A SINFUL HEART GIVES DECEPTIVE PEACE

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Recently I spoke with an elderly gentleman I know who had just been discharged from the hospital due to a blood clot. It was a rather serious situation and life threatening. He shared with me that in the experience he had a peace about him that if he had to meet his Maker he was ready. He shared he had done everything in his life that he had wanted to do and if it was his time to go, so be it. He seemed to feel no concern that he had no relationship with Jesus Christ. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he often used foul language and was a little shady in his business dealings at times. I was mystified that a person with such a lifestyle would have a peace about him as he faced death. Then I remembered “Ignorance” in Pilgrim’s Progress.

 

Ignorance was an individual that Christian met on his journey to the Celestial City. Ignorance had a faith similar to my elderly friend and a peace about him that was identical as well. Ignorance was on a similar journey as Christian but had his own perception of what truth, faith, obedience and holy living was all about and it was far from what would be called a Christian faith.

 

Ignorance liked being alone in his faith. He took pride in the fact that his heart verified to him that he was good in his actions and deeds. Christian shared with Ignorance that even the demons believe in God as he did and that Proverbs 28:26 warns that a person who trusts his own heart is a fool.

 

No matter what Christian would say, Ignorance took comfort in the fact that his own heart made him feel that his faith was just fine and his hopes of reaching the Celestial City in his condition was justified. Christian continued with his petitions that faith comes from God and hearing His Word. Ignorance and Christian had a heated discussion for some time. Ignorance insisted that the evidence for his faith and security rests in what his own heart tells him. Christian insisted that true faith it must lie in faith in God and His Word.

 

Christian provided much proof from scripture that man’s heart is inherently evil, but Ignorance would have nothing to do with such thoughts. Christian asked Ignorance what he felt was necessary for salvation. Ignorance replied that it is belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. Christian was momentarily encouraged but then Ignorance adds a comment. Ignorance stated that he believed that he will be justified by his obedience of God’s laws.

 

 Christian finally could take it no longer and shares with Ignorance the futility of his own faith. He states that such faith is nowhere described in scripture. He states that only faith in Christ’s work and righteousness saves us. Nothing we do earns us salvation. He states that salvation is not by works but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). He states that Ignorance must realize the evilness of his own heart and how deceptive it can be and that he must trust in salvation in Christ alone.

 

Now it is Ignorance’s turn to become impatient. He will have nothing to do with Christian’s godly faith. He separates from Christian wishing to travel alone, secure to listen to his evil deceptive heart and wallow in the false peace of his hopes of going to heaven.

 

As I thought about my elderly friend and Ignorance, I saw how much they had in common. I also thought of how many others in the world probably have similar false hopes of going to heaven when they die.

 

I believe that many individuals in this world have a false sense of security based on what their deceptive hearts tell them. Their sinful hearts tell them that they are no “great” sinner for they have not killed anyone. Their sinful hearts convince them that God must grade on a curve and surely would not send anyone to hell unless they were horrible evil people. Their sinful hearts comfort them in their weak faith. Their sinful hearts encourage their selfish pride in occasional acts of service and goodness. Their sinful hearts deceive them into thinking that the few or many good deeds they perform will qualify them to get into heaven. Their sinful hearts lead them down the path of deception that blinds their eyes from seeing truth. Their evil sinful hearts muffle the hearing of the Gospel. A thick impenetrable callous forms around their sinful heart as this continues. This whole process of deceptive faith in self-righteousness gives them a false peace about their eternity.

 

What a horrible position to be in as the Day of the Lord approaches. What an awful condition to be in when taking your last breath. To be expecting the blessings of heaven because of your false faith in your own righteousness, but to discover that only the righteousness of Jesus Christ makes it possible to enter the gates of heaven. To anticipate the comforts of the presence of God in the afterlife and find out that your deceptive sinful heart has fooled you into a peace that has no substance.

 

Such people need to awake from their spiritual sleep and that is the task we have as Christians, to awaken the spiritually dead, the deceived, the blind. Unless we share the gospel with such individuals they will suffer the fate of Ignorance in Pilgrim’s Progress.

 

John Bunyan tells us what awaits such poor souls that have failed to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord of their lives.

 

“Now, while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned my head to look back, and saw Ignorance come up to the river side; but he soon got over, and that without half the difficulty which the other two men met with. For it happened that there was then in that place one Vain-Hope, a ferryman, that with his boat helped him over; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill, to come up to the gate; only he came alone, neither did any man meet him with the least encouragement. When he was come up to the gate, he looked up to the writing that was above, and then began to knock, supposing that entrance should have been quickly administered to him; but he was asked by the men that looked over the top of the gate, Whence come you? And what would you have? He answered, I have ate and drank in the presence of the King, and he has taught in our streets. Then they asked him for his certificate, that they might go in and show it to the King: so he fumbled in his bosom for one, and found none. Then said they, Have you none? But the man answered never a word. So they told the King, but he would not come down to see him, but commanded the two shining ones, that conducted Christian and Hopeful to the city, to go out and take Ignorance, and bind him hand and foot, and have him away. Then they took him up, and carried him through the air to the door that I saw in the side of the hill, and put him in there. Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gate of heaven, as well as from the City of Destruction.”

 

May none of us be ignorant about what is required to enter heaven. May we share the gospel with those deceived by their own sinful hearts.

 

Jeremiah 17:9

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

 

1 John 1:9-10
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

 

If you haven’t read Pilgrim’s Progress I would highly recommend it to you.

 

It can be found on my website if you wish to view it at the following web link.

 

Just copy and paste the following web site location into your web browser to view and read it:

 

https://document.desiringgod.org/the-pilgrim-s-progress-en.pdf?ts=1446648353