "what would I give could I catch that thrill!" There be dull souls who
cannot see nor hear. Are they sick? "Oh!what misfortune!" Are they

bereaved? "Some enemy hath done this!" Are they well and prosperous?
"Goodluck!" Not so Pure Heart. He cansee God's hand in every sorrow
chastening for good; God's face in every blessing;God's smile in the morning
light, the blossoming harvest, and the evening shade;His heart is attuned.
(E. J. Haynes.)
Vision of God in heaven
H. Kollock, D. D.
I. God is a pure Spirit, and invisible. It cannot be with our bodily eyes that we
shall see Him.
II. They shall see Him. This word expresses immediate intuition of what is
plainly offeredreview. Now we see through a glass, darkly. Wilt thou see
God's wisdom, power, love, holiness, glory?
1. This is an appropriating vision.
2. It is an assimilating vision.
3. It is a satisfying vision.
III. How excellentthe soul of man which is capable of such felicity!
IV. If such be the nature of the future blessedness, then a change ofheart is
requisite to enable us to enjoy it.

V. What gratitude do we owe to that God who has provided such a felicity for
His children.
VI. What a source of consolationunder the afflictions of life.
VII. This subject calls us to mourn for the folly of the children of men, who
for toys barter awayglory and immortality.
(H. Kollock, D. D.)
They shall see God
J. C. Edwards, M. A.
1. In the work of creation.
2. In the ordinances of the gospel.
3. In the dispensationof Providence.
4. In the day of judgment.
5. In heaven for ever.
(J. C. Edwards, M. A.)

Purity an unmixed motive
The Abbe Beutain.
A thing is pure when there is nothing in it out of harmony with its nature.
Wateris pure, air is pure, when they contain only their constituent elements,
and in the right proportion. Gold is pure when it has been separatedby fire
from all foreign matter. The diamond is pure, the crystalis pure, when there
is nothing in them which binders the refraction and reflectionof light. It is
thus with the heart, which is the emotional part of the soul. It is pure, when it
loves only that which it ought to love.
(The Abbe Beutain.)
Spiritual sigh conditioned by purity
L. Bacon.
1. It may be easilyunderstood that impurity of heart hinders the soul from
seeing God. Under the power of perverse affections the mind sees nothing
aright — nothing in its just relations and proportions. Leastof all canthe
mind thus blinded in its highestfaculties see God aright; it gets no inspiring
and attractive perception of His glory. As earthly vapours, condensedinto
clouds and darkening the world with storms, hide from the outward sense the
beauty and glory of the visible heaven, so sensualpassions,grovelling
affections, and the dominion of sin in the soul, all the habits of an impure and
unbelieving mind, intervene as with impenetrable clouds, to shut off from the
view and reachof the spiritual faculties the grand realities of that upper
sphere, where the eternal relations of duty are and where God is.
2. This is further illustrated by remembering distinctly that the normal or
right state of the mind — the state in which its faculties and susceptibilities
are properly adjusted in relation to eachother and in relation to their objects
— is just what our Saviour means by purity in heart. As the normal condition
of the eye is not when the optic nerve is paralysed or otherwise diseased, nor

when the surface is coveredby a film, nor when inflammation or a mote under
the eyelids makes the light painful, but only when all obstruction or disease is
absent, so the normal condition of the mind, as made for the knowledge of
things invisible and eternal, is not when its sensibilities are perverted by
selfishness, notwhen sin reigns within, but only when the heart is pure.We
may now inquire, What is the blessedness ofthus seeing God?
1. To see God is to see the central light which reveals the order and beauty of
the universe. The unity of all createdthings is found only in their relation to
God's power, to His love and wisdom, to His plan and government.
2. To see God is to see the fountain of all blessedness. Suchintuition of God's
glory is identical with the peace ofGod that passethall understanding
3. Such an intuition of God as this promise assures to the pure in heart is that
for which the soul was created. It is the soul's chief end, and therefore it is the
highest blessednessofwhich the soul is capable.
(L. Bacon.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(8) Pure in heart.—Here, as with the poor in spirit, the noun determines the
regionin which the purity is to be found—the “heart” as representing desires
and affections, as the “spirit” represents the will and higher personality. The

purity so describedis not that which was the ideal of the Pharisee, outward
and ceremonial, nor, again, was it limited, as the common language of
Christians too often limits it, to the absence ofone specialform of sensualsin;
but it excluded every element of baseness—the impurity of hate or greedof
gain, no less than that of lust. Not without cause, however, has the evil of the
latter sin so overshadowedthe others that it has almost monopolisedthe
name. No single form of evil spreads its taint more deeply than that which
“lets in contagionto the inward parts.”
Shall see God.—Does the promise find its fulfilment only in the beatific vision
of the saints in glory, seeing God as He is (1John 3:2), knowing even as also we
are known(1Corinthians 13:12)? Doubtless there, and there only, will be the
full fruition which now we wait for; but “purity of heart,” so far as it exists,
brings with it the power of seeing more than others see in all through which
God reveals Himself—the beauty of nature, the inward light, the moral order
of the world, the written word, the life and teaching of Christ. Though we see
as yet “through a glass,” as in a mirror that reflects imperfectly, yet in that
glass we behold “the glory of the Lord” (1Corinthians 13:12; 2Corinthians
3:18).
BensonCommentary
Matthew 5:8. The pure in heart — Those whose hearts are purified by faith;
who are not only sprinkled from an evil conscience by the blood of Jesus, but
cleansedby the Spirit of God from vain thoughts, unprofitable reasonings,
earthly and sensualdesires, and corrupt passions;who are purified from
pride, self-will, discontent, impatience, anger, malice, envy, covetousness,
ambition; whose hearts are circumcisedto love the Lord their God with all
their hearts, and their neighbours as themselves, and who, therefore, are not
only upright before him, but possessand maintain purity of intention and of
affectionin all their designs, works, andenjoyments; serving him continually
with a single eye and an undivided heart. They shall see God — Namely, in the
glass ofhis works, whetherof creation, providence, or grace, here, and face to
face hereafter:they shall have fellowship with him in his ordinances, and shall

endure as seeing him that is invisible, while they walk by faith on earth, and
shall be admitted to the most perfect vision and complete enjoyment of him in
heaven.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
5:3-12 Our Saviour here gives eight characters ofblessedpeople, which
representto us the principal graces ofa Christian. 1. The poor in spirit are
happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition.
They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. Theysee their want, bewail
their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the
kingdom of glory is for them. 2. Those that mourn are happy. That godly
sorrow which workethtrue repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and
continual dependence for acceptanceonthe mercy of God in Christ Jesus,
with constantseeking the Holy Spirit, to cleanse awaythe remaining evil,
seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy,
to which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted
by their God. 3. The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit
to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a softanswer;who, in their
patience, keeppossessionof their own souls, when they can scarcelykeep
possessionofanything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world.
Meeknesspromotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world. 4. Those
who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousnessis here
put for all spiritual blessings. Theseare purchasedfor us by the righteousness
of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God. Our desires of spiritual
blessings must be earnest. Thoughall desires for grace are not grace, yetsuch
a desire as this, is a desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the
work of his own hands. 5. The merciful are happy. We must not only bear our
own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we canto help those who are in
misery. We must have compassion onthe souls of others, and help them; pity
those who are in sin, and seek to snatch them as brands out of the burning. 6.
The pure in heart are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and
happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by
faith, and kept for God. Create in me such a cleanheart, O God. None but the
pure are capable of seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure.
As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannotlook upon

his purity. 7. The peace-makersare happy. They love, and desire, and delight
in peace;and study to be quiet. They keepthe peace that it be not broken, and
recoverit when it is broken. If the peace-makersare blessed, woe to the peace-
breakers!8. Those who are persecutedfor righteousness'sakeare happy. This
saying is peculiar to Christianity; and it is more largely insisted upon than any
of the rest. Yet there is nothing in our sufferings that can merit of God; but
God will provide that those who lose for him, though life itself, shall not lose
by him in the end. BlessedJesus!how different are thy maxims from those of
men of this world! They callthe proud happy, and admire the gay, the rich,
the powerful, and the victorious. May we find mercy from the Lord; may we
be owned as his children, and inherit his kingdom. With these enjoyments and
hopes, we may cheerfully welcome low or painful circumstances.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Blessedare the pure in heart - That is, whose minds, motives, and principles
are pure; who seek notonly to have the external actions correct, but who
desire to be holy in heart, and who are so. Man looks on the outward
appearance, but God looks on the heart.
They shall see God - There is a sense in which all will see God, Revelation1:7.
That is, they will behold him as a Judge, not as a Friend. In this place it is
spokenof as a specialfavor. So also in Revelation22:4, "And they shall see his
face." To see the face of one, or to be in the presence of any one, were terms
among the Jews expressive ofgreatfavor. It was regardedas a high honor to
be in the presence of kings and princes, and to be permitted to see them,
Proverbs 22:29, "He shall stand before kings." See also 2 Kings 25:19, "Those
that stoodin the king's presence;" in the Hebrew, those that saw the face of
the king; that is, who were his favorites and friends. So here, to see God,
means to be his friends and favorites, and to dwell with him in his kingdom.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
8. Blessedare the pure in heart: for they shall see God—Here, too, we are on
Old Testamentground. There the difference betweenoutward and inward

