Jesus and Pure Living

Exodus 20:14; Proverbs 4:14-23; Matthew 5:8; Philippians 4:8

GOLDEN TEXT: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”—Proverbs 4:23

PURITY of life acceptable to God was defined by Jesus in the sixth Beatitude—“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” In contrast with this promised blessing of God in the lives of the pure in heart is the “woe” pronounced by Jesus upon the hypocritical because of their outward pretense of purity—“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.”—Matthew 23:25

Jesus thus pointed out the true significance of the entire law of God as given to Israel at Mt. Sinai. Because man looketh on the outward appearance one may think himself to be righteous if he avoids committing murder, adultery, etc.; but God, who looketh upon the heart, may discover much that is contrary to the divine will. Heart purity, on the other hand, is bound to exert a wholesome influence on one’s outward conduct. This is why it is so important to keep our hearts pure, as our Golden Text admonishes.

Jesus promised that the “pure in heart” shall “see God.” It is the privilege of the Christian to “see” God now through the vision of faith and truth; and if faithful unto death, to enter into his presence and see him face to face in heavenly glory beyond the veil. What a blessed portion, then, is assured to those who truly love God’s law, and who endeavor earnestly to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord.—II Cor. 7:1

We cannot judge the heart condition of others, but God can. We may wonder at times why some seem to lose their clear understanding of the truth and drift gradually into the outward darkness of the world. One reason might well be a failure to keep their hearts pure before God. It behooves all of the Lord’s people to be on guard along this line. The perfect standard of purity is the will of God, and if in our hearts we find ourselves ignoring or opposing the divine will, we should go quickly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and to seek cleansing.

In Philippians 4:8 Paul furnishes an excellent formula for maintaining heart purity, which is that of pure thinking. “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” declares the proverb. (Prov. 23:7) And we could change the punctuation of this statement and get an equally true thought—“As he thinketh, in his heart so is he.” In other words, one’s habits of thought determine his true heart condition. One whose thoughts are habitually impure and unholy cannot be pure in heart.

We may with profit think upon “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report,” if, in addition, the things which meet these conditions are also virtuous, praiseworthy. This is surely a very exacting test for holy meditation.

But we can readily see why Paul included all these conditions. For example, there are many things which are “true” that would not be profitable for our minds to dwell upon. The daily news of murders ‘and other crimes committed in the world may be true, but a Christian cannot afford to feed his mind on such matters. So the mere fact that a matter may be true is not enough. It must also be “honest,” and “just,” and “pure,” and “lovely,” and of “good report.” It must also have virtue and be worthy of praise. If the thoughts which we harbor in our minds pass all these conditions, then we may be confident that they are transforming us more and more into the image of God.

Are such high and holy thoughts possible? There is one source, and one source only, of thoughts which meet these conditions, and that is the Word of God—God’s thoughts. In God’s Word he has revealed his plan for the salvation of the world, and his will for us whom he has called to be associated with Jesus in the outworking of his plan. In our consecration we have devoted ourselves to the doing of his will, and to carry out our consecration it is essential that our minds and hearts be centered upon this one great objective of life. These are the things, therefore, upon which our thoughts should dwell.

Being in the world, and surrounded more or less with the worldly, thoughts unrelated to the plan and will of God will intrude upon our minds; but we need not—should not—harbor them. In providing things honest in the sight of all men we may need at times, to think about necessary business affairs, etc., but our habits of thought should be the things which pertain to God and to his will for us. If such be the case, then all impurities of the heart are bound to be cleansed away, resulting in a clear vision of the divine will now, and glory, honor, and immortality in the kingdom.

QUESTIONS:

What did Jesus say to the scribes and Pharisees which is in contrast to the sixth Beatitude?

Are all things which are true necessarily profitable to think about?

What is the only true source of thoughts with which a Christian may profitably fill his mind?

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