Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8 (NASB)

This beautitude was a puzzle to me in my earlier years; I often questioned, ‘Exactly what did it mean to be pure in heart?’ I aim to answer that question in this post; after all, we want to see God and therefore need to know how to achieve that. The Greek word katharos is “pure” in our verse; meaning to be clean/pure – thus “pure in heart” does not refer to the anatomy of our heart, but to the spiritual function of it. The word “pure” carries the idea of simplicity from the root meaning clean, unmixed, without alloy. The Greek used “pure” for corn sifted free of chaff, carrying the idea of unmixed. A pure heart is unmixed, not holding anything contrary to God’s will. This is further proved by the origin of “heart” being kardia, referring to one’s thoughts and feelings. Being “pure in heart” is a spiritual state of the individual in relation to God and His Word. Such people seek to live in the way of holiness rather than serving the way of the world.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

This brings us to the question that is central to our meditations in this verse; ‘How will we see God?’ The word “see” comes from the Greek word optanomai, meaning to gaze upon from a distance; this is quite appropriate to our distant relationship to Almighty God. If we are saved by repentance in Christ our Lord and Saviour, we look forward to the reward of Heaven someday, where we will see God. But we need not wait until then; just as we see the evidence of someone’s existence by the work they do in our community, we can see proof of God by His provision and grace in our lives, or in the lives of others. We see His beauty in His Creation and in the loveliness of other people who bless us each day.

Dear Reader, may we each seek to have a pure heart; not distracted by the evil and frivolous things of this world, but to be focussed upon the Holy things of God. Staying in God’s Word, acknowledging our sins and repenting of them, and asking for His forgiveness will guide us to a pure heart and into His presence.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures

About the Author

Devotional Treasures is a daily source of Biblical posts on various sources; they are free to all. These are written by me, Alan Kearns, and are inspired by my own private reading/study of God's Word.

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