Matthew 5:8 - How To See God and When.
Mat.5:8: How To See God and When.
Mat 5:8 (KJV) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God.
Purity is not innocence, it is much more. Purity is the outcome
of sustained spiritual sympathy with God. We have to grow in
purity. The life with God may be right and the inner purity remain
unsullied, and yet every now and again the bloom on the outside may be
sullied. God does not shield us from this possibility, because in this
way we realize the necessity of maintaining the vision by personal
purity. If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired
in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put
right. Remember that vision depends on character--the pure in heart see
God.
God makes us pure by His sovereign grace, but we have something
to look after, this bodily life by which we come in contact with
other people and with other points of view; it is these that are apt
to sully. Not only must the inner sanctuary be kept right with God,
but the outer courts as well are to be brought into perfect accord
with the purity God gives us by His grace. The spiritual
understanding is blurred immediately the outer court is sullied. If we are
going to retain personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will
mean there are some things we must scorn to do or to think, some
legitimate things we must scorn to touch.
A practical way of keeping personal purity unsullied in relation
to other people is to say to yourself--That man, that woman, perfect
in Christ Jesus! That friend, that relative, perfect in Christ
Jesus! [My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers]
THE FOLLOWING ARE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE DEEPER STUDY:
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Mat 5:8 (KJV) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God.
Mat 5:8 (CWR) "Happiness comes to those with pure hearts and
motives. Such people will one day have the privilege of seeing God and
talking to Him face to face.
BLESSED
Each beatitude tells how to be blessed. "Blessed" means more
than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those
who are in God's kingdom. The Beatitudes don't promise laughter,
pleasure, or earthly prosperity. To Jesus, "blessed" means the experience
of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope
and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what
the cost. [Life Application SB]
Blessed: The Greek word was used in Greek literature, in the
Septuagint, and in the New Testament to describe the kind of happiness that
comes from receiving divine favor. [Nelson SB]
The beatitudes in effect say, "O the bliss of being a Christian!
O the joy of following Christ! O the sheer happiness of knowing
Jesus Christ as Master, Saviour and Lord!" . . . In Christianity there
is a godlike joy.
The Greek for blesses describes that joy which has its secret
within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and
self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and
the changes of life. The English word happiness gives its own case
away. It contains the root hap which means chance. Human happiness is
something which is dependent on the chances and the changes of life,
something which life may give and which life may also destroy. The
Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable. "No
one," said Jesus, "will take your joy from you" (Jn 16:22). The
beatitudes speak of that joy which seeks us through our pain, that joy
which sorrow and loss, and pain and grief, are powerless to touch,
that joy which shines through tears, and which nothing in life or
death can take away.
The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose
its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of
a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the
weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the
Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking for
ever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ. [Barclay]
PURE IN HEART
Heart: The center of one's being, including mind, will and
emotions (see note on Ps 4:7). [NIV SB]
Pure in heart. "Heart" designates the intellect (ch. 13:15), the
conscience (1 John 3:20, 21), the inner man (1 Peter 3:4). [SDA
Commentary]
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
Jesus announced blessings for citizens of His kingdom (5:1-12).
