“They Shall See God”
What comes into your mind when you hear the word “pure”? Maybe something that’s wholesome and innocent like a child. Maybe something that’s unmixed like “twenty-four karat” gold that is 99.9% pure.
Of all the things that may come into your mind when you hear the word “pure,” is your heart one of those things? Could you say that you have a pure heart? If you’re honest with yourself, you most likely have some doubts about saying that. But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasized the need to be pure in heart - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8).
How should we understand these words? What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? When, He speaks of the “heart,” Jesus is using the term the way we so often do – “I love you with all my heart,” or “I mean this from the bottom of my heart.” This is about the very center or core of your being.
What about the meaning of “pure”? Scholars have noted that the Greek word Jesus used has two basic meanings: “clean” and “unmixed.” Think of David’s prayer in Psalm 86:11 – “Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name” (NIV). That seems to be the idea that Jesus is communicating - you’re not straddling the fence; you’re not back and forth from one day to the next. Your heart is focused on God and His Word. Your heart is united and fixed in its desire to honor and obey Him. Being pure in heart is about following Jesus with a single-minded and whole-hearted devotion.
Will any of us ever do that perfectly? No. But we rest in Christ and trust that He’s perfect for us, that His righteousness is ours by faith, that He’s changing us from the inside out and making us into who He wants us to be. We joyfully submit to that work in our lives and seek to do all we can to honor and please Him. We pursue purity and uprightness. We want it desperately.
And when we do that, what’s the promise of Jesus? We’re told we will “see” God. Think about what a stunning statement that is. In 1 Timothy 1:17, Paul calls God “invisible.” Then, in 6:15-16, he says God is “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords… who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” Yet, Jesus says that the pure in heart will see God. How can that be?
When we choose to follow Jesus, turning from sin and trusting in His Word, obeying Him and living for Him, we begin to see God in a way we couldn’t previously when we were blinded by sin. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul says that unbelievers are blind to the glory of Christ, but then, in v. 6, he says “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
I think that’s the first way we see God, but I think there’s more. On that day when we’re united with God in glory, we’ll see Him in a new way. We’ll get an up close and personal view. Jonathan Edwards believed that this was about much more than just physical sight. He said that by the “eye of the soul” we would see God more more fully and gloriously than with the eye of the body. Theologians sometimes refer to this experience as the “beatific vision” - the moment that will bring perfect, eternal happiness. This is what awaits those who follow Jesus.
I’ve seen some beautiful things in my life - simple things like sunsets at the beach or shooting stars on dark nights, once-in-a-lifetime things like my wife walking down the aisle at our wedding or my children being born - amazing things that I’ll never forget! And there are still other things I hope to see some day. But no matter what we could ever see in this world, none of it could ever compare to this great hope – seeing God Himself.
So, if we want to see God, if that’s our hope and goal, then we ought to be pursuing purity. Do you want to see God? If so, you need to get a pure heart. How can you get a pure heart? Turn to Jesus. Follow Him today and everyday.