From Wickedness To Purity
From Wickedness to Purity – The Transformation of the Heart
A good definition of purity spoken of in scripture is:
To be single-minded for the glory of God. It is to have God and his kingdom as your ultimate priority, with no competitors. It is to serve one master, not two.
Biblical purity is a matter of the heart, and the heart matters to God because we matter to God. It's because He loves us deeply, as expressed in John 3:16, and He knows us intimately, as Psalm 139:1-4 reveals: “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”
Key Scripture: Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
This verse highlights the importance of purity in our relationship with God. To see God, we must have a pure heart. However, the natural human heart is flawed, as Jeremiah 17:9 states: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
The Natural Condition of the Human Heart
The Bible teaches that the heart is deceitful and corrupt. Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Similarly, Mark 7:21-23 explains, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,…” Sin starts in the heart, and if left unchecked, it produces destruction.
Our hearts are hardened and rebellious, as Romans 1:21 notes: “and their foolish heart was darkened.” But Ezekiel 11:19 offers hope: “…I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” We need more than behavior change-we need a transformation-a new heart that is filled with love and compassion. A heart inclined towards God and not governed by our emotions, feeling and human desires.
The Purity of the Heart
Purity of heart is not just about outward behavior—it’s about the inward condition of our soul before God. It is not enough to clean up our act on the outside. Purity of the heart positions us to truly experience God’s presence. Think about the purest heart you have seen in someone else. What made their heart pure?
The Heart as the Source of Life
Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” What’s in your heart will flow into your actions, words, and decisions. The heart is what you are, in the secrecy of your thoughts and feelings, when nobody knows but God. And what you are at the invisible root (your heart) matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch (your outward appearance). “...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). From the heart are all the issues of life. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what Jesus cares about most. He did not come into the world simply because we have some bad habits that need to be broken.
God’s Role in Purifying the Heart
Psalm 51:10 shows us David’s heartfelt plea: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Hebrews 10:22 encourages us to draw near to God with a sincere heart and the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience. Purity begins with divine intervention, not human effort. We cannot manufacture a pure heart by our own efforts. But we have a part in it.
Characteristics of a Pure Heart
A pure heart produces sincere love, humility, and good fruit. 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” 1 Peter 1:22 adds, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” Matthew 12:33-34 reminds us that “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” These scriptures help us understand the importance of the condition of our heart.
The Process of Purification
James 4:8 calls us to “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Psalm 24:3-4 asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Here’s where our part comes in. Purity requires intentional steps—repentance, surrender, and commitment to God’s ways. What area of your heart needs to be surrendered to God?
Living with Purity in a Polluted World
Titus 1:15 teaches, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Matthew 23:26 calls out the Pharisees who didn’t understand that what’s inside, not outside, is what matters. He admonishes them by saying, “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” We are called to live differently, starting from the inside out. Purity is maintained through an ongoing relationship with Jesus, not performance.
The Process of Transformation of the Heart
Repentance, renewal of the mind, walking in the Spirit, and daily surrender are key to the transformation of the heart. Acts 3:19 urges us to “Repent… that times of refreshing may come…” Romans 12:2 encourages us to “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Galatians 5:16 advises us to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Psalm 139:23-24 is a prayer: “Search me, O God… lead me in the way everlasting.”
Seeing God
Matthew 5:8 promises, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” As we pursue purity, let us ask God to renew and purify our hearts so that we may see Him more clearly in our lives and walk closely with Him, reflecting His holiness.
Take time to read these scriptures in context. I hope this devotion helps you reflect on the importance of having a pure heart.
Credit: Ron Kelley
A good definition of purity spoken of in scripture is:
To be single-minded for the glory of God. It is to have God and his kingdom as your ultimate priority, with no competitors. It is to serve one master, not two.
Biblical purity is a matter of the heart, and the heart matters to God because we matter to God. It's because He loves us deeply, as expressed in John 3:16, and He knows us intimately, as Psalm 139:1-4 reveals: “O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”
Key Scripture: Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
This verse highlights the importance of purity in our relationship with God. To see God, we must have a pure heart. However, the natural human heart is flawed, as Jeremiah 17:9 states: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
The Natural Condition of the Human Heart
The Bible teaches that the heart is deceitful and corrupt. Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Similarly, Mark 7:21-23 explains, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,…” Sin starts in the heart, and if left unchecked, it produces destruction.
Our hearts are hardened and rebellious, as Romans 1:21 notes: “and their foolish heart was darkened.” But Ezekiel 11:19 offers hope: “…I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” We need more than behavior change-we need a transformation-a new heart that is filled with love and compassion. A heart inclined towards God and not governed by our emotions, feeling and human desires.
The Purity of the Heart
Purity of heart is not just about outward behavior—it’s about the inward condition of our soul before God. It is not enough to clean up our act on the outside. Purity of the heart positions us to truly experience God’s presence. Think about the purest heart you have seen in someone else. What made their heart pure?
The Heart as the Source of Life
Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” What’s in your heart will flow into your actions, words, and decisions. The heart is what you are, in the secrecy of your thoughts and feelings, when nobody knows but God. And what you are at the invisible root (your heart) matters as much to God as what you are at the visible branch (your outward appearance). “...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). From the heart are all the issues of life. What we are in the deep, private recesses of our lives is what Jesus cares about most. He did not come into the world simply because we have some bad habits that need to be broken.
God’s Role in Purifying the Heart
Psalm 51:10 shows us David’s heartfelt plea: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Hebrews 10:22 encourages us to draw near to God with a sincere heart and the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience. Purity begins with divine intervention, not human effort. We cannot manufacture a pure heart by our own efforts. But we have a part in it.
Characteristics of a Pure Heart
A pure heart produces sincere love, humility, and good fruit. 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” 1 Peter 1:22 adds, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” Matthew 12:33-34 reminds us that “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” These scriptures help us understand the importance of the condition of our heart.
The Process of Purification
James 4:8 calls us to “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Psalm 24:3-4 asks, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Here’s where our part comes in. Purity requires intentional steps—repentance, surrender, and commitment to God’s ways. What area of your heart needs to be surrendered to God?
Living with Purity in a Polluted World
Titus 1:15 teaches, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Matthew 23:26 calls out the Pharisees who didn’t understand that what’s inside, not outside, is what matters. He admonishes them by saying, “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” We are called to live differently, starting from the inside out. Purity is maintained through an ongoing relationship with Jesus, not performance.
The Process of Transformation of the Heart
Repentance, renewal of the mind, walking in the Spirit, and daily surrender are key to the transformation of the heart. Acts 3:19 urges us to “Repent… that times of refreshing may come…” Romans 12:2 encourages us to “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Galatians 5:16 advises us to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Psalm 139:23-24 is a prayer: “Search me, O God… lead me in the way everlasting.”
Seeing God
Matthew 5:8 promises, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” As we pursue purity, let us ask God to renew and purify our hearts so that we may see Him more clearly in our lives and walk closely with Him, reflecting His holiness.
Take time to read these scriptures in context. I hope this devotion helps you reflect on the importance of having a pure heart.
Credit: Ron Kelley
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