[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” Matthew 5:8
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
Thick walls of water rushing over the falls and shattering into mists on the rocks below. A spectacular sunset streaking red and orange beams across the darkening blue sky. My wife walking down the aisle at our wedding. Lotus blossoms so thick they lay a purple and green carpet across the pond.
These are just some of the beautiful things I’ve been privileged to see.
None of them compares to seeing the face of God. No, I’m not claiming I’ve had a vision from heaven and God spoke to me. I am claiming that Jesus promised I will see with my own eyes the God who created me.
How could I ever think his promise applies to me? Jesus says it applies to those who are pure in heart. Pure in heart? Not me. I have a nice outside but a rotten inside. I stress when my daughter doesn’t come home on time. I am often jealous of those who have things I don’t. My heart is a lot of things, but it isn’t pure.
Still, I will see God—eye to eye. I won’t blink or blush crimson when he looks straight into my polluted heart.
Why not? Jesus washed me clean. His death sucked all the sin out of my heart. I am blessed and I am pure and I will see God.
On judgment day, God will see my sin-free heart. I will see God. I’ll study his ageless beauty, wisdom, love, and kindness. My life of aches and heartbreaks will quickly dim. All because my Savior pulled my sins onto himself.
Prayer:
Father, I await the day when we will meet face to face in your heavenly kingdom. Amen.
“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:22-23
Trust in God
To what degree will you trust your neighbors? Do you trust them enough to leave your car doors unlocked at night? Do you trust them enough to allow your children to play with theirs, or to let them babysit? Will you loan them your tools? Will you give them a key to your house? Just how far will your trust go?
Daniel was faced with a similar question. How far was he willing to trust his God? When the king ordered that no one was to pray to anyone but the king himself, Daniel trusted God and prayed to him for help. When the king ordered Daniel thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel trusted in the Lord for deliverance. And we learn that the Lord delivered Daniel because Daniel trusted in the Lord.
We have the same confidence to trust in God as Daniel did. We are able to trust God because of what he has already done for us. Even though we did not deserve it, he sent his Son to deliver the world from their sin. His Son paid the price we deserve.
As a result, we don’t need to consider how far our trust will go. God has already demonstrated how far we can trust him. We can trust him completely and fully, in any circumstance. He has already delivered us from the consequences of our sin. We are innocent in his sight through Jesus. Now he will continue to work all things out for the good of those who love him. And ultimately, he will deliver us to paradise with him. May the words spoken in Daniel also be said of us, that we “trusted in God.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, allow me to continue to trust in you in everything, because I am innocent in your sight through Jesus. Amen.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans 3:27-28
No Boasting Allowed
We live in a world that continually encourages boasting. From polished resumes to carefully curated social media feeds, we are conditioned to present our best selves, tally our achievements, and prove our worth. Tragically, we often bring this same self-justifying mindset into our relationship with God. Our fallen nature desperately wants to point to our good deeds, our faithful worship, or our moral track record and say, “Look at what I have done, Lord.”
But the apostle Paul firmly shuts the door on our pride: “It is excluded.”
If our standing before God were based on “the law that requires works”—our personal ability to keep God’s commandments perfectly—we might have a reason to brag. But the harsh, condemning reality is that we all fall completely short. Our spiritual resumes are filled with failure. We have absolutely nothing of our own to offer a holy God.
But thanks be to God, our salvation doesn’t depend on our performance. Paul declares the central, beautiful truth of the Christian faith: “a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” We are declared innocent, not guilty, entirely because of Jesus Christ.
As both true God and true man, Jesus lived the flawless life the law demanded, and he suffered the bitter penalty our sins deserved on the cross. He accomplished that work as our perfect substitute. Faith is simply the empty hand that receives this incredible gift of God’s undeserved mercy.
Since our salvation is entirely the work of God, we can never boast about our own abilities. We can’t contribute anything to the work Jesus has done for us, because it’s already finished. But that’s not bad news; it’s the ultimate comfort. When our conscience accuses us, we don’t have to look to our own broken selves. We look to Christ alone. We can’t boast in ourselves, but we will boast eternally in the cross of our Savior.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, strip away my pride and my attempts to earn your favor, and lead me to trust in your freely given grace alone. Let my only boast be in you forever. Amen.
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14 What will we say then? Does this mean that God is unjust? Absolutely not! 15 For God says to Moses:
I will show mercy to whom I show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. [1]
16 So then, it does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
17 Indeed, the Scripture says in regard to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to stand, that I may demonstrate my power in how I deal with you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” [2]18 So then, God shows mercy to whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.
19 Then you will say to me, “Why does God still find fault? For who has ever succeeded in resisting his will?” 20 But who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God? Shall the thing that is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” No. 21 Doesn’t the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay one pot for special use and another for ordinary use?