purity, and the acceptableness ofthe latter only in the sight of God, are
everywhere taught. Nor is the "visionof God" strange to the Old Testament;
and though it was an understood thing that this was not possible in the
present life (Ex 33:20;and compare Job 19:26, 27; Isa 6:5), yet spiritually it
was knownand felt to be the privilege of the saints even here (Ge 5:24; 6:9;
17:1; 48:15; Ps 27:4; 36:9; 63:2; Isa 38:3, 11, &c.). But oh, with what grand
simplicity, brevity, and power is this greatfundamental truth here expressed!
And in what striking contrastwould such teaching appearto that which was
then current, in which exclusive attention was paid to ceremonialpurification
and external morality! This heart purity begins in a "heartsprinkled from an
evil conscience," ora "consciencepurgedfrom dead works" (Heb 10:22;9:14;
and see Ac 15:9); and this also is taught in the Old Testament(Ps 32:1, 2;
compare Ro 4:5-8; Isa 6:5-8). The consciencethus purged—the heart thus
sprinkled—there is light within wherewith to see God. "If we say that we have
fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if
we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowshipone with the
other"—He with us and we with Him—"and the blood of Jesus ChristHis
Son cleansethus"—us who have this fellowship, and who, without such
continual cleansing, would soonlose it again—"fromall sin" (1Jo 1:6, 7).
"Whosoeversinneth hath not seenHim, neither known Him" (1Jo 3:6); "He
that doeth evil hath not seenGod" (3Jo 11). The inward vision thus clarified,
and the whole inner man in sympathy with God, eachlooks upon the other
with complacencyand joy, and we are "changedinto the same image from
glory to glory." But the full and beatific vision of God is reservedfor that time
to which the Psalmiststretches his views—"As for me, I shall behold Thy face
in righteousness:I shall be satisfied, when I awake, withThy likeness" (Ps
17:15). Then shall His servants serve Him: and they shall see His face;and His
name shall be in their foreheads (Re 22:3, 4). They shall see Him as He is (1Jo
3:2). But, says the apostle, expressing the converse ofthis beatitude—"Follow
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb 12:14).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
The men of the world bless those who appear pure and holy to men, and put
on a vizard and mask of purity, though they be but painted sepulchres, and
their hearts be as cages ofall unclean birds: but those alone are blessed, who,

being washedfrom their filthiness by my blood, are of a sincere and upright
heart; though they be not legally pure and free from all sin, yet are so pure as
that God will acceptthem, the bent of their hearts being after holiness;who
have not a heart and a heart, no doubleness of mind, who are persons in
whom is no guile. Forthough no mortal eye cansee and comprehend the
essenceofGod, yet these men shall by an eye of faith see and enjoy God in this
life, though in a glass more darkly, and in the life to come face to face, and as
he is, 1 Corinthians 13:12 Hebrews 12:14;1Jo 3:2.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Blessedare the pure in heart,.... Notin the head; for men may have pure
notions and impure hearts; not in the hand, or action, or in outward
conversationonly; so the Pharisees were outwardlyrighteous before men, but
inwardly full of impurity; but "in heart". The heart of man is naturally
unclean; nor is it in the powerof man to make it clean, or to be pure from his
sin; nor is any man in this life, in such sense, so pure in heart, as to be entirely
free from sin. This is only true of Christ, angels, and glorified saints: but such
may be said to be so, who, though they have sin dwelling in them, are justified
from all sin, by the righteousness ofChrist, and are "cleanthrough the
word", or sentence ofjustification pronounced upon them, on the accountof
that righteousness;whose iniquities are all of them forgiven, and whose hearts
are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, whichcleanses fromall sin; and who
have the grace ofGod wrought in their hearts, which, though as yet imperfect,
it is entirely pure; there is not the leastspot or stain of sin in it: and such souls
as they are in love with, so they most earnestlydesire after more purity of
heart, lip, life, and conversation. And happy they are,
for they shall see God; in this life, enjoying communion with him, both in
private and public, in the severalduties of religion, in the house and
ordinances of God; where they often behold his beauty, see his power and his
glory, and taste, and know, that he is goodand gracious:and in the other
world, where they shall see God in Christ, with the eyes of their
understanding; and God incarnate, with the eyes of their bodies, after the
resurrection;which sight of Christ, and God in Christ, will be unspeakably
glorious, desirable, delightful, and satisfying;it will be free from all darkness

and error, and from all interruption; it will be an appropriating and
transforming one, and will last for ever.
Geneva Study Bible
Blessedare the {c} pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(c) Fitly is this word pure joined with the heart, for as a bright and shining
resemblance or image may be seenplainly in a clearand pure looking glass,
even so does the face (as it were)of the everlasting God, shine forth, and
clearly appearin a pure heart.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 5:8. Οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ]denotes the moral blamelessnessofthe
inner life, the centre of which is the heart, in conformity with the view that
πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ῥύπονἐντίθησι τῇ ψυχῇ, Origen, Hom, in Joh. lxxiii. 2. Comp.
Psalm73:1; Psalm24:4; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy 3:9; Plat. Crat. p. 403 E,
ψυχὴ καθαρά, p. 405 B, al. How this purity is actually attained (by
justification and the sanctificationof believers) remains even now left over to
the future.
τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται]certainly refers, according to the analogyof all the other
beatitudes, to the αἰὼν μέλλων, but is not (in accordancewith the Oriental
idea of greatgoodfortune in being an intimate friend of the king’s, 1 Kings
10:8; Esther 1:14) to be taken as a typical designationof the Messianic
happiness in general(Kuinoel, Fritzsche, and others), nor as an inward seeing
of God (knowledge, becoming conscious ofGod, inmost fellowship with God),
as de Wette also understood it to mean direct spiritual fellowshipwith God
here on earth and there in heaven; but, as the words do not allow us to
understand it differently: of the seeing ofGod who gloriously reveals Himself

in the Messiah’s kingdom, a seeing which will be attained in the condition of
the glorified body, Revelation7:15; Revelation22:4; 1 John 3:2; Hebrews
12:14. Passageslike Exodus 33:20, John 1:18; John 6:46, Colossians 1:15,
Romans 1:20, 1 Timothy 6:16, are not opposedto it, because theyrefer to
seeing with the earthly eye. The seeing ofGod, who, although Spirit (John
4:24), has His essentialform of manifestation(Php 2:6), will one day be the
consummation of the προσαγωγή obtainedthrough Christ (Romans 5:2).
Comp. Clem. Hom. xvii. 7.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 5:8. οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ:τ. καρδ. may be an explanatory addition
to indicate the regionin which purity shows itself. That purity is in the heart,
the seatof thought, desire, motive, not in the outward act, goes without saying
from Christ’s point of view. Blessedthe pure. Here there is a wide range of
suggestion. The pure may be the spotless orfaultless in general;the continent
with specialreference to sexual indulgence—those whosevery thoughts are
clean;or the pure in motive, the single-minded, the men who seek the
kingdom as the summum bonum with undivided heart. The last is the most
relevant to the generalconnectionand the most deserving to be insisted on. In
the words of Augustine, the mundum cor is above all the simplex cor. Moral
simplicity is the cardinal demand in Christ’s ethics. The man who has attained
to it is in His view perfect (Matthew 19:21). Without it a large numerical list
of virtues and goodhabits goes for nothing. With it character, howeverfaulty
in temper or otherwise, is ennobled and redeemed.—τὸνθεὸνὄψονται:their
reward is the beatific vision. Some think the reference is not to the faculty of
clearvision but to the rare privilege of seeing the face of the GreatKing (so
Fritzsche and Schanz). “The expressionhas its origin in the ways of eastern
monarchs, who rarely show themselves in public, so that only the most
intimate circle behold the royal countenance” (Schanz)= the pure have access
to the all but inaccessible. This idea does not seemto harmonise with Christ’s
generalway of conceiving God. On the other hand, it was His habit to insist on
the connectionbetweenclearvision and moral simplioity; to teachthat it is
the single eye that is full of light (Matthew 6:22). It is true that the pure shall
have access to God’s presence, but the truth to be insisted on in connection
with this Beatitude is that through purity, singleness ofmind, they are

