Purity of the Heart
”Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
This morning I was impressed that this world can boast very few pure hearts. Through the illness of my grandfather and the trials at work lately, I’ve found so many people with ulterior motives. Their intentions do not align with the words they speak.
As usual, I immediately began looking inward. Could I be guilty of this same deceit? Do I live from a pure heart?
In fact, just what would a pure heart look like?
Based upon the various points in which the scriptures depict or discuss a pure heart, it appears to mean having a heart with a good conscience and honesty—honesty with others, with God, and with one’s self even.
Zechariah 8:17 says, ”let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.”
Jesus said, in Matthew 5:34-37: ”Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
Often, I have found that when someone tries to reinforce what they are saying by ‘swearing to it,’ there is a hint of untruth in what they are saying. They use the vow to prove sincerity where it does not exist. Perhaps it is this tendency that Jesus was referring to.
James further elaborates upon the principle in James 5:12, admonishing the church ”but above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”
Does this mean that vowing, promising, or swearing is a sin?
Quite simply, no. It simply calls into question why you feel the need for such an act. Think about these two sentences:
** “Grandmother, I’ll be by on Saturday to help you with the garage sale.”
** “Grandmother, I promise you I’ll be by on Saturday to help you with the garage sale. I swear.”
For a true child of God, the first rendition should work perfectly well because your track record shows that if you say you’ll help, you will! Apparently, the person saying the second sentence has failed to be true to his word along the way, making it necessary to take it a step further. Sadly, most people who must utilize the second version are of such a character that they still won’t show up to help!
We see this wearing away of integrity quite often in our society. Fifty years ago, a man’s word was his bond. A man who didn’t stand by his word quickly stood out from the rest and was distrusted.
Sadly, our society has strayed so far from good, godly principles and true intentions that everything, from loans to Sunday School teaching requirements, must be put into writing!
Apparently, this advice from our Savior has a lot to do with the nature of one’s heart!
God does not necessarily forbid vows, for in Ecclesiastes 5:4 it states, ”When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.”
This was an early understanding, being present even in the early days of Israel: “That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth” (Deuteronomy 23:23).
From this, we can see that vowing is not prohibited necessarily; instead, it is advised against! We should be known for keeping our word!
Instead, we should feel little need to vow anything. Our word must be our bond; in other words, if you say it, mean it. If you say you’ll help out with the church cleaning, do it. No one should ever have cause to question your word because your actions always follow through.
Psalms 15:4 says ”he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not .”
What’s a Pure Heart?
Quite simply, it is saying what you mean and meaning what you say. It is having pure intentions, having no ulterior motives. It is being honest and forthright.
Why Does It Matter?
There are many reasons we are in need of a pure heart:
** God claimed He would not dwell in an unclean temple. When we are living a double-standard or we are not forthright with our neighbor, how can God work through of us?
** You reap what you sow. Often, the trials we face and the hurts we sustain are simply the harvest of seeds we ourselves have sown along the way!
** You are an ambassador of Christ. You are His representative. Do people see a loving God through you or do they see a God that will deceive and rend them when their back is turned? What part of Jesus are you showing forth through your actions? Are your actions like Him at all?
** Ye are epistles known and read of all men. My husband and I have met so many people this past year who admitted to knowing exactly what we believe or admitted to being backslidden. We never knew our lives were being watched and that others knew just who we were! Believe me, people know you are different and that you are supposed to be God’s ambassador! Don’t disappoint!
** Purity brings protection. Titus 1:15 says, ”Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” How can that be? Their works reveal impure intentions!
** Having a pure heart tends toward holiness, “without which no many shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
King David
Let’s look at some people that allowed life and life’s philosophies to skew their purity and choke their walk with God:
King David proved to be cumbered about by affairs of state…and his own lust for the finer things in life. During the time of battle, he decided to stay home instead of warring with his brothers. Pulling himself out of the line of duty that God had called Him to be in, opened him up for further temptation. He found himself letting down his defenses since he had already given in to his lust for luxury and comfort, and he was tempted by the wife of Uriah when he saw her bathing. His subsequent sin with her was followed by murder as King David attempted to cover up his mistake.
Rather than being honest and forthright, he found himself sneaking around with another man’s wife and later sent Uriah with his own death warrant!
We can, likewise, check out from the battle due to conflicted intentions. Rather than warring with our brothers and sisters in prayer, Bible study, outreach, and faithfulness to God’s house, we begin to focus on fleshly desires.
Scripture tells us that no man can serve two masters. Therefore, attempting to serve both God and the flesh will lead to a divided heart—one whose intentions will be deceitful in the end!
Such a divided spirit will lead us down the same road as the Pharisees during the time that Jesus walked the earth. They would make loud, long prayers for all to see, but were inwardly seeking the praise of men.
They were so focused on their own lust for admiration that they couldn’t even see their Messiah when He stood before them! While others saw piety and righteousness on the outside, Jesus claimed that inside, they were full of “dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:28).
Just think about it. What qualities do dead bones have? They are dry and brittle. That means they are easily broken. No life can be sustained from dead bones; they are the one element of the human body that, upon composition, offers no sustenance to new life forms! Essentially, dead bones are useless except to be sifted for powder. Jesus told Peter, “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). How easily we become malleable in Satan’s hands when our heart is the consistency of dead bones!
So how do we keep our hearts pure?
Ephesians 4:23-32 gives excellent advice for maintaining the purity of your heart:
”And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
This week, be cognizant of these five questions when you are tempted, when unsure of your actions, and as you speak to those around you:
1. Do I mean what I say? (i.e. Can I really do what I’ve said I will do? Is there an ulterior motive to what I am doing or saying?)
2. Could my actions or thoughts bring me into bondage, where I am performing Satan’s bidding rather than God’s? (Will my actions or words cause division in the body of Christ? Am I valuing worldly things above Godly things?)
3. Does this defile God’s temple? (After saying or doing this, can I still be used of God? Does it interfere with the word He is doing in me or would it make me a bad example of the believers?)
4. Does this glorify God? (Paul said to glorify God in our bodies so my actions and words should bring glory and honor to Him—not me!)
5. Am I being honest, forthright, upfront about my intentions?
A good passage to keep in mind is found in Philippians 4:8:
”Finally, brethren, 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 there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
