God Knows the Heart
You’ve been in such conversations. Talking to someone about an individual who has done questionable things, who has never followed through with expected actions for a Christian believer (repentance, baptism, church participation, Bible study, revised personal habits, etc.), and now they have died. Trying to make the best of a bad situation we say, “They didn’t live a very good life, but God knows their heart.” We thus assume an internal sincerity that they never showed externally.
Now, God does know the heart. But we use this phrase as if everything is OK, they will be saved, as long as hidden in their heart was some level of faith or goodness; as if faith itself can reside only in the heart, without ever showing itself in our words, deeds, and attitude. It becomes an excuse.
Here is what the Bible tells us. Again, indeed, God does know the heart. But here’s the thing, the prophet Jeremiah puts his finger on it: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Well, God can, because God does know the heart. And he knows that it is deceitful, that it is desperately sick. So, when we see that person mentioned above who has lived a questionable life, never followed through with the acts of a Christ believer, who has pushed God away, to say God knows their heart doesn’t help.
Now of course, what the person saying such a thing means is that this not-so-obvious believer has good in them somewhere deep down, maybe, and God knows that. But has the Bible ever given us reason to think that is sufficient? I don’t think so. It becomes a hail Mary pass, hoping for the best. In fact, it relies on the person’s goodness, not on Christ, for their salvation. Even their goodness, we’ve admitted, is hidden somewhere deep down, not apparent. No one is saved by their works, or goodness (Eph. 2:9).
We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t earn it (grace), so that might help our struggling individual, but we arrive at grace through faith in Jesus. What is faith? It is more than belief. The Bible tells us the demons believe and shudder (James 2:19), knowing their destination will be hell. Faith is belief that acts in response to God’s call. Our faith response doesn’t earn anything, but it gives evidence of who we have placed our faith in. Has our questionable person given such evidence?
True, it is possible that sometime in the past this person responded in faith, repented, and was baptized, and then somehow got off track and wandered away from obedience. If they haven’t rejected the Lord outright, it is at least possible they might still be a weak and struggling Christian (I Cor. 3:11-15). I’m just objecting to what is often a misuse of the “heart” as a fountain of virtue.
We are told to love the Lord God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength (Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30). The heart is included, but in the ancient world they thought of the heart (or bowels, more often) as where our will resides, the commitment of our mind. It was more than some mysterious inner place where secret faith might be hiding. It involved intentions and action.
So, what should we say about our questionable individual who died with no signs of being a Christ follower? Maybe just that we don’t know all his past, and we can only leave it in God’s hands. God knows more than the heart; he knows the truth about whether we are disciples or not.
Cross Point: For the Christ-follower: “I will give you a new heart, a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). With God’s Spirit within, it impacts our life in all aspects, and should become evident in outward manifestations.
Now, God does know the heart. But we use this phrase as if everything is OK, they will be saved, as long as hidden in their heart was some level of faith or goodness; as if faith itself can reside only in the heart, without ever showing itself in our words, deeds, and attitude. It becomes an excuse.
Here is what the Bible tells us. Again, indeed, God does know the heart. But here’s the thing, the prophet Jeremiah puts his finger on it: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Well, God can, because God does know the heart. And he knows that it is deceitful, that it is desperately sick. So, when we see that person mentioned above who has lived a questionable life, never followed through with the acts of a Christ believer, who has pushed God away, to say God knows their heart doesn’t help.
Now of course, what the person saying such a thing means is that this not-so-obvious believer has good in them somewhere deep down, maybe, and God knows that. But has the Bible ever given us reason to think that is sufficient? I don’t think so. It becomes a hail Mary pass, hoping for the best. In fact, it relies on the person’s goodness, not on Christ, for their salvation. Even their goodness, we’ve admitted, is hidden somewhere deep down, not apparent. No one is saved by their works, or goodness (Eph. 2:9).
We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t earn it (grace), so that might help our struggling individual, but we arrive at grace through faith in Jesus. What is faith? It is more than belief. The Bible tells us the demons believe and shudder (James 2:19), knowing their destination will be hell. Faith is belief that acts in response to God’s call. Our faith response doesn’t earn anything, but it gives evidence of who we have placed our faith in. Has our questionable person given such evidence?
True, it is possible that sometime in the past this person responded in faith, repented, and was baptized, and then somehow got off track and wandered away from obedience. If they haven’t rejected the Lord outright, it is at least possible they might still be a weak and struggling Christian (I Cor. 3:11-15). I’m just objecting to what is often a misuse of the “heart” as a fountain of virtue.
We are told to love the Lord God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength (Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:30). The heart is included, but in the ancient world they thought of the heart (or bowels, more often) as where our will resides, the commitment of our mind. It was more than some mysterious inner place where secret faith might be hiding. It involved intentions and action.
So, what should we say about our questionable individual who died with no signs of being a Christ follower? Maybe just that we don’t know all his past, and we can only leave it in God’s hands. God knows more than the heart; he knows the truth about whether we are disciples or not.
Cross Point: For the Christ-follower: “I will give you a new heart, a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). With God’s Spirit within, it impacts our life in all aspects, and should become evident in outward manifestations.
Posted in Cross Points