OceanSide church of Christ
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THE
HEART IS DECEITFUL
Victor M. Eskew
The
word “heart” in the Bible often refers to the mind instead of the organ that
pumps blood. In Proverbs 4:23 this
is confirmed. The passage reveals
that the heart can think. “For as
he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
This element of man is very important. Man is to love God with all this heart
(Matt. 22:37). The heart is also
the origin of a faith that enables one to be saved (
The heart by itself, however, is a dangerous thing. Jeremiah put it in these words: “The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it?”(Jer. 17:9). To be
safe, the heart must submit itself to God and His will. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Sadly, many will not allow their heart
to be governed by God. They trust
their own thinking and reasoning.
Oftentimes we find individuals of this number who are seriously
deceived. Their condition is
serious because they have placed their souls in jeopardy by trusting their
heart.
In the matter of salvation, many have trusted their heart instead of the
Word of God. The Bible stresses
that baptism is essential to salvation.
Ananias came to Saul of Tarsus while in a penitent state. Seeing his humble condition, he
commanded him, saying: “And now why
tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts
22:16). Saul had to be baptized in
order to have his sins forgiven.
When many are confronted with this truth of holy writ, they reject
it. They will often respond,
saying: “I know in my heart that I
am right with God even though I have not been baptized.” Here is a person who trusts his heart
instead of God’s Word. This person
needs to have Jeremiah’s words emphasized to him. “The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it?” Instead of relying on
the heart, this person needs to rely on God’s Word. Psalm 33:4 declares: “For the word of the Lord is
right…” One’s heart can be wrong,
but the Word of God is always right.
Another area where individuals trust their heart instead of God’s Word
involves sin. Sin is the
transgression of God’s will (I John 3:4).
It is difficult to imagine any one really believing that they can involve
themselves in sin and still be acceptable in God’s sight. Yet, it is done on a regular basis. One of the most notable areas wherein
this is happening involves marriage, divorce, and remarriage. God’s will in this area is so
simple. “For the woman which hath
an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the
husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth,
she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free
from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another
man” (Rom. 7:2, 3). The only
exception
to this law is found in Matthew 19:9.
Jesus taught that if one party in the marriage commits fornication, the
other is free to divorce and remarry.
Divorce and remarriage is rampant in our society. Many divorces do not involve
fornication. Many will say that
they divorced because they do not love one another any more. Abuse, financial difficulties, in-law
relationships, and mental health problems are also causes of many divorces. None of these reasons, however, gives
one the right to divorce and remarry in God’s sight. Those who do are living in
adultery. Yet, many live in
adultery and believe that all is okay.
They will say such things as:
“I believe in my heart that God accepts this new marriage. In my heart, I believe that God wants me
to be happy. In my heart I know
that God will forgive the wrongs I have committed and permit this
relationship. In my heart, God
would never want me to live by myself the rest of life. In my heart, I feel God has blessed me
with his new union and the children we have.” The list is endless of the “In my heart,
I believe…” statements that are used to justify adulterous unions. Each one of them shows that the
individual’s heart has been deceived.
One is trusting his heart more than he is trusting God’s divine
will.
We find many examples of those who trusted in their own heart instead of
trusting God’s Word in Scripture.
One event happened in the life of Saul, the king of
This
example should be ample warning to all who trust in their hearts instead of
trusting God. Our hearts are
deceitful. They can lie to us. They can lead us to do things that will
harm our souls. They can lead us to
do things that will cause the Lord to reject us. The only safe way is to follow the
Lord’s will explicitly. “The law of
the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes….Moreover by them is thy
servant warned: and in keeping of
them there is great reward (Ps. 19:7-8, 11).