Any association with that which is filthy contaminates me. In Adam I have been polluted, but in Christ I am purified. Rather a pure heart aligns itself with the will of a pure, just, and holy God and the truth of His Word and seeks to honor, obey, and adore Him.ĭo you wish to see God? Then, to echo James… “cleanse your hands and purify your hearts.” Blessed are those who have purity in their minds and consciences, in their thoughts, wills, and affections.”Ĭlean hands and a pure heart make no allowance for living a double life or participating in any duplicitous or deceitful behavior. Jeremiah Burroughs said, “By the heart we are to understand not only the will or affections, but all the faculties of the soul - the mind, conscience, and thoughts, all is to be understood by heart. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind,” (James 4:8). James supports both of these passages when he says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Who does not lift up his soul to what is false, Psalm 24:3-4, the Old Testament complement to the New Testament beatitude of Matthew 5:8, elaborates on what that means: But what exactly does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart? What does that look like? In fact, Habakkuk 1:13 says “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.”įor this reason, our only hope for entering the presence of a just and holy God is to pray as the psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Ps. God, on the other hand, is infinitely pure by nature. And by nature, our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. God knows our real character is revealed not by what we do or say, but by what’s in our heart (Matt. Why, then, do we consider entering the presence of a just and holy God without first tending to that which matters most to Him – the condition of our heart? It would be completely unthinkable to appear before a monarch or a king without giving utmost consideration to cleanliness and a top-notch appearance. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God,” (Matthew 5:8)
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