Ramesh Deosarran
16th May 2008, 10:04 AM (10:04)
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
The heart is a powerful organ but it is a physical organ. The heart that the Bible talks about is much greater and stronger that this physical organ. What does Jesus mean by purity of heart? Notice that this Beatitude is not at the start or at the end. Surely, it would make sense to be at the start because we need faith and purity to enter into relationship with Christ. If heart purity is the goal of the Christian life, then it should be at the end. But it is not there either!
Jesus placed it in the middle. Heart purity is the center of our being. The Christian life is not stagnant. There is a spiritual progression in our Christlikeness. Sin is powerful that we cannot break its power on our own. When we come to Christ for righteousness, we realize that we are not pure in heart as long as sin reigns. Without heart purity, we cannot see God.
Heart purity is not a goal. The heart is not pure before any Christian experience. In spiritual progression we become aware of the need of a cleanse heart. The heart that Jesus is talking about is not the physical heart. He is talking about who we are – personality, mind, emotion, affection, and the will. If the heart includes all these, then it makes sense to say that the heart is the whole person – body, mind, soul, and spirit.
The Scripture does not say “Blessed are the pure in head but in heart.” Christianity is about the heart. The purity that Jesus is talking about is inwardness and a singleness of heart.
Ramesh Deosarran
The heart is a powerful organ but it is a physical organ. The heart that the Bible talks about is much greater and stronger that this physical organ. What does Jesus mean by purity of heart? Notice that this Beatitude is not at the start or at the end. Surely, it would make sense to be at the start because we need faith and purity to enter into relationship with Christ. If heart purity is the goal of the Christian life, then it should be at the end. But it is not there either!
Jesus placed it in the middle. Heart purity is the center of our being. The Christian life is not stagnant. There is a spiritual progression in our Christlikeness. Sin is powerful that we cannot break its power on our own. When we come to Christ for righteousness, we realize that we are not pure in heart as long as sin reigns. Without heart purity, we cannot see God.
Heart purity is not a goal. The heart is not pure before any Christian experience. In spiritual progression we become aware of the need of a cleanse heart. The heart that Jesus is talking about is not the physical heart. He is talking about who we are – personality, mind, emotion, affection, and the will. If the heart includes all these, then it makes sense to say that the heart is the whole person – body, mind, soul, and spirit.
The Scripture does not say “Blessed are the pure in head but in heart.” Christianity is about the heart. The purity that Jesus is talking about is inwardness and a singleness of heart.
Ramesh Deosarran