He expects citizens of His kingdom to do good deeds (vv. 13-16),
for He requires a righteousness that surpasses that of even the
zealous Pharisees (vv. 17-20). Christ looked behind the acts the Law
regulated to call for purity of heart (vv. 21-42) and that crowning
expression of kingdom righteousness: a love like the Heavenly Father's for
one's enemies (vv. 43-48). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
SECTION HEADINGS
Jesus Teaches the People
The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes
5:3-12 There are nine blessings listed in vs. 3-11. But vs. 10,
11, refer to the same aspect of Christian experience, and are
therefore to be considered one beatitude, thus leaving eight rather than
nine beatitudes. [SDA Commentary]
On these precious Beatitudes, observe that though eight in
number, there are here but seven distinct features of character. The
eighth one-the "persecuted for righteousness' sake"-denotes merely the
possessors of the seven preceding features, on account of which they are
persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). Accordingly, instead of any distinct promise to
this class, we have merely a repetition of the first promise. This
has been noticed by several critics, who by the sevenfold character
thus set forth have rightly observed that a complete character is
meant to be depicted, and by the sevenfold blessedness attached to it,
a perfect blessedness is intended. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown
Commentary]
There are at least four ways to understand the Beatitudes. (1)
They are a code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct
for all believers. (2) They contrast kingdom values (what is
eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary). (3) They contrast the
superficial "faith" of the Pharisees with the real faith Christ wants. (4)
They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the
new kingdom. These beatitudes are not multiple choice--pick what you
like and leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. They describe
what we should be like as Christ's followers. [Life Application SB]
The Beatitudes are comprised of three elements: a pronouncement
of blessing, a quality of life, and a reason why the recipient
should be considered blessed. The first element is found in the word
Blessed (see Ps. 1:1), which introduces each beatitude. The second
element does not describe different groups of people, but a composite
picture of the kind of person who will inherit Christ's kingdom. The
third element looks ahead to some aspect of the coming kingdom.
[Nelson SB]
The Beatitudes are not primarily promises to the individual but
a description of him. They do not show a man how to be saved, but
describe the characteristics manifested by one who is born again.
[Wycliffe Bible Commentary]
Our Saviour here gives eight characters of blessed people, which
represent to us the principal graces of a Christian [Matthew Henry
Commentary]
The Beatitudes are not primarily promises to the individual but
a description of him. They do not show a man how to be saved, but
describe the characteristics manifested by one who is born again.
[Wycliffe Bible Commentary]
The Beatitudes describe what we should be like as Christ's
followers. [Life Application SB]
The Beatitudes: These qualities Jesus mentioned are internal.
These come only when one is properly related to God through faith,
when one places his complete trust in God. [Bible Knowledge
Commentary]
The Beatitudes describe the inner qualities of a follower of
Christ. [Ryrie SB]
The Beatitudes describe the character traits of those accepted
as citizens of the kingdom of God and set forth both the present
and future blessings of those whose lives portray these virtues.
[Believer's SB]
The Beatitudes refer to both present and future blessings of the
kingdom. [Disciple SB]
5:1-12 Eight Characteristics Of Kingdom Dwellers
The Beatitudes (5:1-12) revealed eight characteristics that
should be true of the righteous remnant in the promised kingdom. The
truths implied in these characteristics all reflect pervasive themes in
the Old Testament. They revealed to the listeners what the lives of
people in the process of repentance should be like and caused them to
reflect upon their own character in relation to the character of God.
The Beatitudes were built upon an if/then logic and hidden in each
Beatitude was an if/then relationship. For example, the first Beatitude
says in essence, "If you are poor in spirit, then you will receive
the kingdom of God" (5:3). The Beatitudes both describe and demand.
They demand good character as they describe the "blessed" results of
following the demands of kingdom living.
The attitudes of "poor in spirit," "mourning," and "meekness"
all draw upon Old Testament themes and underscore the need for human
responsibility and the work of divine grace. The basic element demanded by all
the Beatitudes was a right relationship with God. The Beatitudes
were intended to inspire Matthew's readers to think about the
character of the repentant person so that they also could follow the path
of repentance.
Matthew 5:3-16 should be seen as one single unit of thought. The
word "blessed" (5:3; etc.) literally means "happy." For "poor in
spirit" (5:3) see Psalms 40:17; 69:29-30, 33-34; and Isaiah 57:15; 61:1;
66:2, 5. This characteristic describes the inner attitude of a person
when confronted with the holy God and his demands. Being "poor in
spirit" means admitting that no one can have spiritual wealth in and of
themselves--that all are dependent on God alone for spiritual
salvation and daily
grace. Such a person aligns with God's will, even against the desires
of his own.
