Why purity must be chiefly in the heart

The Christian circumcision party in Crete would not take the gospel to liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons because they were afraid of being defiled (Titus 1:12-15). They were afraid of being defiled because they were unbelieving (Titus 1:15). But to the pure all things are pure (Titus 1:15). The purity of the believer, through faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross, enables believers to go into the hard areas. Work with drug addicts and prostitutes is possible because we know nothing can defile us. What is hard when ministering in such areas is remaining pure in heart. How many well intentioned ministers go off the rails when working with liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons?

Thanks again to Thomas Watson, whose section on “blessed are the pure in heart” provides motivation to remain practically pure in heart as well as by grace:

(i) Because if the heart be not pure, we differ nothing from a Pharisaic purity. The Pharisees’ holiness consisted chiefly in externals. Theirs was an outside purity. They never minded the inside of the heart.

(ii) The heart must especially be kept pure, because the heart is the chief seat or place of God’s residence. God dwells in the heart. He takes up the heart for his own lodging (Isaiah 57: 15; Ephesians 3: 17), therefore it must be pure and holy. …Let that room be washed with holy tears.

(iii) The heart must especially be pure, because it is the heart that sanctifies all we do. If the heart be holy, all is holy – our affections holy, our duties holy.

See here what is the beauty that sets off a soul in God’s eye, namely, purity of heart. You who are never so beautiful are but a spiritual leper till you are pure in heart. God is in love with the pure heart for he sees his own picture drawn there. …How may this raise the esteem of purity! This is a beauty that never fades and which makes God himself fall in love with us.

If we must be pure in heart then we must not rest in outward purity. Civility is not sufficient. A swine may be washed, yet a swine still. Civility does but wash a man, grace changes him.