qualified for seeing, knowing, truly conceiving Godand all that relates to the
moral universe. It is the pure in heart who are able to see and say that “truly
God is good” (Psalm73:1) and rightly to interpret the whole phenomena of
life in relation to Providence. They shall see, says Jesuscasting His thought
into eschatologicalform, but He means the pure are the men who see;the
double-minded, the two-souled(δίψυχος, Jam1:8) man is blind. Theophylact
illustrates the connectionbetweenpurity and vision thus: ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ
κάτοπτρον, ἐὰνᾖ καθαρὸγ τότε δέχεται τὰς ἐμφάσεις, οὕτω καὶ ἡ καθαρὰ
ψυχὴ δέχεται ὄψιν θεοῦ.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
8. pure in heart] Purity is a distinguishing virtue of Christianity. It finds no
place even in the teaching of Socrates,orin the system of Aristotle. Pure in
heart “non sufficit puritas ceremonialis.”Bengel.
shall see God] The Christian educationis a gradualunveiling of God, all have
glimpses of Him, to the pure He appears quite plainly. Cp. 1 John 3:2-3. In a
further sense the unveiled sight of God is reservedfor the Eternal life.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 5:8. Οἱ καθαροὶ τῂ καρδίᾳ, the pure in heart) Ceremonialpurity is
not sufficient. Jesus requires, and teaches, the virtue of the heart. Purity of
heart includes both chastity and freedom from the other defilements of sin.—
τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται, shallsee God) A clearknowledge ofGod is promised even
now, but in words which will be more literally fulfilled in life eternal: see 1
John 3:2-3; 1 John 3:6; cf. concerning the opposite to purity, 1 Thessalonians
4:5.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 8. - The pure in heart. Our Lord naturally passes in thought from the
sixth to the seventh commandment (cf. vers. 21, 27), finding the basis of his
phraseologyin Psalm 24:3, 4, "Who shall ascendinto the hill of the Lord?...
He that hath cleanhands, and a pure heart (LXX. ἀθῶος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς

τῇ καρδίᾳ)(cf. also Psalm72:1). Καθαρός (besides speaking of mere physical
cleanness,ch. 27:59) speciallyrefers to freedom from pollution, judged by
God's standard of what pollution is, whether it be a matter of ceremonial
enactment (meats, Romans 14:20;cf. Mark 7:19; cf. leprosy, Mark 8:2, 3;
10:8, et al.) or of ethical relation (John 13:10, 11; John 15:3); cf. Origen.'Hem.
in Joh.,' 73:2 (Meyer), "Every sin soils the soul (Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ῤύπονἐντίθησι
τῇ ψυχῇ)" (cf. also BishopWestcott, 'Hebrews,'p. 346). In heart. The seatof
the affections (Matthew 6:21; Matthew 22:37)and the understanding
(Matthew 13:15), also the central spring of all human words and actions
(Matthew 15:19); cf. καθαρὰ καρδία (1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:22), which
implies something deeper than καθαρὰ συνείδησις (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy
1:3). Shall see God. Notin his courts (Psalm24.) on Mount Moriah, but
above; and in one complete vision fully grasped(ὄψονται). The thought of
present spiritual sight of God, though, perhaps, hardly to be excluded
(contrastWeiss, 'Matthausev.'), is at leastswallowedup in the thought of the
full and final revelation. Those who are pure in heart, and care not for such
sights as leadmen into sin, are unconsciouslypreparing themselves for the
greatspiritual sight - the beatific vision (Revelation22:4; cf. 1 John 3:2). In
Hebrews 12:14 holiness (ἁγιασμός)is an indispensable quality for such a
vision of "the Lord."
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Matthew 5:8 Blessedare the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (NASB:
Lockman)

Greek:makarioioi katharoite kardia, oti autoi ton theon opsontai. (3PFMI)
Amplified: Blessed(happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—
possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and
especiallyconditionedby the revelation of His grace, regardless oftheir
outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Barclay:O the bliss of the man whose motives are absolutely pure, for that
man will some day be able to see God.
ICB: Those who are pure in their thinking are happy. They will be with God.
KJV: Blessedare the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Philips: Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God!(New Testament
in Modern English)
Wuest: Spiritually prosperous are those who are pure in the sphere of the
heart, because they themselves shallsee God. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: Happy the cleanin heart--because theyshall see God.
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART: makarioioi katharoite kardia:

Mt 23:25-28;1Chr 29:17, 18, 19; Ps 15:2; 18:26;24:4; 51:6,10;73:1; Pr 22:11;
Ezek 36:25, 26, 27; Acts 15:9; 2Co 7:1; Titus 1:15; Heb 9:14; 10:22;James
3:17; 4:8; 1Pe 1:22
Spurgeon- Christ was dealing with men’s spirits, with their inner and
spiritual nature. He did this more or less in all the Beatitudes, and this one
strikes the very centerof the target as he says, not ‘Blessedare the pure in
language, orthe pure in action,’much less ‘Blessedare the pure in
ceremonies, orin raiment, or in food;’ but ‘Blessedare the pure in heart.
Charles Simeon - THERE is nothing in which mankind more generally
imagine happiness to consistthan in the uncontrolled indulgence of their
passions. It is probable that among those who lookedfor the establishmentof
the Messiah’skingdom, many pleasedthemselves with the idea, that his
victories would open to them a way for multiplying captives to any extent, and
consequentlyfor the unlimited gratificationof their corrupt appetites. To
counteractsuch absurd notions, and to evince the spiritual nature of his
kingdom, our blessedLord declared, that happiness was to be found, not “in
assimilating” ourselves to the brute creation, but in purity of heart and life:
“Blessedare the pure in heart; for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 Purity of
Heart)
Do you remember the name, Yuri Gagarin… the year was 1961 andthis
Russiancosmonautwas the first human to travel into space. After circling the
earth, he came back and declaredthat he lookedoutside his capsule and
didn’t see God anywhere. To which Dr. W. A. Criswellreplied,
“Let him step out of his space suit for just one secondand he’ll see God quick
enough.”
Lloyd-Jones paraphrases this as…

"Blessedare those who are pure, not only on the surface but in the centerof
their being and at the source of every activity." (Lloyd-Jones, D. M. Studies in
the Sermonon the Mount)
William Barclaypicks up the thought of the Greek wordfor pure (see
katharos below) - Blessedis the man whose motives are always entirely
unmixed (cp 1Co 4:5), for that man shall see God. (Matthew 5 Commentary -
Daily Study Bible online)
Isaac Watts has put this beatitude to hymn…
I Hunger and I Thirst
Blestare the pure, whose hearts are clean
From the defiling powers of sin;
With endless pleasure they shall see
A God of spotless purity. (Play hymn)
Jesus'words in Matthew 5:8 answerthe question "How does a man or woman
cultivate 20/20 spiritual vision?"
Blessed(makarios [wordstudy]) means spiritually prosperous, independent of
one's circumstances becauseit is a state bestowedby God and not a feeling
felt. Fortunate, approved of God, happy independent of happenings. The
Amplified Bible has this expanded definition for "blessed"

happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the
happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially
conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardlessoftheir outward
conditions" (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
Pure (2513)(katharos)means literally physically cleanor pure and has the
idea of unsoiled (free from dirt), unalloyed, without blemish, spotless,free
from impure admixture or free from adulteration.
Figuratively katharos was usedin a ritual sense offood that was declared
undefiled and thus acceptable (cfRo 14:20-note). In a moral or spiritual sense
as used here by Jesus, katharosmeans to be free from corrupt desire or
wrongdoing (sin and guilt) and thus pure or goodin God's eyes (cf John 13:10
where Jesus was speaking figuratively, teaching that one who has been
entirely cleansed, regenerated, possessing a new heart, born again, does not
againneed a radical renewal, but only needs to be cleansedfrom sins into
which he falls eachday, cf 1Jn 1:9). Katharos is to be free from admixture of
what is false thus conveys the ideas of genuine, blameless orinnocent.
Adrian Rogers notes thatkatharos "does not have to do so much with
cleanliness, althoughthat is inferred. It has to do more with unity or
singleness ofheart or mind. It literally means, blessedis that which is
unmixed. For example, grain that would have chaff in it, would not be pure.
Or metal that would have alloy in it would not be pure. Or milk that had been
diluted would not be pure. Or an army that would have people who would
defect, defectors in it, would not be pure. And so when he says, "Blessedare
the pure in heart, what he is talking about is, Blessedare those who have
integrity, that do not have divided hearts. That do not have double hearts. The
word literally means singlenessofheart." Listen to one of my favorite (very)
old song by Craig Evans (

