2016.07.24_A True Heart and in Full Assurance of Faith

False characteristics cause trouble in the work of God

God is faithful. He will surely accomplish His word nevertheless. While people change their words according to the circumstances, or even tempt others for their own sake, God does not. Faithfulness is not just God’s character but also the principle of the kingdom of heaven. Only those who can be harmonized with the faithful God can dwell in heaven– those who resemble God’s characteristic.

The world where we are currently living is full of lies. While we have been living, in order to avoid some dangers or seek our own benefit, we have naturally deceived others, and as we have done it since our childhood, those actions have become habitual. Likewise, the habit of being dishonest brings damage and disadvantage to others, and robs others of their happiness. Moreover, dishonesty hurts God’s heart, proceeding to cause trouble in the work of God.

Where has this dishonest characteristic come from then? It is from the Devil. When Jesus found falsehood within the Pharisees, he said to them, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) Paul the apostle also referred to the sorcerer who disturbed the work of God, saying, “You are a child of the devil, full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, and an enemy of everything that is right!” (Acts 13:10) Humans betrayed God, being deceived by the Devil, the origin of lies, and, from then, became children of the Devil.

Christians are not formally considered sinners since they are under the atonement of Jesus Christ. However, unfortunately, they have sinful nature intrinsically. Even though we have become Christians, we still doubt God’s words and treat others in dishonest ways. That is why we face many troubles in honoring the duty of saving and nurturing souls. The sinful habits and nature of some saints cause those who are hurt to leave the church, and the church loses credit. We should not take our sinful nature for granted, but change it. When Christians lay down their old, bad habits, having a sincere heart and whole faith, the church will grow.

The hearts of those who spread the gospel must be faithful

The phrase in Hebrews 10:22, “a sincere heart and full assurance of faith”, should be interpreted to mean, “a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” If we do not have faithfulness, even if we cry out saying, “Jesus died instead of us!”, people will not open their hearts to believe it.

God knows that we have the characteristic of being easily tolerant of sin. However, God wants us to be free from our old being’s character. Psalms, the book that teaches us the right attitude, starts its first verse like this, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” The Lord, who called and forgave us from our sins, wants us not to fall into sin anymore. The Lord wants us to give thanks for grace and offer ourselves as holy, living sacrifices. There are many duties for those who received grace, but the most important is spreading the gospel. The hearts of those who spread the gospel are very important. Hearts are like vessels that carry the gospel. If the vessel is not faithful, the gospel itself will not be trusted in the end.

Our hearts that have received God’s grace must be transformed into faithful ones. Faithful hearts are able to deliver the love and truth of God, and save those who suffer from pain and distress. We must not allow those who have knocked the door of the church to become disappointed and turn back to the world. Thus, Christians must have the heart of the Lord and follow the Lord’s work. By loving others, it is possible to be hurt by others; however, to prepare for life in heaven, you must endure such a hard thing. Not showing your own righteousness and easily losing your temper, you must prepare yourself for heaven with fear and trembling.

Let Us Be Disciplined to Imitate God’s Characteristics

Paul stressed, saying, “Do not behave as the Gentiles do. You did not come to know Christ that way. If you have learned from Him, then put off your old self to be made new in the attitude of your minds.” (Ephesians 4:17-24) While the duty of saving our souls is achieved by the Lord, it is us, who achieve the duty of changing our souls, which are saved.

We must have a sincere heart and a full assurance of faith. In other words, we must have a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Since we are able to have a full assurance of faith by the Lord’s sacrifice, we should imitate the Lord’s characteristic of having a sincere heart. Since we have a full assurance of faith after being saved, we now must follow after His characteristics, having fellowship with God. Those who are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ must be changed. The meaning of baptism lies in the pledge of a good conscience towards God. Those who are baptized should respond to God’s calling, making their hearts and thoughts run towards God.

Let us not lose the feeling of God’s grace and love, and keep repenting and being disciplined. Let us touch God with our sincere hearts and whole faith. In doing so, we our prayers can be answered. God will be with those who put off the sinful desires and try to imitate God’s characteristics. We are no longer our own, but the Lord’s. Let us proceed to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.