“FOR IF OUR HEART CONDEMNS US”

As saints, we all struggle with besetting sin... the sin we hate to love. To deny this is to deny God’s word, knowingly or in ignorance. What distinguishes the spiritually mature is how quickly they come boldly to God’s throne of Grace.  Heartfelt repentance will usher in God’s supernatural peace... The Peace of God, if we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. When our conscience condemns us after repentance it is our old nature that keeps us diving into God’s Sea of Forgetfulness to retrieve our sins, wanting us to wallow in shame and remorse... wanting us to do penitence... wanting us to earn our own forgiveness. The writer of Hebrews spoke to this when He stated “How much more shall the blood of Christ ... cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Now the context is comparing Grace to the Law, but as an application the repentant saint’s sorrow and remorse are just “Dead Works.” The Apostle John, in his dissertation on the outworking of Love, also speaks of the condemning heart... the condemning conscience: “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” The greatness of God’s grace and compassion are displayed here. When our conscience condemns us we quiet it with the knowledge we are in the hands of a God who is greater than our heart... greater in love... greater in compassion... greater in understanding, and it is He who has forgiven us. The very worse that is in us is known to God, and still he loves us... cares for us... desires us. He sees our shallow failures... our stumbling as we miss His mark. He sees the deep hungering in the depth of our soul for more righteousness... to be a delight to Him. And, He sees our sin, hears our repentance and says to our conscience “I Am Greater”! “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.”

GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEART