"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).
"This verse means people that go all out, not halfway, will see God," says Matthew, age 9.
Lukewarm Christians make Jesus nauseated to the point of vomiting. I'm not making this up. Read Revelation 3:16.
Have you at any point been enamored and heard the words "I simply need to be companions"? Recollect that wiped out, sinking feeling? You nearly wish you'd heard "I never need to see you again." It's smarter to know where you remain than to be offered an indifferent relationship.
"If your heart is good and doesn't think bad things, you shall see God," says William, 10. "But you also have to believe in Jesus, for works cannot take you to heaven."
Indeed, it's awful reasoning that pushes us into difficulty. It's particularly awful when you're depending on acceptable deeds for entrance into paradise's doors.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day upheld a tradition of thousands of laws created as a fence around the law given to Moses. The idea is that you won't steal a cookie if you can't reach the cookie jar. This resulted in a religion of rituals focused on outward cleanliness.
Jesus challenged the prevailing religious thought and practice when he pronounced blessings on the "pure in heart." Cleanse the inner life, and the outer life will take care of itself. Or, as Augustine said, "Love and do what you will."
"Purity is special to God," says Anna, 9. "The pure are filled with joy." Yes, purity is special to God because he himself is pure. "Purity of heart is to will one thing," said Soren Kierkegaard.
God has never deviated from his purpose of bringing everything into conformity with his Son. The new world order began when Jesus left heaven and invaded planet Earth as a baby born in a manger.
The Apostle Paul presents Jesus as the new Adam, untainted by the fall of the principal Adam. Virtue of heart starts by turning out to be important for another mankind, says Dave, 11: "It implies that individuals who have acknowledged Christ and accepted that he passed on the cross and rose again will go to paradise when they kick the bucket." Dave knows there's a restored man in paradise who is completely God sitting on his seat.
As the firstborn from the dead, Jesus opened heaven's gates for all who trust in him. The pure one bore our impurities in his body when he hung on a cross.
"If you are pure in heart, you are blessed," says Madison, 10. "Being blessed will help you see God."
When Moses asked to see God's glory, the Lord said no man could see him and live. The contrast between God's reply to Moses and Jesus' promise to the pure in heart is startling.
Virtue of heart is outright in that Christians are always excused in light of the fact that they've gotten the existence that originates from having faith in Jesus as Savior. But at the same time it's relative in the feeling of Christians expecting to admit their transgressions to God to reestablish the closeness of cooperation that originates from being filled and driven by the Spirit of God.
"The ones who are pure in heart will be rewarded," says Nicole, 10. "They love God very much and study his word."
Think about this: Allow the Lord to replace the confusion in your life with the joy that comes from purity of heart.
Memorize this truth: Matthew 5:8 quoted above.
Author: Carey Kingsolving
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