[Jesus said] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8
The Pure in Heart
There is an important truth that Jesus brings to mind in this Bible verse. We can’t fool God. There is no covering for false notions or hidden deception. God looks right through the outward evidence and inspects the inner motivation. He is looking for the pure in heart.
What is the measure for the kind of purity that Jesus talks about? The Bible doesn’t tell us to compare ourselves to others. It holds us up to God’s perfect and holy Law and measures us against it. If all we had to do were to come out looking better than someone else, then there are plenty of “evil people” in the world to make our sins look smaller than they are. But in the light of God’s holy will, our hearts have never been pure. From the moment of our conception, we have been stained with sin. Only God can produce inner purity within us. It is for that reason that we pray with David: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
In Jesus, God answers our prayer. Jesus had a perfectly pure heart. And he gives that pure heart to us as a gift. Through faith in Jesus, God sees us as if we had a pure heart. It’s why all of the followers of Jesus are, as he said, blessed.
And now, his Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make them as pure as God sees them. The night before his death, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). This sanctification is God’s work in our hearts to make us more and more like him.
Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. The more we listen to his voice in his Word, the better we “see” him. And, one day, when we enter the heaven he won for us, we will literally see him face to face. What a day it will be!
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, purify my heart and fill me with the confident hope that when I die I will be glad to see God. Amen.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “the righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17
Good Enough for Heaven
Are you good enough for God? Have you done enough good and avoided enough of the bad to be on God’s good side? How do you know for sure? Will all the good and kind things you have said and done be enough in the end?
Talk about a stressful set of questions! There is a reason people like to put off thinking about this kind of stuff. It can make a person anxious, nervous, and stressed. Our answers to these questions can never provide confidence or assurance that we will be saved in the end. Going through life with all that in the back of our minds is exhausting. With these questions unanswered, we can find no rest for our souls.
There is a better way. The Bible says, “The righteous will live by faith.” We actually don’t need to worry about these questions. The answer is, no, we aren’t good enough. But that’s not the main takeaway from this verse. We may not be good enough, but that does not matter because we have one who was good enough for us: Jesus. Jesus was good enough for me and you and the whole world. He lived a perfect life in our place and died to take all our sins away.
Whether or not we make it to heaven in the end does not depend on our level of goodness. Rather, it depends on Jesus’ perfect level of goodness for us. He was perfect in our place. We are saved because of him. So rather than stressing about whether or not we are good enough, we are now free to live by faith, trusting in Jesus and his life and death for us.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I know that on my own I cannot ever be good enough. Thank you for removing that pressure from my life by being my perfect Savior. Enable me now to live my life for you. Amen.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – righteousness that is by faith from first to last. Romans 1:17
True Religion
According to Google, there are an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 distinct religions in the world. On the surface, they can all seem quite different from each other. When it comes down to it, though, all of them, with one exception, depend to some degree on the person to do the right things at the right time. All these thousands of religions can be lumped together under the category of ‘works righteousness.’ Do the right stuff. Say the right things. Avoid the really bad things. Work your way towards perfection. Keep after it, and eventually you will get where you need to be.
Our religion is different. Biblical Christianity says that we cannot possibly do enough to be saved. Our works are not good enough because the standard is perfection. God’s standard for heaven is to be perfect. To be righteous. And this is not a future standard. It is what God requires of us today and every day. Our righteousness does not and cannot save us because it is not a perfect righteousness. In fact, it never will be.
Thankfully, someone else does have perfect righteousness. The Bible says that righteousness comes from God, not from us. There is one person who lived a perfectly righteous life for us. God provided righteousness for us through Jesus. He came to this world to do what we could never do. He came to earn our righteousness. He came and lived a perfect life in our place. Through faith in Jesus, we are saved. This is Christianity in a nutshell. We are saved through faith in our perfect Savior who lived and died in our place.
So, is your righteousness going to save you, or is Christ’s righteousness going to save you? You can only pick one. Put your trust in your Savior, who was perfect for you.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you are my righteousness. Thank you for being perfect in my place. Help me to place all my trust and confidence in you and what you have done for me. Amen.
