The Beatitudes: Today's verse is Matthew 5:8

Today we continue our verse by verse look at what is often referred to as The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:2-12.  We will be looking at Matthew 5:8.

The overview of Matthew 5:2-12 can be found here, while an important word study on the term blessed can be found here.  The verse overviews of Matthew 5:2-7 can be found here,   here,  here.  here,  here, and here

For any person who does not have easy access to Bible software you can look up all cross references listed in this blog at the Bible Gateway website.    It is easy and quick to use and you can choose from many different translations.  The cross references are a big part of any Bible Study that we may undertake!

Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  

(Matthew 5:8)

Grammatical Considerations

Cause and effect:  Effect is that those who are pure in heart will be blessed!  The cause is that "they shall see God."  

ARE and FOR:  As in all the previous Beatitudes, Jesus makes it clear that what He is NOT stating probabilities. What He is stating are truths and they will occur given the circumstances He sets forth.

Important Terms

All definitions were culled from the Complete Word Study Dictionary from AMG Publisher, Vine's Expository Dictionary and/or Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary.

Blessed:    

• see word study at this link.  

pure:

• ESword Concordance Search---  1Ti 1:5  2Ti 2:22   Psa 24:4  Psa 73:1  Psa 73:13  Pro 20:9        Psa 51:10  Heb 10:22  Mar 7:17-19  Php 1:17  Php 4:8  Tit 1:15  1Jn 3:3  Joh 13:10  Joh 15:3     Psa 24:3-5  Psa 119:9-12 
• Definition---  Clean in a spiritual sense from the pollution and guilt of sin.  (can also mean sincere)
• Mounce further clarifies this as being morally free of guilt.  Morally clean.

heart:
 

• ESword Concordance Search---  Mat 6:21  Mat 15:8  Mat 18:35  Mat 22:37
  Mar 11:23  Mar 12:30  Luk 8:12-15  Rom 10:9-10  Col 3:12  Eph 6:5  Heb 10:22  1Pe 3:4  
•  (also see above search for pure)  
• Definition---  seat of desires, feelings affections, passions and impulses.  (pure in heart=those whose center of life has been made pure by Jesus Christ!)  

see  (God):

• ESword Concordance Search---  Mar 9:1  Luk 3:6   Joh 3:3  Joh 11:40  Isa 35:2  Rev 22:4
• Definition---  to see.  Also not just the mere act of seeing but also actual PERCEPTION.  (differing from the Greek work blepo which just means to see.  The Greek word in our current text (horao) includes perception, understanding.  Can also mean to have personal acquaintance and fellowship with.

Summation

To be pure is to be morally free of sin or guilt.  The heart is often used as a metaphor as the seat of our passions, desires.  So the pure in heart are morally free of guilt and also have only the purest of passions and desires.  This would mean that they are focused on God's will and wants. (ie: the meek as that word is used in Matthew 5:5)  To see God CAN mean to see and to perceive (understand) and be in fellowship with.  I think those are all pretty self-explanatory.

Why will the pure in heart see (understand, perceive, have fellowship with) God?  Because to become pure in heart (free from moral guilt) one must become righteous!  The only way to become pure and righteous is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  And this creates a right relationship with God.

Jesus Himself tells assures this  Joh 16:26-27!!

 

 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.