Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalms 24:3-4 NKJV)
To a passive observer, it may seem that scripture teaches contradicting doctrines about who can approach God. In the Gospels we learn that Jesus did not come to “call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Lk 5:32) At the same time, this verse in Psalms expects people to have “clean hands and a pure heart” before they stand in the presence of God.
In reality, there is no contradiction. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that “cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn 1:7) The blood of Jesus washes our dirty hands and purifies our hearts so we “now have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” (Eph 3:12)
Our part is to believe in Him and keep ourselves from idol worship and deceitful speech.
With Wills 