When You Want a Clear Complexion and Clean Clothes More Than a Pure Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

Pure. Clean. Clear. We want to breathe pure air, drink clean water, have a clear complexion. We go to school in clean cars with clean hair and clean clothes (unless we sleep in too late—then, if you're like me, you just throw a hat over your dirty hair).

Most people don't want to look and smell filthy on the outside. But inside...that's another story altogether!

How Bad Is It, Really? 

Our culture laughs at purity and celebrates filth. We're not much different. Deep down, we hate purity. We think God is holding out on us when He tells us to be holy like He is holy.

Ironic, isn't it? In every other area of life (except our hearts), we want to be clean. Why is that?

It's because we were all born with a filthy heart (check out Genesis 3 for the sad story of how this came to be). And when I say filthy, I mean really filthy. It's worse than you think. In Genesis 6:5, God sees that every intention of the thoughts of our hearts are only evil continually. Yikes!

So when Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart," how do you get a clean, pure heart?

How to Get a New Heart

You can't.

You know how it is. One more washing won't touch the stains on that white shirt; you just need to get a brand-new white shirt.

That's how it is with our hearts. We need completely new hearts. Thankfully, God is in the business of doing heart transplants...and Jesus paid your bill! Check out His promise in Ezekiel 36:26–27:

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

To get this new heart, though, you have to want it. You first have to agree with God that you have a filthy, dirty heart, and then you sign yourself up for the transplant.

How to Keep a New Heart Clean 

Getting a new heart is just the beginning.

I bought a pair of turquoise Adidas tennis shoes recently. They came with bright white soles, and I've already had to clean them several times. New shoes just don't stay clean walking through life. New hearts don't either.

So how can you clean your heart? You need to regularly let the light of God's Word show you where you're dirty (John 17:17). Then, when you confess it, God promises to wash it away (1 John 1:9).

How It's All Possible

But why should you obsess over inner purity when you've got school projects and that choir trip and a summer job to think about? The end of Matthew 5:8 tells you why:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

That's crazy amazing. Do you remember how in the Old Testament this holy, pure, clean, unapproachable God dwelled in the special section of the tabernacle called the "Holy of Holies"? Only the high priest could slip through the thick curtain into the Holy of Holies. And only once a year. And only if he brought a blood sacrifice with him. If he didn't, God would kill him. He had to offer a blood sacrifice to cleanse his filthy heart.

Now, though, this holy, pure, clean, unapproachable God can be seen and known by you! How? The thick, heavy curtain separating you from Him has been torn. We're told in Scripture that when the temple curtain was torn just after Jesus' death, it represented Jesus' body being torn for you (Heb. 10:19–22). His blood was then put on the mercy seat so that God might welcome you into His Holy of Holies.

If you can't "see" God, is it because you've never had a heart transplant? Are you ready to ask Him to give you a new heart? If you have been cleansed by Jesus' blood, are you daily rinsing in the water of His Word?

Pure. Clean. Clear.

Outside. Inside.

It's possible, through Christ. It's what you were made for.

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