Thinking Biblically

God is concerned about the way you think. That's why Paul said, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2). In Philippians 4:8 he instructs us to think about that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy.

When Jesus spoke of a pure heart in Matthew 5:8, He was talking about sanctified thinking. The Greek word translated "heart" is kardia, from which we get the word cardiac. While we often relate heart to the emotions (e.g., "He has a broken heart"), the Bible relates it primarily to the intellect (e.g., "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders"; Matt. 15:19). That's why you must "watch over your heart with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23).

In a secondary way, however, heart relates to the will and emotions because they are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to something, it will affect your will, which in turn will affect your emotions.

The Greek word translated "pure" in Matthew 5:8 means "to cleanse." In the moral sense it speaks of being free from the filth of sin. It also refers to something that is unmixed, unalloyed, or unadulterated. Spiritual integrity and sincere motives are appropriate applications of its meaning to the Christian life.

Jesus was saying the kingdom citizen is blessed because he or she has pure thoughts and pure motives that together produce holy living. Someone might say he's religious and has pure motives, but if his behavior isn't righteous, his heart isn't fixed on God. Similarly, you can go to church, carry a Bible, and recite verses, but if your heart isn't clean, you haven't met God's standard.

You must do the will of God from a pure heart (Eph. 6:6). Toward that end, make David's prayer yours as well: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).

Read the following verses, noting the characteristics of a pure heart: Psalm 9:1, 26:2, 27:8, 28:7, and 57:7.

The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, able to separate soul and spirit.

1John 3:9 says that the Holy Spirit Life of God abides in the spirit of the born again. The Presnce of That Holy Spirit Life means the spirit of the born again cannot sin because if the regenerate spirit could sin the life of God would of necessity leave the human spirit since God will not abide in the Presence of sin being generated.

To be born again, born from above is to have the dead human spirit brought to life with God's Life abiding therein. That is justification for the inner-most man.

Sanctification is the process whereby the Presence of God in the human spirit acts upon the no longer attached to the human spirit SOUL or behavior mechanism, and depending upon which the person then follows, the dirty in sin soul is slowly transformed ('Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind', the mind of the soul not the spirit).

Someday (soon it does appear, based upon the signs of the season) the born agains will be glorified when Jesus gathers ALL believers in Him as Savior are removed from the earth for the tribulation to happen culminating in the firey cleansing of the entire Earth and establishment of His Kingdom come.

Justification by faith in Whom God sent for our salvation. Sanctification by the indwelling Holy Spirit for changing our behavior mechanism. Glorification for removing His from here so the lawless one can be revealed.

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