Honest Hearts

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psalm 58: 3)

"...they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly...Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. " (Psalm 62: 4, 9)

"we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves..." (Isaiah 28: 15)

Man is born with a propensity to be dishonest, especially in relation to God and heavenly things. He has, because of sin and its curse, a dishonest and insincere heart towards holy things. Rather than recognize and take joy in the truth about God and divine things, the sinner begins a life with a heart that is obstinate against the truth of God and biased towards religious falsehood. The above verses teach this much.

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth." (James 3: 14)

"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" (Acts 5: 3)

Dishonesty in heart manifests itself in outward and visible opposition to the truth of God. Those who rejected the "seed" of gospel truth, in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, were those who lacked a "good and honest heart." Those who, on the other hand, savingly received the seed, and who believed and obeyed the gospel, were those who possessed a "good and honest heart." Men, because of natural depravity, are spiritually stubborn and resistant to the gospel, and practice "lying to the Holy Spirit," habitually "lying against the truth."

"But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8: 15)

Men are not honest in heart, spiritually speaking. Unless God give purity of heart to a person, he will not acknowledge the truth of God, truth that if believed and followed, would save the soul. Men are not sincere, but are full of hypocrisy in regard to God and the truth about him. This natural dishonesty and insincerity of heart is the chief stumblingblock in the way of a sinner's salvation.

The Apostle Paul wrote much about honesty and sincerity of heart.

He spoke of the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (I Corinthians 5: 8), and of "godly sincerity" or "the sincerity of God" (II Corinthians 1: 12). Men reject the gospel because they are not honest and sincere, not with God, themselves, or others. Men accept and believe the gospel because God gives them honesty and sincerity (purity) of heart. The "pure in heart" (Matthew 5: 8) are the honest and sincere in heart.

"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." (2: 17)

It is the propensity of carnal men to not simply reject the word of God, but to "corrupt" it by "twisting" and "distorting" (See II Peter 3: 15) it. This is the height of dishonesty and insincerity.

Men are hypocrites and the chief characteristic of hypocrites is their dishonesty and insincerity. This is revealed in their relation to both truth in the mind and in relation to affections in the soul. Man's "love" is generally not pure, honest, or sincere, especially in relation to God and truth.

Christians are called upon to "prove the sincerity of your love" (8: 8), to God, to truth, to other Christians, and to their neighbors.

"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen." (Ephesians 6: 24)

Some do not love Christ, and truth, sincerely. Some "preach Christ insincerely" too (Philippians 1: 15, 16). Paul exhorted the young minister of Jesus, Titus, to not love, serve, or preach without genuine honesty and sincerity of heart, and thereby be an example to the household of faith how they too need to practice honesty.

"In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." (Titus 2: 7,8)

Errors in understanding the bible and its doctrines stems not from its non-clarity, but from the unwillingness of sinners to be honest with the word of God. It is even true with those who are Christians.

In their bible study and reading, people are regularly tested as to their honesty of heart. It has been said that the bible is not as hard to understand as it is to accept. It is the natural tendency of the carnal mind to not want to accept many things that are stated in the word of God, because they go against the grain of his depraved nature. The honest heart will accept what God says and not reject or attempt to alter its meaning.