The Pure in Heart

[RBDERRICK]

I liked your post.

If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.

Let me check the Holy Spirit out- oh well my part was a little off.

1 John 1:9 kjv
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Our part is just about we are messed up and depend on him
.
1 Peter 2:24 kjv
24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

I keep coming up with what he did.

The hidden man of the heart seems to be in charge.

Cardiac conduction system - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

eddif

I liked your post.
How?
Our part is just about we are messed up and depend on him.
Our part is to be messed up?
I keep coming up with what he did.
As opposed to what? What we do?
The hidden man of the heart seems to be in charge.
The hidden man of the heart is us: the souls of men and women.
Not sure what you're getting at.
Being saved by Jesus Christ is a partnership of brethren, where the firstborn brother forgives and gives power to be and live like Him, to work out our own salvation with Him in the fear of the Lord.

Jesus also learned obedience in the fear of the Lord on earth, and so is able to help us learn and to do likewise:

Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

 

[RBDERRICK]

Have you never obeyed the Holy Spirits prompting? Never asked someone to forgive you? Never done good to someone who did you wrong?

Jesus said this, “he who keeps my teaching (obeys) he will be loved by my father and we will come to him and make our abide in him.”

“If you keep my teaching (obey it,) you will know the truth and the truth makes you free.”

“If you love me you will keep my teaching (obey.)”

Those are not cut and paste inserts but quotes from memory. If a christian does not make himself actually do what Jesus taught, he will never come to understand God. There are promises of intimacy with God only for those who obey Him.

Have you never obeyed the Holy Spirits prompting? Never asked someone to forgive you? Never done good to someone who did you wrong?

Certainly, including forgiven others when asked, with a pure heart and no begrudgement. When we receive the faith of Jesus into the heart to do anything, it is clear and free of any spot or wrinkle of man when done.

Disobedient children forced to do something, only make themselves do so, because they are forced to, not because they want to.

Making ourselves do something is neither from the heart, nor is it loving God and our neighbor, but is the error of the Jews that did everything as by law over the body, and not by faith within the heart.

By obeying the law of man outwardly, we are not transgressors on earth, but the law of God commands obedience within the heart first, that we may not be found transgressors in His sight.

No obedience with the body only, without love and faith from the heart, is justified and acceptable with God.

Outward obedience only is man's religion of works, not God's pure religion with a pure heart.

If a christian does not make himself actually do what Jesus taught, he will never come to understand God.

The reformation of change in covenants by Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is to cease making ourselves obey the law of God, and begin obeying God Himself freely with a pure heart.

Making ourselves to do what the Bible says, is not obeying God at all, but is seeking to make ourselves Christians by the book only: seeking to be like children of God by the power of their own will:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

There are promises of intimacy with God only for those who obey Him.

Which begins in the heart first, without which there is no fellowship with God at all, nor pleasing Him in anything done by forced compliance to the letter of the law.

Fellowship with Him in the light, where there is no darkness at all, begins within a purified heart, that we guard to keep pure from lust of the world.

Those with fellowship of Jesus do not make themselves do anything, but are more than glad to do all things with Him side by side.

The flesh can be unwilling, even as His was in the garden, but unless the spirit from the heart is free and willing, then it is not a pleasing sacrifice to God:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Making ourselves obey anything is the exact opposite of what God seeks in man from His Son's death on the cross: outward obedience from an inward pure heart of faith.

Purifying our hearts by confession and submission to God is making our hearts right first, that we may obey Him outwardly with His good pleasure.

Making ourselves by the power of our own will is making ourselves Christians in our own image.

Such Christians have reason then to boast, since it is not by grace through faith of a pure heart, but by force of their own will.

Jesus did not go to the cross by will power, nor is will power of man the gift of God with grace.

 

[RBDERRICK]

“ Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

You’re not going to like it but this is addressed to people doing wrong to purify their hearts.

I do like you responding to the first point made. Thanks much.

You’re not going to like it but this is addressed to people doing wrong to purify their hearts.

And of course it is. It is the commandment of God to the double minded Christians in Rom 7, to cease their ongoing sins and trespasses by washing within the platter first, and go on to the liberty and perfection of Rom 8.

And in the context of your posts, it includes Christians that find themselves needing to make themselves obey God as by law only, and not by faith with a pure heart.

In the past decades I was guilty of the first point, without knowing why, and today I am being freed from the second point, and now I know why thanks to your error of teaching forced compliance to the letter of the law.

I would rather do nothing, that is not by faith from the heart freely, than to make myself do something without the heart, which does not please God anyway, but is sin:

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

This is the perfecting of the saints that are no more double minded in the faith, but yet need to overcome all flesh, including unwilling infirmities of the flesh.

Not to just override the flesh by force of will, but to completely subdue all flesh, and bring every thought into obedience to God within the heart, and keep ourselves that way:

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

We can make ourselves do anything, just as the world does, but not with God.

Jesus did not make nor force Himself unto the cross, and neither should we in bearing our own cross.

