On his sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God?’ (Matthew. 5:8) Does this mean salvation is only for those who are pure in heart? Is purity of the heart the goal for Christianity? The answers to these questions depend on how one understands purity of the heart in a broad dimension. It is an imperative to explore the meaning and the terminologies about pure heart, how the heart is purified, the life of Christian who is pure in heart and the significance of purity in heart. The paper presents an informed understanding of the Bible on this topic. The paper also explores how some Biblical scholars down the centuries have addressed this topic and there consistency with the correct understanding.
The Meaning and Terminologies of Purity of Heart
The Greek word for “pure” is katharos (used 27 times in the New Testament). Fundamentally, it signifies that which is clean, or free from contaminating substance. The term is used literally, for instance, of the “clean” cloth in which Jesus’ body was wrapped after his death (Mt. 27:59). “In the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the word is employed in a ceremonial sense of the purification from leprosy” . “The word is used occasionally in ceremonial sense in the New Testament, but its usual application has to do with cleansing from sin, corruption, or moral defilement- and always when the heart is the object of such purification . Biblical writers like, John Stott, argued that the central idea of Christianity is purification of the heart from sin and its renewal in the moral image of God Greathouse pointed out that the Greek word for pure which is “katharos” has a wide variety of meaning that has to do with things that are without admixture and without alloy . The word was used for pure water, or wine or milk that had been diluted with water, or grain that had been winnowed from all chaff, or silver or gold that had been refined from all alloy . (Mal.3:2-3) Some biblical scholars use the word purify to mean release of certain unfortunate individuals from “unclean spirits,” i.e., demons, the persons then, by implication, become “clean.” On the other hand, “the katharos may be engaged in a higher sense. “With a spiritual import, “pure” may describe the heart that is free of unadulterated “motives” . It perhaps represents that ideal state of mind of the person who longs to serve God and others for the sheer unselfish joy of honoring the Creator, and thus free of base motives.
“Purity of the heart means that the heart is clean and unadulterated. That it is not only without dirt or filthiness, but no inferior substance mixed with it” When we say that a man is pure in heart, in the spiritual sense, we mean that he is right and honest and true inside and out; that he not only professes, but practices the things that have to do with his duty to God and man. “Purity in hear must mean, therefore, the absence of such filthy things as drunkenness, gluttony, dishonesty, cheating, falsehood, pride, malice, bad tempers, selfishness, unbelief, disobedience, or the like” To be pure in soul signifies deliverance from all and everything which the Lord shows a person to be opposed to His Holy Will. It means that a person does not only possess the ability to live the kind of life that He desires, but the life that God desires him to live. “This is the kind of the heart that has been cleansed by the Power of the Holy Spirit through the Blood of Jesus Christ” That purity of heart does not mean sinless. It is clear from the inspired record of the history of all of God’s saints that some sinned. Noah got drunk; Abraham equivocated; Moses disobeyed God; Job cursed the day of his birth; Elijah fled in terror from Jezebel and among others. “A Christian writer by the name John Brown it would appear that the purity of heart upon which our Savior pronounced His blessing, is that internal cleansing which accompanies and follows the new birth” . This is the new heart received at regeneration and the transformation of character which follows God’s work of grace in the soul .
First, there is a “washing of sin- regeneration” (Titus 3:5) by which we understand a cleansing of the affections, which are now set upon things above, instead of things below. Accompanying this is the cleansing of the conscious . The book of Hebrews says, “Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Heb. 10:22), which refers to the removal of the burden of conscious guilt, the inward realization that being justified by faith we have peace with God. Taylor pointed out that purity of heart as to cleansing by expiation, free from guilty of sin, to purify internally by reformation of soul. This corresponds to the two epochs we call justification or regeneration and entire sanctification . In his article Wiley responded to Taylor on the same subject and he said; “purity of the heart refers to the cleansing from the acquired depravity. By washing or regeneration (Titus.3:5) the pollution acquired by our sinning is removed and we are clean (John.15:3)” In relating to entire sanctification, Wiley pointed out that the heart is purified from the root or inbeing of sin effecting single-mindedness of devotion to God . John. (17:17)
Means of Purity of Heart
Through this heading, the paper explores ways on how one obtains the pure heart. We shall investigate the role of human being as well as God (Father, son and Holy Spirit) in the process of purification of the heart. To begin with, Billy Graham in one of his journal pointed out that Holy Spirit is the one who purifies ones heart. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit himself who cleans us and removes all unrighteousness. The Spirit enables believes to be purified. Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1: 13) purges the heart as lightning purges the air. In other passages Holy Spirit is regarded as fire . (Acts.2:3) Fire is of a purifying nature. It refines and cleans metals. It separates the dross from the gold. “The Spirit of God in the heart refines and sanctifies it. He burns up the dross of sin” .
In relating to purification, Isaiah talks the Spirit in comparing to water. The Spirit is like water, not only to make the soul fruitful, for it causes the desert to blossom as the rose (Isaiah 32:15; 35: 1), but the Spirit is like water to purify. Whereas, before, the heart of a sinner was unclean and whatever he touched had a tincture of impurity (Numbers 19: 22), when once the Spirit comes into the heart, he does with his continual showers wash off the filthiness of it, making it pure and fit for God to dwell in . Before I talk some suggested means, let me first acknowledge that the Holy Spirit- God himself is the supreme subject of purification. All other means are enabled by the Holy Spirit. The Bible talks also the scripture as one way of purifying ones heart. ‘Now you are clean through the word’ (John 15:3). ‘Your word is very pure’ (Psalm 119:140). God’s Word is pure, not only for the matter of it, but the effect, because it makes us pure. ‘Sanctify them through your truth; your word is truth’ (John 17: 17). “By looking into this pure crystal we are changed into the image of it. The Word is both a glass to show us the spots of our souls and a laver to wash them away. The Word breathes nothing but purity; it irradiates the mind; it consecrates the heart” .