22 What if God, although he wanted to demonstrate his wrath and make his power known, endured with great patience the objects of wrath—ripe for destruction? [3]23 And what if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of mercy whom he prepared in advance for glory, 24 including us, whom he called—not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.
God Shows Mercy to Gentiles and the Remnant of Israel
25 This is also what God says in Hosea:
Those who were not my people, I will call my people, and she who was not loved, I will call my loved one. [4] 26 And, it will be that in the place where they were told, “You are not my people,” there they will be called “sons of the living God.” [5] 27 And Isaiah cries out about Israel:
Although the number of the sons of Israel is as great as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord, who carries out what he says without delay, [6] will do what he said completely and decisively on the earth. [7]
29 Just as Isaiah said earlier:
If the Lord of Armies [8] had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorrah. [9]
Footnotes
Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
Romans 9:22 Or who had prepared themselves for destruction?
Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
Romans 9:28 Some witnesses to the text omit who carries out what he says without delay.
Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22-23
Romans 9:29 Or Sabaoth. The Hebrew word Sabaoth means armies. God’s armies are the armies of angels and the armies of stars.
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying—my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit 2 that I have great sorrow and continuous pain in my heart. 3 For I almost wish that I myself could be cursed and separated from Christ in place of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh, 4 those who are Israelites. Theirs are the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Christ, who is God over all, eternally blessed. Amen.
6 This does not mean that God’s word has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are really Israel, 7 and not all who are descended from Abraham are really his children. On the contrary, “Your line of descent will be traced through Isaac.” [1]8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as his descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said: “I will arrive at this set time, and Sarah will have a son.” [2]
God’s Choice Is Based on His Mercy
10 Not only that, but Rebekah also had children by one man, our forefather, Isaac. 11 Even before the twins were born or did anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose in election might continue— 12 not by works but because of him who calls us—it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” [3]13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” [4]
18 For I conclude that our sufferings at the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 In fact, creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope 21 that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. 23 And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, [1] groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 Indeed, it was for this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for something we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patient endurance.
26 In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we should pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that are not expressed in words. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints, according to God’s will.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, 29 because those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called. Those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified.
Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
31 What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?
33 Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, [2] who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! 35 What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 Just as it is written:
For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. [3]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors [4] through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Footnotes
Romans 8:23 Or who have the Spirit as a first fruit
Romans 8:34 Some witnesses to the text omit Jesus.
1 So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [1]2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me [2] free from the law of sin and death. 3 Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin. [3] God condemned sin in his flesh, 4 so that the righteous decree of the law would be fully satisfied in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. [4]
Living in Harmony With the Spiritual Nature
5 To be sure, those who are in harmony with the sinful flesh think about things the way the sinful flesh does, and those in harmony with the spirit think about things the way the spirit does. 6 Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the sinful flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit, who is dwelling in you.
12 So then, brothers, we do not owe it to the sinful flesh to live in harmony with it. 13 For if you live in harmony with the sinful flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.
The Spirit Assures Us We Are Children of God
14 Indeed, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you are afraid again, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom [5] we call out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself joins our spirit in testifying that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, we are also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, since we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.
Footnotes
Romans 8:1 Some witnesses to the text add who do not walk according to the sinful nature but according to the spiritual nature; others omit but according to the spiritual nature.
Romans 8:2 Some witnesses to the text read you singular.
Romans 8:3 Or Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering
Romans 8:4 Or Spirit; also in 8:5-10. In this section, the spirit refers to the new nature in contrast with the sinful flesh.
Romans 8:15 Or the spirit of adoption by which, or the Spirit through whom we are adopted as sons and call out
7 What will we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have recognized sin except through the law. For example, I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” [1]8 But sin, seizing the opportunity provided by this commandment, produced every kind of sinful desire in me.
For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive without the law. But when this commandment came, sin came to life, 10 and I died. This commandment that was intended to result in life actually resulted in death for me. 11 You see, sin, seizing the opportunity provided by this commandment, deceived me and put me to death through it.
12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. 13 Then did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it might be recognized as sin, brings about my death by this good thing, so that through this commandment sin might prove itself to be totally sinful.
My Constant Struggle With My Sinful Nature
14 Certainly we know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not keep doing what I want. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 But now it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 Indeed, I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh. The desire to do good is present with me, but I am not able to carry it out. 19 So I fail to do the good I want to do. Instead, the evil I do not want to do, that is what I keep doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me.
21 So I find this law [2] at work: When I want to do good, evil is present with me. 22 I certainly delight in God’s law according to my inner self, 23 but I see a different law at work in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of sin, which is present in my members. 24 What a miserable wretch I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 I thank God [3] through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my sinful flesh I serve the law of sin.
Footnotes
Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21
Romans 7:21 The word law is used in different senses in this chapter. Sometimes it is a moral code. Sometimes it is a fixed principle.
Romans 7:25 A few witnesses to the text read Thanks be to God.
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