An Honest Heart. 4

1. An honest heart loves the Truth—and none other does. "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). This is a true description of all men the world over. What a fearful state to be in: not only in the dark—but loving the darkness! And why? Because it is congenial to their depraved hearts—it is their native element. Hence the passage goes on to say, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (v. 20). Many excuses are made why they turn away from plain and faithful preaching, and why they do not read God's Word in private—but the real reason is because they hate the Light! Exposure, even to themselves, is the very last thing of all they desire. In sharp contrast therefrom: "But he who does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (v. 21). This is the man with an honest heart—so far from hating the Light—he welcomes it, wanting to be searched by it.

An honest heart is open to the Word, not merely to certain portions only—but to the Word as a whole. Such a one sincerely wants the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. He does not wish the preacher to please or flatter him—but to be frank and faithful. The language of the insincere heart is, "Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isaiah 30:10). They desire to hear of an easy and flesh-pleasing road to Heaven, one which does not demand the denying of SELF, and forsaking the world. They want to be at ease in their sins, and assured they are the children of God—while free to serve the Devil. But it is the very opposite with one having an honest heart. He is fearful of being imposed upon, and thinking more highly of himself than he has a right to do. If he is deceived—he ardently longs to be undeceived; if he is building his house upon sand—he wants to know it. He is willing to be tested and searched, and therefore he "comes to the Light"—does so repeatedly and continuously, as the tense of the verb denotes.

An honest heart, then, is a Truth-loving heart, one which genuinely desires to know the mind of God, one which is ready for his creed, his characterand his conduct—to be searched by the light of the Sanctuary. He wants to know the truth about God, the One with whom he has to do, the One before whom he must yet appear and render an account. He will not be put off with any superficial and sentimental representations of the Divine Character, he determines at all costs to acquaint himself with God as He actually is. He wants to know the truth about himself. He is anxious to determine whether he has only a head or intellectual knowledge of things that matter most—or whether he has been given a heart or spiritualknowledge of them. He wants to make certain of how he stands with regard to God and eternity, and he dares not take any man's opinion or say-so with regard thereto.

2. An honest heart accepts the Divine diagnosis of fallen man's condition—and bows to the Divine verdict passed upon him. That diagnosis, is that he is sinful, depraved, corrupt in every part of his being; that his understanding is darkened, his affections perverted, his will enslaved. The Divine Physician declares that, "You are sick from head to foot—covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds!" (Isaiah 1:6). It explains why this is so: because man, every man, is "shaped in iniquity" and "conceived in sin!" (Psalm 51:5). And therefore, "the wicked are estranged from the womb—they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Psalm 58:3).

So far from allowing that there is something spiritually good in every man, which only needs to be carefully cultivated in order to bring it to fruition—the Divine Physician declares, "people's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood" (Gen. 8:21), and in the flesh, "there dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18). And the honest heart does not quarrel with that diagnosis—but receives it as true of himself. Because fallen man is what he is—he stands condemned before his Judge.

The Divine Law pronounces him guilty. It declares that he is a rebel against God, that he has followed the desires of his own heart and disregarded the claims of his Maker. It declares that there is, "no fear of God" before his eyes (Romans 3:18), that he has conducted himself as though there is no Day of reckoning to be faced. It declares that he has "ignored My advice—and rejected the correction I offered" (Proverbs 1:25). It declares that "the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). It declares that, in the searching light of the Divine holiness, his best performances, his religious actings, his very righteousnesses are as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Now because the honest heart welcomes the Light, because it sincerely desires to know the worst about himself—it bows to the Divine verdict and "accepts His testimony has affirmed that God is true" (John 3:33). An honest heart acknowledges, "I am vile" (Job 40:4), "without excuse" (Romans 1:20), a Hell-deserving sinner; and none but an honest heart sincerely does so!

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