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newton3003
Guest
Some have implied that God put goodness in our hearts without asking Him for it. Arguably, since God in Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations,” the implication could be that we started out with a good heart. In a sense, we all start out being potential prophets.
But as the Bible infers, our hearts are not full-proof; that is, we are not immune to the sins of the earth. God could have created us so we are so immune, as He created everything else, but apparently such is not the case. Man has given in to sin since Adam and Eve.
Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to God’s purpose. Writers have said that God’s purpose regarding us is to give us grace while we are alive on earth, and to give us glory in the hereafter. But the Bible tells us we must give our hearts to God in order to receive grace and glory from Him. Some have said that our works do not earn us grace, but our faith does. But as James 2:24 says “…a person is justified by works and not by faith alone,” we must do our part to earn His Grace and Glory.
God in creating the world could have kept it free from the temptations of sin. Why didn’t he? We only know that He created us and has put us to the test. Proverbs 21:2 says “…the Lord weighs the heart.” He weighs the very heart He gave us, as time goes by. And did not Jesus say in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander?” And did not Moses before him say, in Deuteronomy 31:27 “For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death!” and this he said to God’s Chosen People! How much more rebellious and stubborn are those who haven’t been made aware of the Word of God, to be entitled to the inheritance of Abraham?
Those of us who must strive to be pure at heart, in contrast to those who do not know evil or temptation by virtue of their abnormal state of mind, must be in constant communication with God through prayer. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. In Psalm 51:10 we ask God to create a clean heart in us. Can we repeat the prayer? Why not? As the squeaky wheel gets the grease, those who pray can get God’s Grace.
We will forever be exposed to temptation, but our faith in God, our good works and our prayers to him give us the sword and shield we need to ward off that temptation. And in so doing, we fulfill Jeremiah 1:5.
But as the Bible infers, our hearts are not full-proof; that is, we are not immune to the sins of the earth. God could have created us so we are so immune, as He created everything else, but apparently such is not the case. Man has given in to sin since Adam and Eve.
Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to God’s purpose. Writers have said that God’s purpose regarding us is to give us grace while we are alive on earth, and to give us glory in the hereafter. But the Bible tells us we must give our hearts to God in order to receive grace and glory from Him. Some have said that our works do not earn us grace, but our faith does. But as James 2:24 says “…a person is justified by works and not by faith alone,” we must do our part to earn His Grace and Glory.
God in creating the world could have kept it free from the temptations of sin. Why didn’t he? We only know that He created us and has put us to the test. Proverbs 21:2 says “…the Lord weighs the heart.” He weighs the very heart He gave us, as time goes by. And did not Jesus say in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander?” And did not Moses before him say, in Deuteronomy 31:27 “For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death!” and this he said to God’s Chosen People! How much more rebellious and stubborn are those who haven’t been made aware of the Word of God, to be entitled to the inheritance of Abraham?
Those of us who must strive to be pure at heart, in contrast to those who do not know evil or temptation by virtue of their abnormal state of mind, must be in constant communication with God through prayer. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. In Psalm 51:10 we ask God to create a clean heart in us. Can we repeat the prayer? Why not? As the squeaky wheel gets the grease, those who pray can get God’s Grace.
We will forever be exposed to temptation, but our faith in God, our good works and our prayers to him give us the sword and shield we need to ward off that temptation. And in so doing, we fulfill Jeremiah 1:5.