“And He said, ‘what comes out of a
man, that defiles a man. For from with, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. Al these evil
things come from within and defile a man.”—Mark 7:20-23
The outward appearance of a person
is not important. It is the condition of a person’s heart that
matters to God. However, mankind has not
always understood this. The covenant of
circumcision was give to Abram in Genesis 17:9-14. God said that any man who did not carry this
sign of the covenant in his flesh was to be killed. This placed a great importance on the act of
circumcision. The Apostle Paul tells us
that Abraham had already been justified by faith before he was circumcised, in
Romans 4:3-13. Abram’s faith in God and
His promise saved him at least thirteen years before He commanded Abram to be
circumcised.
Down through the centuries, the Jews
turned their focus to the outward act of circumcision instead of the inward act
of faith as the reason for salvation.
This was a source of contention between Jesus and the religious leaders
too. They emphasized all the outward
acts the Lord had commanded and were totally disregarding the condition of
their hearts. Jesus said that if an
individual would cleanse their heart, their actions would inevitably change
too.
The condition of a person’s flesh is
not the important thing. God is interested in a person’s heart,
not if their flesh has been circumcised or not. Today, the religious questions center around
the doctrine of water baptism, church membership, and other outward acts that
some preach are necessary for salvation.
Your faith in the love of God, as
expressed through Jesus on the Cross and in His resurrection is the only thing
God demands for your justification.
Religious rites mean nothing when it comes to salvation. Your
heart is what matters to God. You
can rejoice today that your heart safely trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior.
Prayer—Father
I thank You that my heart is right with You and because it is out of the
abundance of my heart my mouth will utter things that are pleasing to You, in
Jesus Name. Amen.