For the attitude of "mourning" (Matt. 5:4), see Isaiah 1:17, 23;
2:11, 17; 61:2. The afflicted were often seen as God's favorites in
contrast with the powerful. This "mourning" was a reaction to seeing all
that God had demanded for the kingdom and then seeing how far all of
mankind had fallen short.
For the attitude of "meekness" (Matt. 5:5) read Psalm 37:7-11
and Isaiah 57:15. Having the quality of "meekness" would result in
possession of the new heavens and new earth (cf. Isa. 66; Rev. 21-22). The
Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount as a whole continually looked
forward to the time of judgment and reward in the end times.
To "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6) was to seek
to live life as God intended for it to be lived. Concepts drawn
from Old Testament Wisdom Literature were being applied here (cf.
Prov. 8:22-36). For "pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8), see what it meant
under the old covenant (Deut. 6) as well as under the new covenant
(Jer. 31; Ezek. 36).
The "peacemakers" (Matt. 5:9) will be called "sons of God." They
will be heirs to God's kingdom of which "peace" will be an important
characteristic (cf. Isa. 9:6-7; 66:12-13; Mic. 4:3). Note the emphasis in 5:3,
4, 9, 10. In each of these verses, an implied contrast was being
made between those who would be blessed in the age to come and the
religious leaders of Jesus' day.
Those "persecuted because of righteousness" (5:10) would also be
heirs to the kingdom. This relates back to 5:3 regarding the kingdom
and to 5:6 regarding righteousness. The idea of this verse carried a
bit of irony. These people were being persecuted because they were
hungry and thirsty for righteousness. But their persecutors would be
the religious leaders of Israel, the ones who claimed to strictly
follow the way of righteousness.
Jesus made a personal elaboration (5:11-12) of the comments in
5:10. He would become the cause for the persecution of the righteous
("because of me," 5:11). The people who desired to be among the "blessed"
of the kingdom would not find their time on earth easy. Matthew
wrote for people who faced a time of persecution prior to the
establishment of the kingdom. There was a parallel drawn in 5:12 with the
prophets of the past who had suffered for the sake of righteousness. [New
Bible Companion]
Of all the virtues Christ commended in the Beatitudes, it is
significant that the first is humility being "poor in spirit" (v. 3). That
underlies all the others:
You cannot mourn (v 4) without appreciating how insufficient you
are to handle life in your own strength. That is humility.
You cannot be meek (v 5) unless you have needed gentleness
yourself. Knowing that need is humility.
You cannot hunger and thirst for righteousness (v 6) if you
proudly think of yourself as already righteous. Longing to fill that
spiritual appetite demands humility. In a parable that Luke recorded, a
humble tax collector prayed, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" He went
away justified, unlike a proud Pharisee who boasted of his
righteousness (Luke 18:13).
You cannot be merciful (Matt. 5:7) without recognizing your own
need for mercy. Jesus said that it's the person who is forgiven much
that loves much (Luke 7:47). To confess your sin and ask God and
others for forgiveness takes humility.
You cannot be pure in heart (Matt. 5:8) if your heart is filled
with pride. God promises to exalt the humble, not the proud (James
4:10).
You cannot be a peacemaker (Matt. 5:9) if you believe that you
are always right. To admit your own fallibility takes humility Peace
results when both warring parties move toward each other.
Finally identifying with Christ no matter what the reaction of
others (vv. 10-12) demands a certain death to yourself and a
renunciation of your own rights. Standing up under persecution demands
Christlike Humility. [Word In Life SB]
Is it possible to live up to these standards? (5:3-10)
Even though the Sermon on the Mount has been called the
constitution for citizens of the kingdom of God, we will never see flawed
human beings, though they are Christians, reach this level of
perfection. Jesus begins the Beatitudes, the preamble to this constitution,
with our inability in mind - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Those who begin by admitting their
shortcomings are in the best position to experience God's blessing and enjoy
his kingdom.
