A Gospel Defense

for when you fall

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

              Occasionally, someone will defend their words or actions by proclaiming, “God knows my heart.” What they are saying is true enough. The Omniscient God does know their heart. He knows everything. Jesus himself said the same thing: “God knows your hearts,” (Luke 16:15). But is “God knows my heart,” a safe shelter to take refuge in?

              The Lord had something else to say about the human heart. He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah saying, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We are poisoned by sin, making it nigh impossible to accurately discern and know the true motives and desires of our hearts. We can’t know fully. But God does. God sees. And what he sees isn’t always pretty.

              “God knows my heart,” is a way of saying, “my actions or words may not have been perfect, but my motives and my deepest desires were, and God knows that. Therefore, I’ve failed you, but I am justified before God.” That, my friend, is folly.

              Instead of standing on the supposed holiness of heart, you presume God sees, step over onto solid gospel ground. Instead of invoking justification by heart goodness, proclaim justification by faith. Say, “My heart and my motives are flawed and tainted by sin and that has caused me to speak or act wrongly. I find that grievous and I know you have been hurt as well. God has forgiven me in Christ, and I hope you will too.”