As used in Mt 5:8, katharos describes a heart which is pure in motive and
which exhibits single mindedness, undivided devotion and spiritual integrity.
The idea is "This one thing I do" (as Paul said in Php 3:13 [note]). So
although, "pure in heart" includes the ideas of moral purity or freedom from
sensuality, that is not the primary idea in the word katharos. Pure (katharos)
has to do with attitudes, integrity, and singleness ofheart as opposedto
duplicity and double mindedness (cf Jas 4:8-note). Thus, one might
paraphrase Jesus'words in this beatitude as…
I desire a heart that is unmixed in its devotion and motivation.
Pure Motives
from a
Pure Heart
Katharos gives us our English word catharsis whichis used to describe a
cleansing of one's mind or emotions.
Warren Wiersbe says katharos "has two basic meanings: “clean” and
“unmixed....in this Beatitude (katharos)takes the secondmeaning, for being
“pure in heart” involves being unmixed as well as being clean. Milk that is
pure is not adulterated with water. Gold with the dross removed is pure gold.
Wheat with the chaff removed is pure wheat. The basic idea is that of
integrity, singleness ofheart, as opposedto duplicity, a double heart, a divided
heart. When God cleanses sinners and makes them His children, He does
more than merely washawaysin. He puts within them a new heart that wants
to focus wholly on God. “I will give them singleness ofheart and action, so
that they will always fear me for their own goodand the goodof their children

after them” (Jeremiah 32:39) (Ed: See also the promise of the New Covenant
in Ezekiel36:26 ""Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you
a heart of flesh."). This is spiritual and moral integrity. It was this integrity
that made David a successfulking, and it was the lack of this integrity that
corrupted and defeatedSaul.
Kent Hughes illustrates this idea of single mindedness writing that
Negatively, we canimagine this idea from everyday life if we reflect on those
people who, having been introduced to us, keeptalking and smiling, while at
the same time looking behind and around us at other people and things. They
really are not interested in us; they only see us as objects or a means to an
end. In the God-man relationship such behavior is scandalous. Positively
statedthen, "pure" is representedby the words focus, absorption,
concentration, sincerity, and singleness."Blessedare the pure" is a searching
statement, because focusing on Godwith a singleness ofheart is one of the
biggestchallenges to twentieth-century Christians. Very few in this frenetic
age are capable of the spiritual attention this Beatitude calls for (Ed: Not just
"very few" but NONE of us! The only One Who is capable of enabling us to
watchover our heart [Pr 4:23] is the Holy Spirit Who indwells us - thus we
need to daily surrender to Him so that we are continually filled [controlled] so
that in turn we can accessHis power to kill sin - cf Ro 8:13, Eph 5:18, Phil
2:13NLT). (Hughes, R. K. Sermon on the Mount: The Message ofthe
Kingdom. CrosswayBooks)
MacArthur writes that katharos
was often used of metals that had been refined until all impurities were
removed, leaving only the pure metal. In that sense, purity means unmixed,

unalloyed, unadulterated. Applied to the heart, the idea is that of pure motive-
of single-mindedness, undivided devotion, spiritual integrity, and true
righteousness. Double-mindedness has always beenone of the great plagues of
the church. We want to serve the Lord and follow the world at the same time.
But that, says Jesus, is impossible (cf Mt 6:24-note, Jas 4:4-note, Jas 4:8-
note)… Christians have the right heart motive concerning God. Even though
we often fail to be single-minded, it is our deep desire to be so… Paul’s
deepestspiritual desires were pure, although the sin dwelling in his flesh
sometimes overrode those desires. Those who truly belong to Godwill be
motivated to purity… The deepestdesire of the redeemedis for holiness, even
when sin halts the fulfillment of that desire… Purity of heart is more than
sincerity. A motive canbe sincere, yetlead to worthless and sinful things…
Sincere devotees walk onnails to prove their spiritual power. Others crawlon
their knees for hundreds of yards, bleeding and grimacing in pain, to show
their devotion to a saint or a shrine. Yet their sincere devotionis sincerely
wrong and is completely worthless before God. The scribes and Pharisees
believed they could please God by such superficial practices as tithing “mint
and dill and cummin”; but they “neglectedthe weightierprovisions of the
law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Mt 23:23). They were meticulously
careful about what they did outwardly but paid no attention to what they
were inwardly… Even genuinely gooddeeds that do not come from a
genuinely good heart are of no spiritual value. Thomas Watsonsaid,
“Morality candrown a man as fast as vice,” and, “A vesselmay sink with gold
or with dung.” Though we may be extremely religious and constantly engaged
in doing goodthings, we cannot please Godunless our hearts are right with
Him. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 MacarthurNew TestamentCommentary
Chicago:Moody Press this resource is highly recommended. Readhis entire
discussionon purity of heart)
FIVE TYPES OF
PURITY

Dr MacArthur in his online sermonHappy are the Holy Matthew 5:8 outlines
5 types of purity...
Number one is what I call primitive purity. You say, “What is primitive
purity?” That’s the kind of purity that exists only in God. It is as essentialin
God as light is to the sun, as wetis to water. It is His primitive purity.
Second, there is....createdpurity. It is the creationof a pure being before the
fall. God createdangels in purity, createdman in purity, and then both fell.
But it’s createdpurity. So you have primitive purity, that which is true only
of God. You have createdpurity, that which He grants out of His own purity
to a being He creates.
Third: ultimate purity. Ultimate purity is a categoryofglorification. In
other words, ultimately, all the saints of God will be completely pure, right?
Somedaywe’re going to have all of our sin washedaway, we’re going to be
cleansed, totallyclean, we’re going to dwell with God in His eternalheaven
forever, at that point, experiencing ultimate purity. 1 John 3:2 (note) tells us
how it will be. “WhenHe appears, we will be like Him, because we will see
Him just as He is.”
Fourth is positionalpurity....Positionalpurity is the purity that we have been
given right now by the imputation of the righteousness ofChrist. When you
believe in Jesus Christ, God imputes to you a positional kind of purity. In
other words, your position in Christ grants to you purity. When God looks at
John MacArthur, believe it or not, He says, “JohnMacArthur, right,
absolutely pure in Christ. The righteousnessofChrist has been applied to
him because he believed in Jesus Christ.” Romans 3 tells us that the
righteousness ofChrist is imputed to us (cf Ro 3:24). Romans 5 tells us that
we have been justified because ofwhat Christ has done (Ro 5:1). Galatians

2:16 (note) tells us the same thing. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (note), the same thing.
Ephesians 5 says that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the
church and as He has cleansedthe church and He washedthe church. And in
2 Corinthians chapter 11, the apostle Paulthat says that the church is like a
chaste virgin. There is a positionalpurity.
Fifth...practicalpurity. Now, this is the hard part, folks. Only God knows
primitive purity. Only God can bestow createdpurity. SomedayGod will
give every saint ultimate purity. Right now every believer has positional
purity. But boy, we have a lot of trouble with the practical kind don’t we?
Trying to live out what we are in position. And that’s why the apostle Paul
cries out in 2 Corinthians 7:1 (note), that tremendous statement to all
believers, and we must hear it. Listen to what he says. “Dearlybeloved, let us
cleanse ourselvesfrom all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness
and the fear of God.” He’s not talking about primitive, created, ultimate, or
positional. That’s God’s business. What he’s crying for is a practicalliving
purity. And at best, it’ll be gold mixed with some iron. At best, it’ll be a
white cloak with some black thread. But God wants us to be as pure as we
can be, practically, before Him.
Listen, people: It’s those people who are positionally pure in Jesus Christ
who will see God, who will be in His kingdom. And those kinds of people will
manifest it in a purity of life, in pure motives and in pure living. If that’s not
true in your life, then you’re not a Christian, or you’re a Christian living in
disobedience. We fail. Sure, we fail. But the Bible tells us how to deal with
failure. We’re going to be tempted to be impure. We’re going to be tempted
to have impure thoughts, say impure words, do impure things. We’re going to
be tempted to have motives that aren’t right that’ll issue in words and deeds
that aren’t right. But the Bible tells us how to deal with temptation. Read
Ephesians 6, get your armor on. You say, “But what if I fail? What if I fail?”
The Bible tells you how to deal with that. If we confess our sins, He’s faithful
and still righteous to keepon cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Tells you

