Blessed are the pure in heart. Many Christians hear this specific verse, “blessed are the pure in heart,” and assume that being pure in heart means being without sin. So, when we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” we might think, “Well, that’s certainly not me,” since we are aware of our own shortcomings. We’ve been reflecting on our journey through the flow of the Beatitudes. Whether you see this flow as a ladder, stairs, stepping-stones, or rocks across a river, we started with the first: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We discussed how being poor in spirit means recognizing our sinfulness and accepting who we truly are—the depravity of our sinful state, the hopelessness and bankruptcy, the destruction that sin has brought into our lives and our relationship with God. It has shattered our connection to the point that, without divine intervention, we have no hope.

We progress by experiencing sorrow over our sins: blessed are those who mourn. Then we move to the next step, which shifts our perspective of ourselves and others and instills in us a sense of meekness toward those around us. After that, we develop a new and deep hunger for God’s righteousness. We then discover His mercy and realize that God challenges us to show the same mercy to others that we have received ourselves.

So, depending on which example helps you understand the beatitudes, we’ve climbed, crossed, or worked through the flow of these steps together in Christ. Now, we arrive at Jesus’ next statement: “blessed are the pure in heart.” We might wonder how Jesus can even talk about “purity” since we have to confront our sins and realize that our best works of righteousness are as filthy rags in God’s sight. Let’s remember that we assume that purity of heart means being free from sin. It doesn’t necessarily mean that; if it did, then several passages in the Bible, like 1 John, would contradict each other. For example, 1 John 1:8 states that if we claim to be without sin, we are deceiving ourselves. We are not people who have eliminated all sin, nor have we achieved complete purity. If we even start to think this way, John says we are fooling ourselves. So, it could be that the purity of heart Jesus mentions in this blessed state refers to something other than sinless perfection.

Key points

1. Not Outward, and Not Sinless: The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were focused on strictly adhering to the law’s letter. They were primarily concerned with their outward appearance of purity and righteousness. The Pharisees made sure to follow every ritual for cleansing to appear outwardly pure, which included ritual baths known as mikvahs and specific methods for washing their hands and bodies.

2. Everyone who Seeks Can be Pure In Heart: The Bible states that God prioritizes the condition of the heart. God is not focused on external matters; He is concerned with what is inside.

3. God is concerned about our hearts: A pure heart signifies worshipping God without any competing idols or distractions and being sincere, honest, and transparent with our fellow human beings, refraining from deceit and being entirely upfront and transparent without impurities.

Main Text

Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)