On January 8, 2016 By Uri Brito In Theology Like

The Upside-Downness of the Gospel: A Look at the Beatitudes, Part VII

Part VI, Part V, Part IV, Part III, Part II, Part I

We celebrate today the Epiphany of our Lord. The Epiphany refers to the visit of the magi to the Christ child, which is the appearance, epiphany of Christ to the Gentiles. Christ’s introduction to the Gentile world does not come as a teenager, but as a little babe; a stage of purity, and so it is appropriate that we meditate briefly on this portion of the Beatitudes.

Jesus says: [8] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

The source of purity, according to Jesus, is not what goes into the mouth, but what is impure is what comes out of the mouth. Biblically, what defiles a person comes from the heart. To be pure in heart is very much connected with hungering and thirsting after righteousness, as our Lord has taught us. To pursue righteousness is to reflect the purity of God because God desires His image-bearers to be his reflections on earth. When impurity proceeds from our mouths, we are betraying our very image as those created in God’s image.

As Peter Leithart has noted,

Purity of heart means a complete and single-minded devotion to God that is rooted in the heart but expresses itself in everything we do.^a

The impure in heart are those who speak and act in a way contrary to the laws of the kingdom. They dishonor the kingdom of righteousness. They breathe in sin and breathe out impurity. The way to be pure is by breathing in truth: truth about self, about God, and about the world. Truth comes from imbibing God’s reality. The way to breathe in that which is good is by dwelling on the One, who is good, namely Jesus Christ. G.K. Chesterton once said that we need to be fond of another world to change the one we live in. For us, this means we must ask ourselves, “How well do we seek to please our God by walking in His ways?” “How often do we kill sin and pursue life?” “How consistently do we seek the good of God’s honorable kingdom above the dishonorable pursuits of the impure kingdoms of this world?”

The pure in heart are the ones who will see God not because they will have some unique vision of God, but because they will live in union with Him.

The kingdom of this world has an appealing message. It is delicious, captivating, and enticing to our flesh. But ultimately, it is idolatrous. Our idolatry is formed by years of hearing too closely the false messages of another kingdom. We get to a point where impurity of heart has formed this gigantic golden calf and we end up believing that it is impossible to break down that golden calf. Indeed, it is impossible in and of ourselves, but God loves breaking down big fat idols. He loves to destroy them and form in its place a healthy heart; one that seeks after righteousness and delights in doing good. In this Epiphany Season, as we appear before this world in word and deed, let us seek purity; let us seek it together. This is expected of you as a citizen of God’s kingdom.

Leithart blog (back)

About the Author / Uri Brito

Uri Brito is the Senior Pastor of Providence Church in Pensacola, Fl. He is married to Melinda and is the father of five children. He is the co-author of a new commentary on Ruth for the "Through New Eyes" series, the editor of The Church-Friendly Family, author of The Trinitarian Father, and co-author of the e-booklet Christian Pipe-Smoking. He is the founder and contributor to Kuyperian Commentary, and guest contributor at The Christian Post. He is a board member of the Theopolis Institute. Rev. Brito received his M.Div and D.Min. from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fl.