GPBC Blog

By Wayne Williams --

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, 
and desperately wicked. 
Who really knows how bad it is? 
But I, the LORD, search all hearts 
and examine secret motives.”
                Jeremiah 19:9,10

Someone has said that one of the strengths of Christianity is that it is thoroughly pessimistic about the human condition. The ancient prophet Jeremiah said it quite bluntly in the verses above. Christianity understands that the heart is the real problem of the world. In the Bible, the heart is the source of who and what we are, our personhood. Our hearts drive us and shape us. 

But from at least our first conscious thought onward, our hearts are turned toward ourselves and away from the Creator of our hearts. Our hearts are not satisfied to be in the image of God, we want to be God in our life—and in the lives of others as much as possible. My comfort, my security, my acceptance, my pleasure, my rights are of paramount importance, even if it costs you yours. My heart’s obsession with myself is behind the worst evils of society.

Racism, then, should not surprise us. It is the product of a wicked heart that seeks superiority over people who are not exactly like us. It comes from a deceitful heart that refuses to see in itself and in others the image of God.

Rioting and destruction and looting should not surprise us. They are the products of wicked and deceitful hearts that seek power and recognition and satisfaction without regard for the harm done to others.

Murder should not surprise us. It has been a reality of humanity since the very first human family. It is the product of a wicked and deceitful heart that is so turned toward itself that the very life of another human is of no consequence. 

No sin, no evil should surprise us, the sins of others or the evil of our own hearts. What then are we to do? Are we Christians to passively wait for Jesus to return and make all things right? NO! The Bible says we who are followers of Jesus, the people of God, are, on his behalf, to protest injustice and proclaim justice. It says we are to speak up for and defend the oppressed. It says we are to give to the needy. It says we are to treat all humans with the honor and respect due to someone who bears the image of God. 

But the Bible also says that none of those things, which we are commanded to do, directly address the real problem of the heart. Our wicked and deceitful hearts must be made new, and only the Creator of our hearts can renew them. One of the very first things Jesus does in the life of someone who turns toward him and away from themselves is to begin to renew their heart. He forgives their wickedness and begins to cleanse it from them. He replaces it with a heart like his own and enables them to begin to see all people as he sees them. This is the only true hope for an end to the evils we are witnessing around us today, whether in one person or in society. 

That is why our greatest effort and highest priority must be helping people know Jesus and follow him. While we must speak out against the evils of our society on behalf of Jesus the righteous, we must also proclaim that the only elegant and lasting solution to those evils is the transformation of our hearts which only happens through faith in him.

[These thoughts and words were prompted by and echo Scott Nordlund’s excellent blog from last week. Be sure to read it or re-read it and watch again the video clip he included.]