Introduction: The Main Goal of Life
We continue studying the Beatitudes—the introduction to the great Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ. These eight statements are a kind of constitution for the citizen of God’s Kingdom.
We have already seen how a person recognizes his spiritual poverty, mourns over sin, humbles himself in meekness, hungers for righteousness, and begins to show mercy to others.
The sixth beatitude consists of only a few words: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” And every word is loaded with the deepest meaning. Jesus speaks here about the most cherished goal of human existence—about the return to Eden, about the possibility of again seeing God, communicating with Him face to face, and not dying from His holiness.
What Does the Bible Call the “Heart”?
In modern language, we often contrast the “heart” (as an organ of feelings and emotions) with the “brain” (as an organ of intellect). But in the Bible, the concept of the “heart” is much broader. It is not just feelings. It is the center of the entire inner life of a person.
The biblical “heart” includes three main spheres:
- Feelings and Emotions: The Apostle Paul wrote about “anguish of heart” because of his kinsmen (Rom. 9:2). We say “my heart aches” when we experience deep sadness.
- Mind and Thoughts: Jesus asked the scribes: “Why do you question in your hearts?” (Luke 5:22). Ideas are born in the heart, facts are analyzed, and intellectual decisions are made.
- Will and Decisions: Of Judas it is said that the devil “had already put it into the heart” of him to betray the Teacher (John 13:2). The heart is the “workshop” where our actions are forged.
Thus, the heart is the very essence of our personality, our true “self.” It is the source of life force that determines our external words and actions. And it is in this control center that the Lord requires purity.
Internal Purity vs. External Purity
The religious leaders of Jesus’ time—the Pharisees—were masters of external purity. They carefully washed their hands and dishes and observed thousands of ritual prescriptions. But Jesus shocked them by stating that all this does not matter if the heart is impure.
“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts… All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21–23).
Purity in the eyes of Christ is not just the absence of gross external sins. If there is no adultery in your life, but you “look at a woman with lustful intent,” Jesus says that adultery has already been committed—in the heart. If you have not killed a person physically, but are angry with him or despise him in your thoughts—the sin of murder has already stained your heart.
Purity of heart is honesty before God where no one sees us. It is the absence of acting. We can play the roles of respectable Christians in church, like Hollywood actors, but God sees the “backstage” of our minds. He knows our true motives.
The Problem of “Respectable Sins”
When we first come to Christ, the Holy Spirit performs a “general cleaning.” We give up obvious vices, change our vocabulary and lifestyle. But over time, spiritual fatigue sets in. We get used to the “dust” in our souls.
It resembles life in a student dormitory. At the beginning of the year, everyone is full of enthusiasm and washes the floors every week. Six months later, cleaning is done once a month. By the end of the studies, the garbage is simply swept under the rug so as not to spoil the view.
In the same way, “respectable sins” appear in our spiritual life. Jerry Bridges, in his book of the same name, lists them: discontent, ungratefulness, selfishness, irritability, envy, gossip. We do not consider them “deadly,” we put up with them. But it is precisely this “small garbage” that defiles our heart and prevents us from seeing God.
Any sin is an ink spot. And the damage is determined not by the volume of ink, but by the price of the thing on which it is spilled. Our heart is intended to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. Any, even the most “insignificant” transgression against the background of God’s holiness looks like a monstrous defilement.
Sanctification as a Process of Purification
None of us can say: “I have made my heart pure” (Prov. 20:9). This is a supernatural work of God. At regeneration, He gives us a “new heart” (Ezek. 36:26). He justifies us once, imputing to us the purity of Christ.
But while we live in this body, the struggle continues. The Puritan John Owen compared the unregenerate person to someone swimming with the current—he does not feel its strength. But as soon as we begin to swim against the current of sin, we feel resistance.
Sanctification is the daily process of purifying the heart with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. God has left us “cleaning agents”: His Word (“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you,” Psalm 119:11), prayer, and fellowship with other believers.
The Promise: “They Shall See God”
Why are the pure in heart blessed? Because they will see God.
In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev, commenting on Yuri Gagarin’s flight, joked: “Gagarin flew into space, but he didn’t see God there.” C.S. Lewis responded to this with a brilliant article, “The Seeing Eye.” He compared it to the tenants of a house: Khrushchev thought that God lived on the “second floor” (in space), went there, found no one, and concluded that there is no God.
But the relationship between Creator and creation is more like the relationship between Shakespeare and Hamlet. Hamlet cannot find Shakespeare by looking behind the scenery. He can only know about him what the author himself wishes to reveal in the text of the play.
God reveals Himself to those whose “seeing eye” is not clouded by sin. A person who has not seen God on earth (in His Word, in His works, in his own soul) will not see Him in space either. A pure heart is a necessary condition for spiritual vision.
This promise is fulfilled in two aspects:
- Now: When our heart is pure, we see God’s presence in our everyday life. We hear His voice, notice His guidance. It is easier for us to pray and worship. When there is “garbage” in the heart, God seems distant and silent.
- In Eternity: This is the crown of our hope. We will see Him “as he is” (1 John 3:2). This will be a moment of absolute delight that will override any earthly suffering. The pearl of Heaven will be not the absence of diseases, but the Person of our Savior.
Conclusion
Blessed are the pure in heart. Purity of heart is not the absence of struggle, but a constant victory in this struggle by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If today you feel that your spiritual vision has dimmed, if God seems distant—check your heart. Perhaps it’s time for a general cleaning. Do not sweep garbage under the rug of “respectable sins.” Look at Christ, who paid for your purity with His blood.
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)