Matthew 5:8 (KJV)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Jesus Christ came into the world to change lives and one of the ways that He did that was by what He taught. Here Christ challenged the concept of “True Faith” in God as held by the Jewish people during His days on earth. To the Jews, then true faith was more of an external thing. They held onto ceremonies and rituals of the Jewish religion as that which made one Right before God.
In so doing many people who couldn’t afford such ritualistic things and externalities were left out. And felt as though they were never going to be good enough for God to accept them. But Christ came preaching and teaching that true faith in God was a thing of the heart. That one got to believe in God and in the Son whom God sent into the world to save lives. So what are the practical lessons of this verse?
A. The pure in heart are those in whose spirit, God dwells and who have allowed the Word of God to transform them into the very nature of God. They are those who have accepted the finished work of Christ on the cross as the basis of their relationship with God.
B. They are those whose ways are the way of peace. Those who delight in peacemaking and who ensure that they represent God in all they do.
C. They are those whose heart is controlled by the Spirit of Christ and who do things that are in line with God’s word.
D. They are those who understand the work of God’s grace and are willing to share grace with others. For they know that no one can please God by their own natural goodness.
You see religion pushes people away from God by placing a heavy burden on them, but a relationship with Christ brings people into a close relationship with God for there is no law in Christ except the law of love. And by love, I mean ‘agape’. To see God here implies having a relationship with God. It is not physically seeing God but these people have a living relationship with God that opens their eyes spiritually to who God truly is and not what and who religion says about God.
It is an invitation to knowing God for your self and by yourself through His word. You are blessed and highly favored.
Shalom,
Apostle Morgan.