Often the external features can be impressive and attractive. But spiritually, the reality is, without exception, the greater ugliness is inside.
As people clamoured around the Lord Jesus while He was here on Planet Earth, He could see deeply. He could instantly detect discrepancies between what they were saying and doing on the outside and what they were thinking on the inside. He understood that the talk and walk can be so superficial and artificial. He always started with the inner diagnosis. The greater the contrast between the wants and wishes on the inside and the words and walk on the outside, the higher the score on the hypocrimeter.
Jesus was in Jerusalem. People were not only amazed by what He was saying and the conviction with which He spoke, but they were wowed by His miracles as well. They rallied around Him in excitement and appeared to have fully embraced and accepted Him. Why then was He not willing to take them into His inner circle and treat them as confidants and insiders? Look at these Bible verses:
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man. John 2:23-25
Jesus knew what was in – yes, inside humans! In fact, on another occasion, He clearly identified what His holy, all-seeing eyes could see deep inside all human hearts.
“…base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).” Mark 7:21-22
As disgusting as nicotine-clogged lungs are, the spiritual condition of the human heart is worse! And this is exactly what Christ could see when people clamoured around Him. In fact, it is still what God sees today 24/7. The more people try to present themselves as polished gems or sparkling jewels of humanity while denying the inner reality – the higher they score on the hypocrimeter. Hypocrisy is offensive to God because He sees through the sham. Many people do not like reading Romans Chapter 3. They find it offensive. They don’t like the diagnostic assessment God provides of the human heart. Try reading it and assess how accurate it is about your own self.
The foundation of Christianity, the Bible, teaches that every single person is flawed and broken by sin – sin in our thoughts and sin in our actions. Counsellors, spiritual advisors, intellectuals, philosophers and many others try to rationalize the darker side of human activity. Many claim that society is improving and advancing, but the facts prove just the opposite. All humans, regardless of location, culture or nationality, engage in wrongful thoughts, fantasies and activities of some nature sooner or later. If there were no penalties and no chance of ever being caught, much darker things would be happening. Every reader will admit that if all societal and legal restrictions were removed, there are things that we ourselves would try.
True – we try to be good most of the time, but we have our lapses. Other belief systems and, sadly, many professing Christian churches teach that humans are basically good most of the time and that if we work a little harder, we will be accepted by God. Christianity teaches just the opposite. Without exception, every single person is broken by sin and is unable to self-correct the problem of the heart. As Jesus said in the quote above, the problem is not so much what we do but who we are – what comes from within!
Have you ever been truthful about who you really are? Do you have the all-important ‘moment of truth’ when you came out of denial and faced who you really were and what you really deserved from God? It is called repentance. Christianity, at its core, addresses the deepest inner need of our soul. God doesn’t want you to wrap yourself in a camouflaged cover. God wants you to be honest before Him. He is not out to get you. He is out to save you and bless you with eternal salvation. Christianity doesn’t require you to dress-to-impress your Maker – in a mask to hide your flaws. No, God wants you to be real, and once you are, He has good news for you.
Other religions say there is something we must do to please or to appease God. Christianity says the opposite. There is nothing a person can do. If humans had designed Christianity, we would have found something for us to do to contribute to our salvation. That’s the way we think as humans. But Christianity is uniquely different.
Christianity doesn’t require you to cover up your sin or work hard to make up for your failures, or encourage you to pretend you are okay. Christianity requires you to be totally honest about who you are and what you have done, with the assurance that there is a total remedy outside yourself to fully address your needs.
Here’s what amazes a genuine Christian: He saw my sin-infected heart, and yet He loved me. Today, God no longer sees me in my sin, He sees me in Christ – totally accepted in Him. Ephesians 1:6 tells us we are “…accepted in the Beloved.”
If you are a Christian, take a moment today to praise the Lord that He has raised you up with Him and seated you with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and that you are His workmanship – created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:6 and 2:10)
If you have never faced what God really sees in your heart – today is the day to agree with God about His Diagnosis. In fact, your time would be well spent reading Romans Chapter 3 in the Holy Bible today. It is God’s MRI of the human condition – stated very clearly. And there are no exceptions on the planet. The good news is – if you are willing to face the fact of your sin, there’s a Saviour for you. According to 1 Corinthians 15:3 – “Christ died for our sins.” If you personally accept Him as your Saviour, you will experience the complete forgiveness of all your sins, and you will be a genuine Christian – at peace through the Lord Jesus Christ.