Nevertheless, we cannot escape the fact that Jesus gave his
followers these lifestyle goals. Those who respond out of love for the
Lord, grateful for his grace in their lives, will better approach
these ideals. The Beatitudes are a model of perfection requiring our
declaration of dependence on God: we can't, but God can. Even when doing so
involves failure to follow perfectly, we're to press on in obedience.
The Beatitudes describe the quality of life God intended for
humanity from the beginning - a life of blessing. The word blessed can
also be translated happy, but it is something more than an emotion.
The closer we come to Jesus' standards, the more we experience the
blessing of God. [Quest SB]
When we first read the statements of Jesus they seem wonderfully
simple and unstartling, and they sink unobserved into our unconscious
minds. For instance, the Beatitudes seem merely mild and beautiful
precepts for all unworldly and useless people, but of very little
practical use in the stern workaday world in which we live. We soon find,
however, that the Beatitudes contain the dynamite of the Holy Ghost. They
explode, as it were, when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do
so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of these
Beatitudes we say--'What a startling statement that is!' and we have to
decide whether we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that
will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is
the way the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to
apply the Sermon on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of
the Sermon on the Mount is child's play; the interpretation by the
Spirit of God as He applies Our Lord's statements to our circumstances
is the stern work of a saint. The teaching of Jesus is out of all
proportion to our natural way of looking at things, and it comes with
astonishing discomfort to begin with. We have slowly to form our walk and
conversation on the line of the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit
applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set
of rules and regulations: it is a statement of the life we will
live when the Holy Spirit is getting His way with us. [My Utmost for
His Highest by Oswald Chambers]
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Psalm 51:6 (KJV) Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward
parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 51:10 (KJV) Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew
a right spirit within me.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 (KJV) Then will I sprinkle clean water upon
you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all
your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give
you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
[27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Acts 15:9 (KJV) And put no difference between us and them,
purifying their hearts by faith.
2 Cor. 7:1 (KJV) Having therefore these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Titus 1:15 (KJV) Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto
them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their
mind and conscience is defiled.
James 3:17 (KJV) But the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy
and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 4:8 (KJV) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded.
1 Peter 1:22 (KJV) Seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1 John 3:2-3 (KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [3] And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
PURE IN HEART
When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and
refinement of thought and manner. But the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the
pure in heart," have a deeper meaning--not merely pure in the sense
in which the world understands purity, free from that which is
sensual, pure from lust, but true in the hidden purposes and motives of
the soul, free from pride and self-seeking, humble, unselfish,
childlike. MB24-7
Purity of heart, in the sense Christ used it, includes far more
than sexual purity; it includes all desirable character traits to the
exclusion of all that are undesirable. To be "pure in heart" is equivalent
to being clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness (Matt
22:11, 12), the "fine linen" with which the saints are arrayed (Rev.
19:8; cf. ch. 3:18, 19)--perfection of character. It was not
ceremonial purity that Jesus had in mind (Matt. 15:18-20; 23:25), but
inward cleanness of heart. If the motives are pure, the life will be
pure. Those with pure hearts have forsaken sin as a ruling principle
in the life, and their lives are without reserve consecrated to God
(Rom. 6:14-16; 8:14-17). To be "pure in heart" does not mean that one
is absolutely sinless, but it does mean that his motives are right,
that by the grace of Christ he has turned his back on past mistakes,
and that he is pressing toward the mark of perfection in Christ
Jesus (Phil. 3:13-15). [SDA Commentary]
Those whose thoughts and motives are heavenward; [SDA Commentary]
SEE GOD
Christ places emphasis upon the kingdom of divine grace in the
hearts of men in this present age, though not to the exclusion of the
kingdom of eternal glory in the age to come (see on v. 3). It is clear,
therefore, that the words "see God" refer to spiritual as well as to
physical sight. Those who feel their spiritual need enter the "kingdom of
heaven" (v. 3) now; those who mourn for sin (v. 4) are comforted now;
those who are humblehearted (v. 5) receive their title to the new
earth now; those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Jesus
Christ (v. 6) are filled now; the merciful (v. 7) obtain mercy now. In
like manner, the pure in heart have the privilege of seeing God now,
through eyes of faith; and eventually, in the glorious kingdom, it will
be their privilege to see Him face to face (1 John 3:2; Rev. 22:4).