how to deal with the temptation and the failure, and every time, you face it
and you repent and you dealwith it, and God cleansesit and you move on to a
greaterlevel of purity. (Happy are the Holy Matthew 5:8)
The TDNT sums up the usagesofkatharos as pertaining to…
physical, religious, and moral cleannessorpurity in such senses as clean, free
from stains or shame, and free from adulteration… In Primitive Religion.
Ideas of power are dominant in primitive thinking about cleanness.After
coming into contactwith power, e.g., in birth, sex, and death, cleansing is
necessaryto fit one for ordinary life… In Greek Religion. At its primitive
stage Greek religionfollows the customarypattern. At the historicalstage,
however, the gods are seenas friendly forces, though they must be
approachedwith cultic purity… The Old Testamentreflects the same general
development. Uncleanness, whichmay be contractedin contactwith birth or
death (Lv 12:1ff; Nu 19:11), is a positive defiling force. So is anything linked
to a foreign cult… Stress also falls, however, on the holiness of God, so that
the conceptof purity develops with specialforce. Purifications by washing,
sacrifice, ortransfer restore forfeited purity and open up accessto God.
(Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. TheologicalDictionaryofthe
New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W. B. Eerdmans)
In classicalGreek katharosdescribeda river who course was "clearand
open". In a moral or ethical sense the Greeks usedkatharos to describe one
"clearfrom shame", "clearofguilt", of persons who purified after pollutions
(even to the paganGreeks touching a dead body cause one to be polluted).
Katharos legally describedone's state of being "clearof or from" a charge.
Katharos was used to describe water which was "clearof admixture" and so
"clear" or"pure". It was usedto describe an individual's birth as "pure" or
"genuine" and thus "citizens who were of pure blood". Herodotus used
katharos to describe "the sound portion of the army", that is, that portion

which was without blemish. The phrase "with clean hands" equated with
"honestly".
Katharos is used far more frequent in the Septuagint (LXX) - 135 times! The
first 8 uses describe "clean" animals (cf Ge 7:2, 3, 8, 8:20), "pure" gold (cf the
components inside God's Tabernacle!Ex 25:11,17, 29, 31, 36, 38, 39)
In the LXX of Genesis 20:5 we find a very interesting use of katharos.
Abimelech had not gone into Sarah(who Abraham had lied about as being his
sister)and so when confrontedby God in a dream declared…
Genesis 20:5:"Did he (Abraham) not himself sayto me, 'She is my sister'?
And she herselfsaid, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity (LXX = katharos for
the Hebrew = tom = completeness,the quality or state of being complete or
undivided as in our English term integer. Study the 7 uses in Psalms and uses
in Proverbs and see if they don't relate to "purity of heart" as in this
beatitude) of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this." 6
Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity (LXX =
katharos)of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning
againstMe; therefore I did not let you touch her." (Genesis 20:5-6)
Here is another interesting use of katharos in the LXX translation of Leviticus
7:19 (cf Lev 10:10, 11:36-37, 47, in fact 33 total uses of katharos for tahowr -
see below - in the book of Leviticus)
'Also the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten;it shall be
burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean(LXX = katharos for
the Hebrew tahowr= describes pure, cleananimals and also that which is
unalloyed) may eatsuch flesh.

Comment: The Hebrew Tahowror "Clean" mostfrequently describedthe
purity maintained by avoiding contactwith other human beings, abstaining
from eating animals, and using things that were declared ceremoniallyclean.
Conversely, cleansing results if ritual procedures symbolizing the removal of
contamination are observed. This latter "science"the Phariseeshad made
into an "art" with their emphasis on the external at the expense of the
internal! Mt 5:20 (note). The Pharisees likedthe idea of “Blessedare the
pure” as long as the statement stopped right there because they were the
resident experts in outward purity. They had innumerable rules and
regulations covering what you ate, what you wore, how far you could walk in
the Sabbath, and so on. They scoredan "A+" on being outwardly pure. But
they flunked out on inward purity. To them this beatitude would be something
like…
"Blessedare the outwardly clean, for they shall see God."
Jesus turned the tables on the Phariseesusing their own vocabulary! To be
pure in body is good. But to be pure in heart is best of all because it takes care
of the external (in the right way). If you are pure in your heart, you will be
pure everywhere. To be pure in heart then means to be pure from the inside
out.
Look at Jesus'scathing pronouncement againstthe external purity without
heart purity as practicedby the Pharisees in Mt 23:25-26, 27-28 declaring…
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!For you clean(verb form
katharizo) the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside (their hearts were
not pure) they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

26 "You blind Pharisee, firstclean (verb form katharizo) the inside (first
believe what your prophets wrote about "inner cleansing" = Ezekiel36:26, 27;
11:19, 20, 18:31, cf Deut 30:6, Jeremiah31:34, 32:39, 40, Acts 15:9, 1Peter
1:22, 23),:of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become
cleanalso.
27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!Foryou are like
whitewashedtombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are
full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. (akathartos- derived from the
negative of katharos)
28 "Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are
full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Two more uses of katharos in the LXX are instructive, both in psalms by
David (cf Acts 13:22)…
3 Who may ascendinto the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy
place? 4 He who has cleanhands and a pure (LXX = katharos)heart, who has
not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworndeceitfully. (Psalm24:3-
4) (See notes)
Create (command - David came "boldly" to the throne - the only way he could
have done so is by knowing the One through Whom He had such bold access
to the Father!) in me a clean(LXX = katharos for the Hebrew tahowr=
describes pure, cleananimals and also that which is unalloyed) heart, O God,
And renew a steadfastspirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) (See notes)

Finally in EzekielGod promised that one day in the future (to be completely
fulfilled at the return of Messiahat the end of the GreatTribulation)
Then I will sprinkle clean(LXX = katharos)wateron you, and you will be
clean(LXX = verb from katharizo > English"cathartic");I will cleanse
(katharizo) you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover,
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove
the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel36:25-
26)
Katharos is the source of the English word catharsis, meaning purifying or
cleansing. It is akin to the Latin castus from which we derive the word pure.
As alluded to above, from a biblical standpoint the conceptof cleansing was
deeply rootedin both the Old Testament, especiallythe Torah(the first five
books of Moses). Under the Levitical laws heavy emphasis was placedon
ceremonialcleansing. This forbade contactwith unclean animals, substances,
persons, or places. Bythe time of Christ this preoccupationwith ceremonial
cleanness hadlargely displacedtrue worship in Spirit and truth. Thus in this
beatitude Jesus focuses in on a cleanheart, rather than on ceremonial
cleanness.
Charles Hodge rightly observedthat “Whenevertrue religion declines, the
disposition to lay undo stress onexternal rites is stressed."
William Barclayexplains that katharos but also had severalmeanings that
help understand its use in this beatitude…

(i) Originally it simply meant clean, and could, for instance, be used of soiled
clothes which have been washedclean.
(ii) It is regularly used for corn which has been winnowedor sifted and
cleansedofall chaff.
In the same way it is used of an army which has been purged of all
discontented, cowardly, unwilling and inefficient soldiers, and which is a force
composedsolelyof first-class fighting men.
(iii) It very commonly appears in company with another Greek adjective—
akēratos. Akēratoscanbe used of milk or wine which is unadulterated with
water, or of metal which has in it no tinge of alloy.
So, then, the basic meaning of katharos is unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed.
That is why this beatitude is so demanding a beatitude. It could be translated:
Blessedis the man whose motives are always entirely unmixed, for that man
shall see God. So, then, a pure heart is a heart whose motives are absolutely
pure and absolutelyunmixed.
(Katharos) it is commonly used in housing contracts to describe a house that is
left cleanand in goodcondition. But its most suggestive use is that katharos is
used of that ceremonialcleanness whichentitles a man to approachhis gods.
Impurity, then, is that which makes a man unfit to come before God, the
soiling of life with the things which separate us from him. (Matthew 5
Commentary - Daily Study Bible online)