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1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. 2 Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, 4 because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. 7 Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.
Love One Another
8 Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, [1] do not covet [2] (and if there is any other commandment)—are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [3]10 Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law.
The End of the World Is Approaching
11 And do this since you understand the present time. It is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is drawing near. So let us put away the deeds of darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual sin and wild living, not in strife and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give any thought to satisfying the desires of your sinful flesh.
Footnotes
Romans 13:9 Some witnesses to the text add do not give false testimony.
1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, [1] by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. 2 Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.
Humbly Use the Gifts God Gave You
3 So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. 4 For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. 5 In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. [2]7 If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. 8 If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.
Guidelines for Christian Living
9 Do not just pretend to love others. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love. Think of others as deserving more honor than yourselves. 11 Do not be lagging behind in zeal, but be fervent in spirit, as you continue to serve the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope. Endure trials patiently. Persist in prayer. 13 Share with the saints who are in need. Be quick to welcome strangers as guests.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who are rejoicing; weep with those who are weeping. 16 Have the same respect for one another. Do not be arrogant, but associate with the humble. Do not think too highly of yourselves.
17 Do not pay anyone back evil for evil. Focus on those things that everyone considers noble. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” [3] says the Lord. 20 But:
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. [4]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Footnotes
Romans 12:1 When context indicates it, the Greek word for brothers may refer to all fellow believers, male and female.
25 For I do not want you to be uninformed about this mystery, brothers, so that you are not conceited in your opinion of yourselves. There has been a hardening of part of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
The Deliverer will come out of Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. [1]
The Paradox of How God Shows Mercy
28 In regard to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But, in regard to election, they are especially dear for the sake of the patriarchs, 29 because God’s gracious gifts and call are not regretted. 30 For just as you were once disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy due to their disobedience, 31 so also now they have become disobedient, so that by the mercy shown to you they may be shown mercy too. 32 For God imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how untraceable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his adviser?” [2] 35 “Or who has first given to God that he will be repaid?” [3] 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
11 So I ask, “Did they stumble in order to fall permanently?” Absolutely not! Rather, by their trespass, salvation came to the Gentiles to make the Israelites jealous. 12 Now if their trespass meant riches for the world, and their failure meant riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness mean!
13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. For as long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I am going to speak highly of my ministry. 14 Perhaps I may make my own people jealous, and so save some of them. 15 For if their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, what does their acceptance mean other than the dead coming to life?
Gentiles Should Not Become Proud
16 If the part offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you—a wild olive branch—were grafted in among them and share in the rich sap from the root of the olive tree, 18 do not boast that you are better than the branches. If you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, but the root is supporting you. 19 Then you will say: “Branches were broken off so that I am grafted in.” 20 That is true—but remember that they were broken off because of unbelief, and you remain in place by faith. Do not be conceited, but stand in awe. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you. 22 So take note of God’s kindness and his severity: severity on those who have fallen, but God’s kindness on you—if you remain in his kindness; otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Some Jews Will Be Grafted in Again
23 And if they do not remain in unbelief, those branches will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from a wild olive tree and, contrary to nature, were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more easily will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
1 So I say, did God reject his people? Absolutely not! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people whom he foreknew—or don’t you know what Scripture says about Elijah, how he was pleading with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life.” [1]4 But what did God’s answer tell him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” [2]
5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. [3]6 Now if it is by grace, then it is not the result of works—otherwise grace would no longer be grace. [4]
God Planned a Way to Recover Some Hardened Jews
7 What then? Israel did not receive what it was striving to get. The elect did, but the rest were hardened. 8 Just as it is written:
God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, right up to the present day. [5]
9 And David says:
Let their table be a trap and a net, and a snare and a retribution for them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened so they do not see, and let their backs be always bent. [6]
Footnotes
Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10
Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
Romans 11:5 Literally according to an election of grace
Romans 11:6 Some witnesses to the text add and if it were the result of works, it would no longer be grace—otherwise work would no longer be work.
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