The other means of obtaining pure heart is about getting faith. It is a soul-cleansing grace. ‘Having purified their hearts by faith’ (Acts 15: 9). By faith the woman in the gospel touched the hem of Christ’s garment was healed. A touch of faith heals. “Nothing can have a greater force and efficacy upon the heart to make it pure than faith. Faith will remove mountains, the mountains of pride, lust, envy” Faith and the love of sin are inconsistent. In his dissertation on the attainable pure heart, Chapman included Prayer as an imperative means of grace through which Holy Spirit purifies ones heart. Out of an impure heart God can produce pure heart. One should pray that prayer of David, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’ (Psalm 51: 10).
In his sermon Morsch Gary proclaimed that most people pray more for full purses than pure hearts. We should pray for heart-purity fervently. It is a matter we are most nearly concerned in . ‘Without holiness no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12: 14). Our prayer must be with sighs and groans (Romans 8: 23-26). There must not only be elocution but affection. Jacob wrestled in prayer (Genesis 32: 24). Christian should be earnest with God for a pure heart. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’. David again prayed “May my heart be blameless toward your decrees that I may not be put to shame”. (119:80) John Wesley in one of his unpublished sermons on ‘pure heart’, pointed out that purity of the heart is not only the avoidance of impure thoughts, however, it refers to single-minded devotion to God appropriate to a monotheistic faith having ‘undivided heart’ (Psalm.86:11) It is the corollary of monotheism, and requires that there be something big enough and good enough to merit one’s whole devotion, rather than the functional polytheism of parceling oneself out to a number of loyalties .
The blood of Jesus also plays a great role in cleansing believers and creates a new heart in them. However this cleansing of sins does not mean that our hearts have been washed from the corrupting defilements of evil, but that the sacrifice of Christ has availed for the judicial blotting out of sins. “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17) refers not to our state in this world, but to the Christian’s standing before God. Many people do not understand that with God's grace we can become pure in heart. Morris Welgelt said that God operates at that heart level and can help us eliminate those fissures that produce character flaws in our lives . How unfortunate so many of us have not pursued a pure heart. In order to have a pure heart, we must seek for it. We must want it. Without desiring to be pure, we will tend to despise instead of treasure the Lord's teaching on this most crucial topic.
W.E. Sangster in his second edition, The pure in heart suggested that our goal is a pure heart, unblemished by the world. A pure object is clean and without impurities. A pure heart has no divisions, no other purposes or causes . Through the work of Spirit in us, we should as His children be able to affirm our heart's cleanness to some measure. John says, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21).
We are desperate for God to initiate and maintain a heart for Him. God once told Prophet Jeremiah that, “I will give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7)
The Significance of Purity of Heart in Believer’s Life
Jesus made it clear that those who are pure in heart shall see God. (Matthew 5:8). “The pure in heart possess spiritual discernment and with the eyes of their understanding, they obtain clear views of the Divine character and perceive the Excellency of His attributes” In the truth, the faith of which purifies the heart, they ‘see God’; for that truth is a manifestation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ—an illustrious display of the combined radiance of Divine holiness and Divine benignity . And he not only obtains clear and satisfactory views of the Divine character, but he enjoys intimate and delightful communion with God.
Morgan Campbell in his article commented on this text that, “a person of pure heart is brought very near God; God’s mind becomes his mind; God’s will becomes his will; and his fellowship is truly with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” . As a quality of Christian character, we would define it as godly simplicity. Greathouse suggested that blessed are pure in heart for they will see God implies that it’s not a matter of optics but of spiritual vision. The promise is not exhausted in this life. Here we see in a mirror, daily, but then we will see face to face . (I Cor. 13:12) “The final reward of the pure in heart is the Beatific vision” It is the opposite of subtlety and duplicity. Genuine Christianity lays aside not only malice, but guile and hypocrisy. Purity of heart leads one into service with God. The Bible asks that, “who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those who have pure will enter into his holy place “He who has clean hand and pure heart” Psalms. (24:3-4) The significant of pure heart is that it enables one to call upon the name of the Lord. This is consistency to what Paul instructs Timothy. “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim.2:22). James also warns people to draw themselves to God with pure heart because God will draw near to them. “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded”. (4:8)
Conclusion
As we have seen Pure in heart implies not a divided heart. This brings freedom in the believer that struggle with the world. This freedom implies freedom from defilement, undivided affections, sincerity and genuineness. As a quality of Christian character, we would define as a prerequisite for one to see God. Every Christian is called into Holiness, purity of the heart. God himself is able to change remove the stone heart and give us the fresh heart, pure heart. Genuine Christianity lays aside not only malice, but guile and hypocrisy. The church as the body of Christ needs to pursue heart purity as the head of the church is also pure. The church in Africa could be a true institution of God if all her members are hungry and pursue for heart purity. The heart can be purified instantaneously or gradual. Which ever it is, the central idea of Christianity is the purification of the heart from sin and its renewal in the image of God.
Bibliography
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