Ray Pritchard gives us an excellentpracticaldefinition of purity of heart
explaining that
Pure gold is not cleangold but 100%. Pure bread is all bread and no leaven.
Pure watermeans that all the harmful elements have been removed by
filtration. Some of you will remember when Ivory Soapadvertised itself as
being “99 and 44/100thspercentpure.” But in truth, anything less than 100%
is not really pure! In this context being “pure in heart” means to have no
double allegiance. Lateron in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warnedagainst
serving God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). No one can serve two masters at
the same time. You will always love one and hate the other. And James 1:6-8
teaches us that the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
To be pure in heart means that you are sincere, transparentand without guile.
What you see is what you get. No fakery, no trickery, no hypocrisy. I still
remember hearing one of my Greek professorsin seminary speak aboutDr.
John Walvoord, who was then the president of Dallas Seminary. He said,
“You never have to wonder what Dr. Walvoordreally means or if he’s trying
to send you a double message. He is man without guile.” That statementhas
stayed with me across allthese years because he’s the only man I’ve ever
heard described in those terms. That statement reminds me of something I
heard many years ago. A counselorsaid that he often tells his counselees,
“You’re only as sick as your secrets.”The more you have to hide, the sicker
you are. And if you’ve gota lot of secrets,you’re really sick.
Is your life an open book? Or do you have things that you hide from your best
friends and from your loved ones? Is there anyone in your life who knows the
truth about who you really are? Blessedare the pure in heart, for they have
nothing to hide. (Matthew 5:8 The Tragedyof Double Vision) (Bolding added)

We must understand that Godis far more interested in what we ARE than in
what we DO for God. If what we are does not please His holiness, than what
we do is virtually worthless. (cf 1Sa 16:7)
In his first letter to Timothy Paul wrote that (in contrastto the false
teachers)…
the goalof our instruction is love from a pure heart and a goodconscienceand
a sincere faith. (1Ti 1:5)
To have a pure heart fellowshipand be accountable to those who have one…
Paul says it this way (in his last written communication to Timothy)…
Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace,
with those who call on the Lord from a pure (katharos)heart. (see note 2
Timothy 2:22)
As yet we know Thee but in part;
But still we trust Thy Word,
That blessèdare the pure in heart,
For they shall see the Lord.
O Savior, give us then Thy grace
To make us pure in heart,
That we may see Thee face to face

Hereafter, as Thou art.
---John M. Neale (play)
John Blanchard writes "The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaardmay
have come as close as anyone to a precise definition of purity of heart with his
famous aphorism that it means ‘to will one thing’. The pure in heart are the
same on the inside as they are on the outside. As R V G Taskerputs it, they
are ‘free from the tyranny of a divided self’. They may not be sinless, but they
are sincere. Theyare the same in private as they are in public. Their religious
activities are not a cover-up, hiding more than they reveal, as was the case
with the Pharisees, ofwhom Jesus said, ‘These people honour me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me’ (Mark 7:6). When the pure-hearted
man goes to church, his heart is there. He cantruthfully saywith the Psalmist,
‘I rejoicedwith those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord” ’
(Psalm 122:1). When he prays, his heart is in it. He is among those who ‘call
on the Lord out of a pure (katharos)heart’ (2 Timothy 2:22). His religion is
not a lifeless performance but a living experience. He worships, prays, gives,
serves and witnesses forChrist, and seeksto live in obedience to God’s Word,
not because these things are expectedof him, but because he has no wish to do
otherwise. A friend of mine used to say that a hypocrite was someone who let
his light so shine before men that nobody could tell what was going on behind.
Not so the pure in heart. There is no hidden agenda, no moral, spiritual or
religious sleight of hand. When Brian Johnston, the well-knownBritish
broadcaster, died in 1994, friends published a tribute calledSummers will
never be the same. In it, the blind American pianist George Shearing, a close
friend for nearly 40 years, wrote, ‘To meet Brian Johnstonwas to know Brian
Johnston.’Author and songwriterTim Rice added, ‘The man behind the
microphone was the man himself … it is this aspectof Brian that first and
foremostsprings to mind.’ CricketcorrespondentJohn Woodcockcalledhim
‘quite without artifice’, and Andrew Johnston, the broadcaster’s secondson,
saw him as ‘one who had no hidden side’. According to fellow commentator
PeterWest, ‘He was always totally, irrepressibly and unrepentantly himself:
what you saw or heard was exactly what you got.’These tributes were not

paid in a religious or spiritual context, and they need to be assessedwith this
in mind, but they surely prompt any Christian reading them to ask some
probing questions: Is pleasing others sometimes more important to me than
pleasing God? Is what I do consistentwith what I really think? Do I
sometimes put popularity before principle? Am I more concernedabout
making an impression than about doing what is right? What occupies my
mind when I am alone, and have nobody to impress? Am I more concerned
about my reputation than I am about my character? As John Calvin reminds
us, ‘The Lord first of all wants sincerity in his service, simplicity of heart
without guile and falsehood.’EveryChristian should continually pray with
the Psalmist, ‘O Lord … give me an undivided heart’ (Psalm 86:11)." (The
Beatitudes for Today)
David Guzik - Blessedare the pure in heart: In the ancient Greek, the phrase
pure of heart has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity. There can be
two ideas connectedto this. One is of inner moral purity as opposedto the
image of purity or ceremonialpurity. The other idea is of a single, undivided
heart—those who are utterly sincere and not divided in their devotion and
commitment to God.
In his book Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll tells of speaking ata
singles retreatin a RockyMountain resort. He had purposely brought along a
full-faced rubber mask that his children had given him as a funny present.
One evening he wore it as he beganto speak onauthenticity. As expected, the
crowdwent wild with laughter. Eachnew sentence increasedthe effect. After
removing the mask, he observed, "It's a funny thing, when we wearliteral
masks, nobody is fooled. But how easyit is to wearinvisible ones and fake
people out by the hundreds....Servants who are `pure in heart' have peeled off
their masks. And God places specialblessing ontheir lives." As David Egner
adds "We all struggle with the problem of hypocrisy. But when our hearts are
pure, we will have no reasonto coverour faces."

Vance Havner - The pure in heart are those who follow holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord.
James Smith on pure in heart - His heart is right with God. Wholly yielded up
to His holy will. Delighting in all that is pleasing to Him. Cleansedby the
blood, and open to the light....The pure in heart shall see the face of God in
His Son, in His Word, and in His Providence. (Handfuls of Purpose)
Heart (2588)(kardia [word study]) is used figuratively most often in Scripture
and refers to the centerof eachpersons thoughts (mind) and will (see note by
MacArthur below). The heart usually is more generalreferring to the inner
person, the centerof life, the volitional centerof our being. The heart is the
seatand "mastercontrolcenter" of human life. It is the center of your
personality, the “realyou” who makes the decisions of life. Thus, to be pure in
heart is to be pure in the centerof your life.
Jeremiahreminds us that unfortunately it is the heart that is source of all our
troubles for "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperatelysick;
Who can understand it?' (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus echoesJeremiah's assessmentof the heart reminding us that "out of the
heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false
witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man" (Matthew
15:19,20)
Why is the state of one's heart so important? In the Old Testamenthere are
just a few reasons…

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance orat the height
of his stature, because I have rejectedhim; for God sees not as man sees, for
man looks atthe outward appearance, but the LORD looks atthe heart." (1
Samuel 16:7) (cf Acts 13:22 "… 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse,A
MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.' = single minded devotion
and integrity just as Jesus calls for in this Sixth Beatitude)(Reputation is what
others think about me. Characteris what God knows is true of in my heart!)
"Forthe eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may
strongly support those whose heart is completely His… " (2Chronicles 16:9)
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
(Proverbs 4:23-see note)
There is a certain"blessedness"inherent in the consciousness ofa pure heart.
(cf clean conscience -see suneidesis)A consciousness ofa pure heart is a
personalawarenessofpurity in our life. O the blessedness ofthose with a pure
heart, the control center for all of your life.
God is far more interestedin what we ARE than in what we DO for God. If
what we are does not please His holiness, than what we do is virtually
worthless. The heart is the centerof the inner life of the personwhere all the
spiritual forces and functions have their origin
Vine writes that kardia "came to denote man’s entire mental and moral
activities, and to stand figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life,
and so here signifies the seatof thought and feeling.

