The Pure in Heart

Now, this needs to be read and understood in the context of all of the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles, so that we get the correct biblical message.

For, who are the poor in spirit? They are the humble, but more specifically those who humble themselves before God, who die with Christ to sin, and who walk with him in humble obedience to his commands and to his will and purpose for their lives. Their lives are no longer their own to be lived according to the flesh, but their lives now belong to God to do his will. And they will obey the will of God even if it costs them friendships, a good reputation, and rejection, and even false accusations against themselves.

And those who mourn (grieve), who are to be comforted, are whom? I believe this is speaking of those who mourn and who grieve over their sins in genuine biblical repentance, who are serious about remaining pure in heart and mind and behavior, and in serving the Lord Jesus with their lives in walks of surrender to his will, in obedience to his commands. And the comfort that they receive is forgiveness of their sins, a new life with meaning and purpose, in Christ Jesus, and the hope of eternal life with God.

And who are the gentle? They are not the spiritually weak, but they are the meek. And remember that Jesus was meek, but he was not weak. He stood for truth and righteousness and purity of heart and mind and devotion to God. He stood on the truth of God’s word and on the necessity of us dying to sin and obeying God. And he did not compromise his faith and convictions to be well liked and well accepted by other humans. So this meekness has to do with us exercising God’s strength, but under Holy Spirit control.

Who are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? They are those whose lives are committed to death to sin and to walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and to serving the Lord Jesus with their lives, in doing his will. Sin no longer has mastery over their lives, but now Jesus Christ is their Lord and Master, and their desire is to do his will, no matter the cost. Living for the Lord and doing his will, and living holy lives, pleasing to God, is what drives them, and what directs their life course.

And who are the merciful? They are not the tolerant who give professers of faith in the Lord Jesus carte blanche to continue living in sin without genuine repentance and changed lives. They are not those who alter the message of the gospel to make it less offensive to the ungodly and more acceptable to those still living in habitual sin against God. They are the compassionate, yes, and they are those who love others with the love of God, but they are truth tellers who tell people the truth that will save their lives from hell.

And the pure in heart are all of the above. They are those who are genuine of heart and mind in their declarations of faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin, and who are now living to him and to his righteousness, in obedience to his commands, in holy living. They are genuine servants of the Lord Jesus, doing his will, for the salvation of human lives, and for the spiritual growth and maturity of their fellow Christians, because they love them. There is no fakeness in them. They are genuine in who they are.

And theirs will be the kingdom of heaven. And they will be comforted by God in forgiveness of sins and in restoration to new lives in Christ Jesus. And they will be filled with the righteousness of God in holy living, by the grace of God. And they will be shown mercy by God, because they showed mercy. And they will have the hope and the promise that one day they will spend eternity with God, and that they will see Jesus face to face. For they are the children of God who have died to sin and who obey our Lord in practice.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Refiner’s Fire

By Brian Doerksen

Purify my heart,
let me be as gold and precious silver.
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold, pure gold.

Purify my heart,
cleanse me from within
and make me holy.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from my sin, deep within.

Refiner's fire,
my heart's one desire
is to be holy;
set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy;
set apart for You, my Master,
ready to do Your will.


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The Pure In Heart
An Original Work / July 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love