Transformed JuniorsSample

Pillar 3 - Purity

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

“The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.” – Revelations 21:21 (NIV)

When you think about purity, I’m sure a few things come to mind. Perhaps including some things that aren’t comfortable to talk about. In Jesus’ famous beatitudes he says:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

According to Strong’s Concordance (which is an index of every word in the KJV Bible), it is revealed that the same word in Greek is written in Revelations 21:21:

“The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.” – Revelations 21:21 (NIV)

You see the text refers to the Gold as being as pure as transparent glass. Pure in the sense that it is wholly gold, not even one piece of iron, dirt, zinc, or silver. Pure gold is as transparent as pure glass. Overall, purity has certain implications, denying the flesh, lust, sin, etc., but as a whole, when Jesus says “blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”, He is really saying to have a heart that is clean and whole according to God's standard.

None of us will be able to be spotless so long as we depend on our own efforts. It is the blood of Jesus and the love He has given us that saves us from the wretchedness of the heart. As is recorded in Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” We are saved by God’s love and because of that love we are able to be transformed into a new being, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, all who in Christ is a new creation.

If you are in Christ, you are totally, completely new, and because of that newness, you can pursue purity in a way that was not possible before. Everything is now different. Be encouraged that it is Christ’s finished work at the Cross that saves an eternal soul - but the renewal work continues as His love and the working of His Holy Spirit continually transform a man from the place that needs it most – the heart. May God bless you today! Amen.