MacArthur commenting on kardia writes that "While we often relate heart to
the emotions (e.g., “He has a broken heart”), the Bible relates it primarily to
the intellect(e.g., “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders,” Matt15:19). That’s why you must
“watchover your heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23-see note). In a
secondaryway, however, heart relates to the will and emotions because they
are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to something, it will affect
your will, which in turn will affectyour emotions." (Drawing Near. Crossway
Books)
MacArthur adds that "In most modern cultures, the heart is thought of as the
seatof emotions and feelings. But most ancients—Hebrews, Greeks, andmany
others—consideredthe heart to be the center of knowledge, understanding,
thinking, and wisdom. The New Testamentalso uses it in that way. The heart
was consideredto be the seatof the mind and will, and it could be taught what
the brain could never know. Emotions and feelings were associatedwith the
intestines, or bowels." (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. Page 44. Chicago:Moody
Press ) (Bolding added)
Max Lucado on PURE HEART - Cleanthe refinery, and the result will be a
pure product. We usually reverse the order. We try to change the inside by
altering the outside.
John Blanchard - What then does it mean to be ‘pure in heart’? Before giving
some positive answers to the question, one important negative point needs to
be made, namely that purity of heart does not mean perfection. If it did, not
even the finest believer who has ever lived would have the remotestpossibility
of embracing the promise that the pure in heart ‘will see God’. Over the
centuries, a number of ‘sinless perfection’ movements have taught that at
conversionthe sinful nature is eradicatedand have claimed the possibility of
perfect purity in this life, but the Bible gives no warrant for such teaching. All

the Bible’s saints were sinners, and remained so when they were at their most
saintly. The Bible asks, ‘Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean
and without sin”?’(Proverbs 20:9)—andall of humanity must remain silent.
John, who was given that remarkable vision of heaven, bluntly admits, ‘If we
claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us’ (1 John
1:8). Paul, who writes again and again about his joyful certainty of spending
eternity in God’s presence, neverthelessconfesses, ‘Forwhat I do is not the
goodI want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keepon doing’
(Romans 7:19). He was not saying that he never stopped sinning but that, in
spite of all the progress he had made, sin kept rearing its ugly head. There is
nothing in the Bible—letalone in this Beatitude—whichgives anyone the right
to claim sinless perfection on this side of the grave. In fact, as A W Pink
rightly says:‘One of the most conclusive evidences that we do possessa pure
heart is to be conscious ofand burdened with the impurity which still indwells
us.’ Conviction of sin and purity of heart are by no means incompatible. The
gospelpromises are not to those who think they are perfect, but to those who
grieve over their imperfections, and long to be holy. With this negative
principle in place, we cannow turn to the issues involved in purity of heart.
(The Beatitudes for Today)
How Greatis Your Desire for a Pure Heart? - In the forests of Northern
Europe lives the ermine, a small animal bestknown for his snow-white fur.
Instinctively, he protects his glossycoatwith greatcare lest it become soiled.
Hunters often capitalize on this trait. Instead of setting a mechanicaltrap to
catchthe ermine, they find his home in a cleft of a rock or a hollow tree and
daub the entrance and the interior with tar. Then their dogs start the chase,
and the frightened ermine flees towardhis home. But finding it coveredwith
dirt, he spurns the place of safety. Rather than soil his white fur, he
courageouslyfaces the yelping dogs, who hold him at bay until the hunters
capture him. To the ermine, purity is dearer than life! O God gives us hearts
like these little creatures ofYours! Amen

HOLY AND HAPPY - A boy who had just listened to a long sermon walked
out of church with a big frown on his face. His father had pulled his ear
during the service to keephim from fidgeting. "What's the matter, Johnny?"
askedone of the deacons. "Youlook so sad." The frustrated young fellow
responded quickly, "I am. It's hard to be happy and holy at the same time."
This boy was probably expressing the feelings of many young Christians, and
perhaps many adults as well. They have the idea that if they are to be good,
they can't possibly be happy. The nineteenth-century South African minister
Andrew Murray correctedthat misconception. He said, "Holiness is essential
to true happiness; happiness is essentialto true holiness. If you would have
joy, the fullness of joy, an abiding joy which nothing can take away, be holy as
God is holy. Holiness is blessedness. . . . If we would live lives of joy, assuring
God and man and ourselves that our Lord is everything, is more than all to us,
oh, let us be holy! . . . If you would be a holy Christian, you must be a happy
Christian. Jesus was anointedby God with 'the oil of gladness,'that He might
give us the 'oil of joy.' In all our efforts after holiness, the wheels will move
heavily if there be not the oil of joy." The joy of Christ should ring through
our souls in our most holy moments. We're on the road to spiritual maturity
when we've learned that happiness and holiness are not enemies, but friends.
—D.C. Egner- The holiestman is the happiest man.
Rejoice, ye pure in heart,
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross ofChrist your King.
EDWARD H. PLUMPTRE (1821–1891)
Bill Bright - “Blessedare the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
MATTHEW 5:8, KJV

Jesus had a flashpoint againstthe hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Theyprofessed
to be something they were not. Externally they did everything right, adhering
meticulously to all the details of the law, yet He referred to them as being
“whitewashedtombs” internally, and being “full of dead men’s bones.” Thus,
obviously, the “pure in heart” did not apply to the Pharisees, according to His
view of them.
In John 14:21, Jesus says, “The one who obeys Me is the one who loves Me
and because he loves Me My Father will love him and I will too and I will
revealMyself to him.” That is another way of saying what He said in the verse
in Matthew above. The pure in heart shall see Godbecause He will reveal
Himself to those who obey, and only the pure in heart obey.
If God seems impersonalto you, far off and unreachable, you may want to
look into the mirror of your heart to see if anything there would grieve or
quench the Spirit, short-circuiting His communication with you.
You may be sure of this promise of God: The pure in heart will experience the
reality of His presence within.
If for some reasonthis is not your experience, Godhas made provision
whereby you can have vital fellowshipwith Him. Breathe spiritually. Exhale
by confessing your sins, and inhale by appropriating the fullness of God’s
Spirit. Beginto delight yourself in the Lord and in His Word, asking Godto
give you a pure heart, and you may be assuredthat God will become a reality
to you.
Billy Graham - Pure in Heart
“Blessedare the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” MATTHEW 5:8
Why does Jesus saywe should be “pure in heart”? The reasonis because our
heart—our inner being—is the root of all our actions. From our hearts come
our motives, our desires, our goals, ouremotions. If our hearts aren’t right,
our actions won’t be either. Jesus put it this way: “Fromwithin, out of the

heart of men, proceedevil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness,wickedness, deceit, lewdness, anevil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness”(Mark 7:21–22). ButGod wants to give us a pure heart—and He
will. He does this first of all when we turn to Christ in repentance and faith,
for “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleansesus from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
But God also purifies our hearts day by day as we submit to the Holy Spirit
and—with His help—flee from evil and seek whatis good. “Blessedare the
pure in heart.”
Thomas Watson- Meditation on heaven would make us strive after heart
purity; because only the “pure in heart shall see God,” Matt. 5:8. It is only a
cleareye that can look upon a bright transparent object.
Dennis Rainey- Blessedare the pure in heart, for they shall see
God.MATTHEW 5:8
When I was a boy, the thought of going to heavensounded boring. As a young
lad, I thought that there is so much more here that I wantedto experience.
Places to go. Thrills to embrace. The thought of sitting around for all eternity
strumming a harp didn’t appeal to me.
I had a very immature perspective of heaven back then. But in the last few
years I’ve closedsome of my letters and emails in a unique way:
God is good.
Life is a challenge.
Heaven looks betterand better all of the time.
—Dennis

As I’ve read the Scriptures, I’ve realized that heavenlooks much better than
anything the world offers. I think life is one long process ofGod weaning us
from this world and its pleasures and showing us that what we yearn for isn’t
here.
Do you long for heaven? On those days when you desire heaventhe most, is it
because you’re exhausted, so you long for heaven’s rest? Is it because you’re
drained by the burden of carrying life’s troubles and you long to be free? Is it
because you’ve lost your sense of happiness and you long for a place of lasting
peace and joy?
I don’t think it’s wrong to ache for a place of realsanctuary, a home in heaven
where every tearwill be wiped away, where “there will no longerbe any
mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4). But the true joy of heaven is
not just pain relief. The true joy will be found in seeing our living Lord and
Master, Jesus Christ, face to face. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones asked, “To standin
the very presence of God, to gaze and gaze on Thee … Is that heaven to us? Is
that the thing we want above everything else?”
When you long for heaven, long for Him.
DISCUSS How deeply do you yearn for heaven? If not, what do you long for?
What keeps it from being what you desire?
PRAY Pray that you will better see who Jesus is today and, in turn, setyour
affections “onthings above,” not the world. (Moments with You)