Pure religion and undefiled is not by will power, nor by the power of positive thinking, but only by the grace of God with a purified heart of faith.

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.

Making ourselves obey is not charity out of a pure heart.

Forced obedience is with feigned faith only, which is dead, being alone without love of God from the heart.

 

[eddif]

I liked your post.
How?

Ok I misunderstood your post. Just put me on ignore.

Sin no more has dominion of us. Kind of doubt that we have reached perfection in our flesh. At the resurrection:

1 Corinthians 15:51 kjv
51. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

And I am working on the mystery.

eddif

 

[RBDERRICK]

Ok I misunderstood your post. Just put me on ignore.

Sin no more has dominion of us. Kind of doubt that we have reached perfection in our flesh. At the resurrection:

1 Corinthians 15:51 kjv
51. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

And I am working on the mystery.

eddif

So, you want to read the commandment to purify our hearts, is to make ourselves perfect in the flesh?

Ok. Fine, then why is God commanding us to make ourselves perfect in the flesh?

 

[Dorothy Mae]

So, you want to read the commandment to purify our hearts, is to make ourselves perfect in the flesh?

Ok. Fine, then why is God commanding us to make ourselves perfect in the flesh?

It’s not to me, I know, but this is certainly not what “purify your hearts” means. In modern terms it’s closer to check your motives.

 

[RBDERRICK]

It’s not to me, I know, but this is certainly not what “purify your hearts” means. In modern terms it’s closer to check your motives.

Christian sinners always try to turn being perfect in Christ according to His word to His people, into some sort of sinless perfectionism as if already resurrected bodily. They do so to avoid the correction and remain sinful in life.

Purifying our hearts is exactly what any reasonable person on earth would think it to be, which is more than checking our motives:

Purifying our heart is clearing out all impure thoughts, that work against the glory of God: all thoughts that are not of God nor in obedience to God.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Professionals can master their thoughts for corruptible crowns in the name of success. Saints do so for incorruptible crown for His name's sake.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

The hallmark of a Tiger Woods is complete mastery of his mind, that his trained body might be completely free to succeed in each and every single shot, so that in the end he would almost always win the event. And yet, he had no mastery over thoughts of lust for his own ungodly satisfaction of the flesh away from the event.

Saints are not so: we master our new minds with the power of God to become His sons in all things, so that with the mind of Christ we have all freedom to do His word only, without sin and transgression either of the heart or the body:

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Sinners still keep the thoughts of the unrighteous, and so are servants to sin and not free to abide in the church and house of God forever: they have no part in the first resurrection of the blessed.

God does not resurrect eternal spiritual bodies for souls with hearts and minds still serving sin, because they will seek to make their resurrected bodies sin, even as they continued to do with their mortal bodies on earth.

One immortal being with spiritual body sinned, and see the destruction that followed: Lucifer became the devil and the lying god of a whole world of wickedness.

God will not resurrect any sinner to glory, and so endure many more Lucifers that sin.

 

[JLB]

Have you never obeyed the Holy Spirits prompting? Never asked someone to forgive you? Never done good to someone who did you wrong?

Certainly, including forgiven others when asked, with a pure heart and no begrudgement. When we receive the faith of Jesus into the heart to do anything, it is clear and free of any spot or wrinkle of man when done.

Disobedient children forced to do something, only make themselves do so, because they are forced to, not because they want to.

Making ourselves do something is neither from the heart, nor is it loving God and our neighbor, but is the error of the Jews that did everything as by law over the body, and not by faith within the heart.

By obeying the law of man outwardly, we are not transgressors on earth, but the law of God commands obedience within the heart first, that we may not be found transgressors in His sight.

No obedience with the body only, without love and faith from the heart, is justified and acceptable with God.

Outward obedience only is man's religion of works, not God's pure religion with a pure heart.

If a christian does not make himself actually do what Jesus taught, he will never come to understand God.

The reformation of change in covenants by Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is to cease making ourselves obey the law of God, and begin obeying God Himself freely with a pure heart.

Making ourselves to do what the Bible says, is not obeying God at all, but is seeking to make ourselves Christians by the book only: seeking to be like children of God by the power of their own will:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

There are promises of intimacy with God only for those who obey Him.

Which begins in the heart first, without which there is no fellowship with God at all, nor pleasing Him in anything done by forced compliance to the letter of the law.

Fellowship with Him in the light, where there is no darkness at all, begins within a purified heart, that we guard to keep pure from lust of the world.

Those with fellowship of Jesus do not make themselves do anything, but are more than glad to do all things with Him side by side.

The flesh can be unwilling, even as His was in the garden, but unless the spirit from the heart is free and willing, then it is not a pleasing sacrifice to God:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Making ourselves obey anything is the exact opposite of what God seeks in man from His Son's death on the cross: outward obedience from an inward pure heart of faith.

Purifying our hearts by confession and submission to God is making our hearts right first, that we may obey Him outwardly with His good pleasure.

Making ourselves by the power of our own will is making ourselves Christians in our own image.

Such Christians have reason then to boast, since it is not by grace through faith of a pure heart, but by force of their own will.