Furthermore, only those who develop the heavenly vision in this present world
will have the privilege of seeing God in the world to come. [SDA
Commentary]
To "see" God is almost another way of saying to "know" God--and
that, quite intimately and personally. This experiential knowledge
requires purity of heart, which begins with a "heart sprinkled from an
evil conscience," or a "conscience purged from dead works" (Heb.
10:22; 9:14; Acts 15:9); . . The conscience thus purged--the heart thus
sprinkled--there is light within wherewith to see God (1 John
1:6, 7). The inward
vision thus clarified, and the whole inner man in fellowship with God,
each looks upon the other with satisfaction and joy, and those who
behold God mirror God and are "changed into the same image from glory
to glory" (2 Cor. 3:17). [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary]
The devil first blinds men by persuading them to believe that
experience with sin will give them clearer sight. However, sin leads to
further blindness. Sinners "have eyes," but they "see not" (Jer. 5:21;
cf. Isa. 6:10; Eze. 12:2). Only those with singleness of heart will
ever "see God." When the "eye" of the soul is "single" the life will
be full of "light" (Matt. 6:22, 23). Too many Christians become
spiritually cross-eyed in the attempt to keep one eye fixed on the heavenly
Canaan and the other on the "pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25) and the
"flesh pots" of Egypt (Ex. 16:3). Our only safety is to live by
principle, to make God first in the life. Those today who see that the
things of the world are to be "desired," whose attention is fixed on
the glittering baubles of earth that Satan displays, will never see
the greater value of obeying God. The window of the soul must be
kept clean if we would "see God." [SDA Commentary]
How would they see God?--in the way that Enoch saw Him. They had
the privilege of walking and talking with God. By faith Enoch lived
in the presence of God three hundred years. By faith he saw the
faith of Jesus. He was taken into special favor with Him. The priests
and rulers needed just such an experience as Enoch had. They needed
a continual sense of the presence of God. O what riches of grace
the Lord longed to bestow upon the favored people of God. It is
represented in the call to the supper prepared for them, "All things are
ready: come" {TDG 275}
SUMMARY STATEMENTS
People characterized as pure in heart are morally pure, honest,
and sincere. They are people of integrity and single-minded
commitment to God. Moral purity, honesty, and integrity come only through
such a commitment. In turn, people committed totally to God will seek
to be morally clean. Because of their sincere devotion to Christ,
they will see God, here and now through the eyes of faith (Heb
11:27), and finally face-to-face (1 John 3:2). (Life Application
Commentary)
Vision by personal purity
Purity is not innocence, it is much more. Purity is the outcome
of sustained spiritual sympathy with God. We have to grow in
purity. The life with God may be right and the inner purity remain
unsullied, and yet every now and again the bloom on the outside may be
sullied. God does not shield us from this possibility, because in this
way we realize the necessity of maintaining the vision by personal
purity. If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired
in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put
right. Remember that vision depends on character--the pure in heart see
God.
God makes us pure by His sovereign grace, but we have something
to look after, this bodily life by which we come in contact with
other people and with other points of view; it is these that are apt
to sully. Not only must the inner sanctuary be kept right with God,
but the outer courts as well are to be brought into perfect accord
with the purity God gives us by His grace. The spiritual
understanding is blurred immediately the outer court is sullied. If we are
going to retain personal contact with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will
mean there are some things we must scorn to do or to think, some
legitimate things we must scorn to touch.
A practical way of keeping personal purity unsullied in relation
to other people is to say to yourself--That man, that woman, perfect
in Christ Jesus ! That friend, that relative, perfect in Christ
Jesus ! [My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers]
A defiled heart cannot see God: but he must be pure who wishes
to enjoy a proper view of a pure being. (Adam Clarke Commentary)
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