Henry Backabyasks "Whatdoes Jesus meanby “pure in heart”? It means
having pure thoughts, pure motives, a pure will, and pure emotions. God
requires purity at the very center of our being, in our heart....Severalyears
ago, we had a family reunion in England. It was a wonderful time that
provided incredible memories. While in London, we had the opportunity to
tour BuckinghamPalace. We saw the London Guard, beautiful tapestries, and
other artwork and paintings from world-renowned artists. We walkedin the
hallways and stoodin the rooms where history had been made. We were
fascinatedby the London Guard. Our tour guide told us that the highest
military honor is to be assignedto guard QueenElizabeth and Buckingham
Palace. As we watchedthe changing of the Guard, we noticedthat the guards
marched, stood, and were dressedperfectly. The Queen has only the best of
the bestserving at her palace. Whatking or queen would have someone with
filthy hands serving at his or her table? In our wildestimagination, we can’t
picture a queen having someone dirty to serve her. It would be unacceptable.
If a servant came to work unclean, he or she would be ineligible to attend to
the queen’s personal needs. In the same way, Jesus—the King of kings—
requires that those who serve Him have cleanhands and pure hearts. Jesus
said those who have pure hearts will see God; they will sit around His table
and serve Him. They will hear what He says, know what is on His heart for
the day, and see where He is working. Many times we want to see God’s
activity and to be a part of His work in our world, but we don’t seemto see
Him do much through our lives. We wonderwhere He is and why He hasn’t
spokento us or shownus His plans. If you have wonderedthe same thing, take
a moment to consideryour life. Are you ready for service? Are your hands
cleanfrom any stain of sin, and are the motives of your heart pure? Perhaps
you need to pray as David did in Psalm51: Create in me a cleanheart, O God,
and renew a steadfastspirit within me. Do not castme awayfrom Your
presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (Called and
Accountable)
SINGLE HEART and PURE HEART

Two songs for your heart
Take a moment to listen to this song, one of my favorites from Craig Smith,
entitled Single Heart...
He had only one aim
In placing us here
This is His domain
And His messageis clear.
Single heart, Single mind.
My eyes forward all the time.
Single heart, purified.
Undivided, unified.
Single heart, Single mind.
May You find in us,
Solitary trust
May you find a single heart!
Here is another song Pure Heart -- take a moment to ponder your life in light
the words sung by Craig Smith and make it your prayer to the Fathertoday:

Over and over I hear it again
That the Fatherdesires pure heart
Not to seek earthly treasure or the favor of man
But to be found with pureness of heart
Chorus
Pure heart is what the Father desires
Holy heart purified by God's holy fire
Brokenheart, proven to be faithful and true
Fashionin me a heart that's thirsting for You
Searchever chamber, expose them to me
Create motives of honor and simplicity
May You find faithfulness, integrity
A heart which is worthy for Your eyes to see
Chorus
My only ambition is to stand before You
And find I was pleasing in Your sight
An obedient child of God, faithful and true
Found with pureness of heart
Chorus

FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD:hoti autoi ton theon opsontai(3PFMI):
Genesis 32:30;Job 19:26,27;1Cor13:12;Hebrews 12:14;1Jn 3:2,3 - see notes
1Jn 3:2 3:3
BLEST ARE THE PURE IN HEART
Blestare the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God;
The secretofthe Lord is theirs;
Their soul is Christ’s abode.
The Lord, who left the heavens
Our life and peace to bring,
To dwell in lowliness with men
Their Pattern and their King.
Still to the lowly soul
He doth Himself impart;
And for His cradle and His throne
Chooseththe pure in heart.
Lord, we Thy presence seek;
May ours this blessing be;

Give us a pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for Thee.
---John Keble
THE BLESSED PROMISE:
SEEING GOD
For - Always pause and ponder this instructive term of explanation.
As with the other beatitudes, In the Greek "they" is placedemphatically in
the sentence signifying that it is "they and they alone" who will see God. It is
only the pure in heart, who shall Him for He reserves intimate knowledge of
and fellowshipwith Him for those who maintain this purity of heart. How this
should motivate us.
John MacArthur describes the blessedpromise -- "There’s one other question
I can’t resistjust mentioning. What is the promise attachedto such purity?
What happens if we’re pure? Ah, this is so great. The end of the verse, “They
shall” – what? – “see God.” This is a future indicative in Greek. A future
continuous tense. Let me read to you how it should go. “Theyshall be
continually seeing Godfor themselves.” It’s middle voice reflexive. “They
shall be continuously seeing Godfor themselves.” Youknow what happens
when your heart is purified at salvation? You live in the presence of God.
You don’t see God with a physical eye;you see Him with a spiritual eye. You
comprehend Him. You realize that He’s there. You see Him. And like
Moses,who cried “Lord, show me thy glory,” the one whose heart is purified
by Jesus Christ sees againand againthe glory of God. Hey, listen, did you
know that to see God was the greatestthing that a person in the Old
Testamentcould dream of? Moses said, “Show me thy glory.” (Ex 33:18)

What a thought. Philip said that day to Jesus, “Showus the Father and that’s
sufficient.” (John 14:8) And beloved, when you are purified in your heart by
Jesus Christ, you will see God. He’ll be alive to you and you’ll go on seeing
Him. And as you mature, and the more pure you become, the greaterthe
beatific vision becomes." (Happy are the Holy - Matthew 5:8)
Spurgeon- It is a most blessedattainment to have such a longing for purity as
to love everything that is chaste and holy, and to abhor everything that is
questionable and unhallowed: There is a wonderful connectionbetweenhearts
and eyes. A man who has the stains of filth on his soul cannotsee God, but
they who are purified in heart are purified in vision too: “they shall see God.”
Spurgeontells this anecdotalstory - One day, at an hotel dinner table, I was
talking with a brother-minister about certain spiritual things when a
gentleman, who sat opposite to us, and who had a serviette tuckedunder his
chin, and a face that indicated his fondness for wine, made, this remark, ‘I
have been in this world for sixty years, and I have never yet been conscious of
anything spiritual.’ We did not say what we thought, but we thought it was
very likely that what he said was perfectly true; and there are a greatmany
more people in the world who might say the same as he did. But that, only
proved that he was not conscious ofanything spiritual; not that others were
not consciousofit.
Spurgeon(Morning and Evening, Dec 13) - Sanctification, as it conforms us to
our Lord, is another agate window. Only as we become heavenly can we
comprehend heavenly things. The pure in heart see a pure God. Those who
are like Jesus see him as he is. Because we are so little like him, the window is
but agate;because we are somewhatlike him, it is agate. We thank God for
what we have, and long for more. When shall we see God and Jesus, and
heaven and truth, face to face?

Guzik - They shall enjoy greaterintimacy with God than they could have
imagined. The polluting sins of covetousness,oppression, lust, and chosen
deceptionhave a definite blinding effect upon a person; and the one pure of
heart is freer from these pollutions....Ultimately, this intimate relationship
with God must become our greatestmotivation for purity, greaterthan a fear
of getting caughtor a fear of consequences.
• The heart-pure person cansee God in nature.
• The heart-pure person cansee God in Scripture.
• The heart-pure person cansee God in his church family.
And I would add one more to Guzik's list -- "the heart-pure person" can see
God at work in his or her circumstances. In other words heart which is
becoming purer and purer (as should happen as we mature in Christ) heart is
better able to "see Him" (by faith) working in the providential circumstances
He allows and/or brings to pass (cp Moses in Heb 11:27-note)
Matthew Poole - For though no mortal eye can see and comprehend the
essenceofGod, yet these men shall by an eye of faith see and enjoy God in this
life, though in a glass more darkly, and in the life to come face to face.
See (3708)(optánomaifrom horao = to see)means to see with the eyes
implying not just the mere act of physically seeing but also actualperception
(act of coming to comprehend, grasp, attain awarenessorunderstanding of) of
what one sees.
This specific form (verb indicative future middle deponent 3rd personplural)
is found in Matt 5:8; 24:30;28:10; Mk 13:26; Luke 21:27;John 19:37; Acts
2:17; Ro 15:21;Rev 22:4

Jesus was blessing the pure in heart

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