At Lakeview Christian Church, we believe in being the change as Jesus has changed us. But this raises an important question: How can sinful people approach a holy God? Psalm 24 presents both the problem and the solution.
The Impossible Standard
Psalm 24:3-4 asks a penetrating question: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.”
This is God’s standard for entering His presence—perfect hands and a flawless heart. Clean hands represent our actions, what we do in the world. A pure heart represents our inner life, our motives, desires, and thoughts.
Here’s the dilemma: Who among us has perfectly clean hands? Who can claim a completely pure heart? The answer is sobering—no one. As Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Every single person fails to meet God’s standard.
The Problem We All Share
When we Study Scripture honestly at Lakeview Christian Church, we must confront this uncomfortable truth. Our best efforts fall short. Our cleanest moments still contain imperfection. Our purest motives are still mixed with selfishness.
Isaiah 64:6 puts it bluntly: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Even our good deeds are contaminated by sin. This isn’t meant to discourage us but to help us see our desperate need for a Savior.
The law was never meant to save us—it was meant to show us we need saving. Galatians 3:24 explains, “So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.”
The One Who Fulfilled the Requirement
But here’s the good news we Share with our community around Portage Lakes: There is One who fulfilled Psalm 24 perfectly. Jesus Christ had genuinely clean hands—He never sinned in action. He possessed an absolutely pure heart—His motives were always righteous. He was obedient in every sense of the Word.
Hebrews 4:15 testifies, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live. And then, through His sacrifice on the cross, His blood made us perfect in God’s sight. His righteousness—His clean hands and pure heart—is credited to our account.
The Great Exchange
Second Corinthians 5:21 describes this incredible transaction: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is the great exchange—Jesus took our sin, and we receive His righteousness.
This is why we can approach God’s presence with confidence. Not because we’ve cleaned ourselves up, but because Jesus has cleansed us. Not because our hearts are pure, but because He purifies us through faith.
Hebrews 10:19-22 celebrates this access: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.”
Living in Light of This Truth
At Lakeview Christian Church, understanding this truth transforms how we live our “Just 3” mission:
Study: We study not to earn God’s approval but to know the One who already gave it through Christ.
Share: We share the good news that sinners can have clean hands and pure hearts through Jesus—this is hope everyone needs.
Serve: We serve not to become righteous but because we Serve: We serve not to become righteous but because we’ve been made righteous. Love in action flows from gratitude, not guilt.
Romans 5:1-2 reminds us, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
Your Invitation Today
The impossible standard has been met—not by you, but for you. Jesus offers His clean hands and pure heart to all who trust in Him. At Lakeview Christian Church, we gather as forgiven people who live differently because we’ve been changed by grace.
The question isn’t whether you’re good enough to approach God. The question is whether you’ll accept the righteousness Jesus offers. Come as you are, and let Him make you clean.