Jesus did not go to the cross by will power, nor is will power of man the gift of God with grace.

I agree with much of what you say. Thanks for sharing.


There is one aspect of what you are saying that I would like to discuss and find common ground, through possibly clarifying the idea of “making ourselves do”…


I like and agree with what you said here…

“Making ourselves by the power of our own will is making ourselves Christians in our own image.”


However there is an aspect of this, that I would to expound on and hopefully we can find mutual understanding.


This walk of faith, the Christian lifestyle of following Christ and His teachings does indeed involve a struggle to obey, making our physical body obey the Spirit’s promptings rather than the sinful desires of the flesh. So in that regard, we must set on mind and yes our will to align with the Spirit and thereby be empowered by the Spirit; the Spirit of grace.


The Holy Spirit does indeed empower us to live the life of righteousness, love, peace, faithfulness… however we must choose to co-operate (jointly operate) with the leading and guidance of the Spirit.


For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6




Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:12-14

• but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:7-8

• but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Somewhere in these things we must engage the faculties of our soul; mind and will to co-operate with the leading of the Spirit, and to continually learn and mature in these things, so that we can walk as He walked.



For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.




JLB

 

[RBDERRICK]

I agree with much of what you say. Thanks for sharing.


There is one aspect of what you are saying that I would like to discuss and find common ground, through possibly clarifying the idea of “making ourselves do”…


I like and agree with what you said here…

“Making ourselves by the power of our own will is making ourselves Christians in our own image.”


However there is an aspect of this, that I would to expound on and hopefully we can find mutual understanding.


This walk of faith, the Christian lifestyle of following Christ and His teachings does indeed involve a struggle to obey, making our physical body obey the Spirit’s promptings rather than the sinful desires of the flesh. So in that regard, we must set on mind and yes our will to align with the Spirit and thereby be empowered by the Spirit; the Spirit of grace.


The Holy Spirit does indeed empower us to live the life of righteousness, love, peace, faithfulness… however we must choose to co-operate (jointly operate) with the leading and guidance of the Spirit.


For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6




Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:12-14

• but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:7-8

• but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Somewhere in these things we must engage the faculties of our soul; mind and will to co-operate with the leading of the Spirit, and to continually learn and mature in these things, so that we can walk as He walked.



For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.




JLB

If there is any misunderstanding, then perhaps it is trying to fight with the flesh to overcome sinning in the flesh, rather than fight where the battle really is:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

The battle is not physically with the body, but is all spiritual within the heart. Temptation is not from the flesh, which is nothing without the spirit, but is from the spirit of this world that speaks to us of sinning with the flesh:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The high places of the soul is the battleground of the things of the spirit: natural man thinks the body is the enemy, but the spiritual mind of Christ knows the enemy is the devil only.

We are to have and keep the mind of Christ, so that our fight is to continually guard our hearts against the seduction of the devil to sin against God and our own souls:

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth is own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Our bodies are not the problem nor our enemies, but the devil is the enemy that tempts us spiritually to sin with the body: all works of righteousness and sin with the body are spiritually within first.

They are all spiritual works, not deeds of flesh and blood: they are all spiritually born and led, whether by that of Christ or of the world.

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Our bodies are not made with sin nor in sin: there is nothing sinful about the flesh and blood of man, no more than the dust our bodies are made of: Adam's body did not die because of sin, but only his soul. The body of dust and flesh was made mortal from the beginning, even as the blades of grass on earth:

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.

Neither Adam, nor Jesus, nor any man comes into the world with immortal flesh, nor with sin corrupted flesh, because there is no sin nor righteousness in the flesh, the dust, nor the grass of the earth.

Like Jesus, when He was made flesh, we are conceived in the womb into a wicked world, which our souls made living by God can overcome in the flesh, even as He did:

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.

We set our hearts and minds to the Spirit by doing our part to cleanse our hearts and minds of lust, which is the work of the spirit within to clear out all vain imaginations for the flesh and unrighteous thoughts for sinning with the flesh.

Once we have purified our souls in this manner by obeying the Scripture, we then fight to guard our hearts at all times against the fiery darts of the wicked, and so keep our souls from sinning in our mortal bodies. We do so because the darts of the wicked are no more flaming as lust within us, but are DOA at the door, while we sup with Jesus spiritually day by day.

Perfect peace and assurance of salvation by grace is for the pure in heart who overcome all flesh, even as Jesus did in the days of His flesh:

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Once we believe the Scripture with the heart to obey it as written, then we will know the simple truth of it by doing it:

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

The simplicity of Christ is to do His word with power of God given us to purify the soul with His blood first, that we may purify our lives according to His righteousness, and not according to our own good works with an unclean heart:

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

The main difference between a saint and a Pharisee, is that the Pharisee seeks to do the law with an unwashed soul.

Only by works of faith out of a pure heart can any man be justified with God.

All other works to do good are as filthy rags to Him: with an unclean heart all works are sin.

The law of Moses commanded outward obedience, but the law of Christ commands obedience within by the Spirit first.