Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 18 June 2024 07:29

Desire for Genuineness
by Joey Carroll Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

Genuineness is an attribute that everyone truly wants from others. We all are exhausted at the endless list of public figures who speak out of both sides of their mouth. We have all been hurt by individuals in our lives that have been so nice to our faces, only to turn right around and condemn us before others. But what about us? Do we have a Jekyll and Hyde, or are we truly genuine from the heart?
Genuineness was always a problem for the Old Testament people of God. The prophet Isaiah records these very condemning words of the people of God. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words, and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,” (Isaiah 29:13, NASB).
Isaiah describes a people who continued in the practice of the worship of God, but their worship was no deeper than their vocal cords. Their worship of God never reached the depth of their hearts. It was worship without sincerity or genuineness. In Matthew 15, our Lord quotes this same passage in regard to the religious leaders of His day. He began the quote with “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you,” (Matthew 15:7, NASB).

Could this be the way with all of us? I think if we are all honest with ourselves, we would find an uncomfortable lack of genuineness. Why is this? Later in the very same chapter, Jesus answers that question for us, and we will miss it if we are not paying attention. Jesus is explaining to His disciples that unwashed hands are not what defiles a person. But the reason we are defiled before God is what lies in our hearts. Our Lord says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders,” (Matthew 15:19, NASB). And so we can begin to understand this disappointing lack of genuineness in the world as we see the condition of the human heart. According to God’s diagnosis of man, our hearts produce evil because they are evil.

Which brings us back to where we are in our study of 1 John. “Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth,” (1 John 3:18, ESV). John is calling us to love people genuinely and sincerely. Not merely with our mouths or words, but let us truly love one another and demonstrate that love by our actions. In other words, let us love by humbly serving one another as our Lord has done for us.

But how can a human being with an evil heart ever hope to love like this, like God loves us? John addresses that five verses later. John says, “And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us,” (1 John 3:23, ESV).
Genuine love can only begin after we have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is only through hearing the gospel and believing its wonderful news that we can be born again and receive a new heart. A heart from God is the only kind of heart that can truly love.