Russian
writer Turgenov once said, “I do not know the heart of a bad man, but I know
the heart of a good man—and it is terrible!”
God’s Word
says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can
know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our words and actions constantly reveal our depraved
state and our need of the Gospel and of Christ. All one has to do is watch a
few minutes of an evening news broadcast to recognize this truth, and yet most
people I meet seem so shocked that people are capable of evil. I am sure you
have heard the “people are basically good” reasoning from many people as well.
This wrong thinking about the heart of man is why some many people think that
God will let them into heaven because they aren’t that bad.
The Bible,
however, is clear that man is sinful, and God is holy. And because He is holy, He cannot overlook our sins. His justice
demands that sins be punished. If we have been made alive in Christ, believed
and repented, and placed our faith in Him, THEN the punishment for our sins has
been paid-by Christ’s sacrifice. If we die apart from Christ, we are not a
“basically good person” who can hope to get into heaven despite our sins;
rather it is wrath and justice we will receive.
“It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Do you
find it hard to believe that man’s heart is desperately wicked? Our hearts are
deceitful, convincing even ourselves that we can manage our lives on our own;
we know best. Pray that your eyes may be opened to God’s truth, you are in need
of the forgiveness that is only available through Christ Jesus.
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