Did Jesus teach that only those who are sinless (pure of heart) will ultimately end up in heaven and see God (Matthew 5:8)?
1. In the well-known section of Scripture known as the Beatitudes, Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).
2. As a backdrop to understanding Jesus' statement, let us begin by noting that the term blessed carries the meaning of "happy." The word refers to the inner happiness and serenity of a true follower of Christ. The self-righteous Pharisees might exert an outer appearance of being blessed, but in truth only those who follow Christ are blessed. The Pharisees were corrupt through and through on the inside.
3. The word "heart" is often used in Scripture to refer to the center of one's being-including mind, emotions, and will. To be pure in heart, then, would involve being pure in mind and emotions and will-indeed, in one's whole being.
4. It is important to realize that purity is not measured according to the standards of mankind. The Pharisees thought they were pure because when they measured themselves against the external behavior of other people, they convinced themselves they were righteous. But they were using the wrong standard. Purity is measured by the character of God Himself, and it is here that human corruption comes into- such clear focus.
5. Of course, one who has trusted and followed His will in Christ has been made pure, because he or she has had the very righteousness of Christ imputed to him or her. These individuals are accounted as "pure of heart" before God (Romans 4:5; 5:1; Hebrews 10:14). God's declaration of righteousness is given to believers "freely by His grace" (Romans 3:24). The word grace literally means "unmerited favor." It is because of God's unmerited favor that believers can freely be declared righteous before God.
6. This does not mean that God's declaration of righteousness has no objective basis. God did not just subjectively decide to overlook man's sin or wink at his unrighteousness. Jesus died on the cross for us. He died in our stead. He paid for our sins. He ransomed us from death by His own death on the cross (Romans 4:25).
7. There has thus been a great exchange. As the Reformer Martin Luther said, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what You were not so that I might become what I was not."
8. Allow me to illustrate. If I look through a piece of red glass, everything appears red. If I look through a piece of blue glass, everything appears blue. If I look through a piece of yellow glass, everything appears yellow, and so on. Likewise, when we believe and follow Jesus as our Savior, God looks at us through the "lens" of Jesus. He sees us in all the white holiness of His Son. Our sins are imputed to the account of Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to our account (Romans 5:18,19). Hence, because of what Christ has done for us, we can be counted as "pure in heart" and will indeed see God, for we will dwell in His very presence for all eternity.
9. How different it was for the self-righteous Pharisees! These pompous individuals counted themselves as righteous in themselves, not knowing how truly vile they really were before God. Because they were not pure in heart by God's standard, and because they rejected the only One who could make them righteous (Jesus Christ), they will not dwell in God's presence for all eternity.
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The Bride of Christ are the pure in heart. They will be raptured before the Tribulation.
They are NOT those lukewarm people, who attend church on Sundays and yet do NOT personally accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Their hearts believe the truth of the gospel, and that Jesus died for their sins at the cross for them.
They have not made other idols their god. They been permanently cleansed and purified by the blood of Jesus at salvation.
Salvation is achieved, when we say the sinners prayer and truly believe it in our heart, thereby giving us the seal of the Holy Spirit that promises eternal redemption. The Holy Spirit in us constantly convicts us of all sins, based on the finished work of Jesus at the cross.
The Bride of Christ are those who have the seal of the Holy Spirit in them, and hence are counted worthy for the Rapture.
The Tribulation Saints are not the Bride of Christ. The tribulation saints are the unbelievers left behind from the Rapture. They will go through the time of testing during Tribulation, and come out from the Tribulation as saints, because they did not accept the Mark of the Beast.
When Jesus comes in the cloud of glory at the Rapture, He is going to take with Him those who have the seal of the Holy Spirit. Babies and children below the age of accountability will also not go through the trials of Tribulation. They will leave with the Bride of Christ to meet the Lord in the air, and arrive in Heaven in glorified bodies.
Blessings and love to all,
Grace