The Value of Honesty

It’s true, I write about this quite often, but I write about what is on my mind in the Spirit, and what I experience in the Spirit, and what I see in front of me from day to day. So here goes again: If you really want to get somewhere with God, and increase in his love, holiness, humility, faith, etc; it all has to start with total honesty of heart. Jesus told a parable about a sower sowing seed, and that parable is about four conditions that the heart of a child of God can be in. And not many people realize that the first three conditions that are mentioned in the parable signify conditions in which one cannot be saved. The fourth kind of soil, or condition of one’s heart, is in fact the only condition that will endure unto salvation: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Lk. 8:15). The reason people in this category will be saved is because they keep an honest heart about their own condition, and are thereby able to continue “purifying [themselves] even as [Christ] is pure” (I Jn. 3:3). You simply cannot purify yourself unless you maintain the realization of what is good and what is evil. And we cannot maintain that realization unless we continue in complete honesty, as well as the willingness and desire to know which is which. It really is that simple. And if we are not found totally pure in heart at the end of our lives, it is certain that we will not be saved. Don’t believe that? Then believe this: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for THEY shall see God” (Mat. 5:8). And add to that; “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, WITHOUT WHICH no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Let’s go ahead and throw this one in again for good measure: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath THIS HOPE in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I Jn. 3:2,3). So if we leave pureness of heart behind, then we leave the hope of the resurrection behind with it. That is the reality of what the apostle said.

Here is the grave danger that God’s people face today: The prevalent doctrines and traditions of men today are nothing more than a false security for folks who are content to be religious and hold to the sins that they choose to keep. The apostle Paul called it “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (II Tim. 3:5). By the way, he was prophesying of the time that we’re living in when he said that (II Tim. 3:1). Any way you cut it, the majority of the doctrines of modern Christianity are contained in the saying that “we are sinners saved by grace,” and “eternal security;” which can also be said as “once saved always saved.” A lot of people will deny that they believe in those schools of thought, but give them a couple of minutes to continue talking and they will come right back around and contradict that denial. Modern Christianity has conditioned God’s people to commit the grave error that Isaiah reproved, without even knowing they are guilty of it: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20). The traditions of today’s Christianity are straight out of the devil’s bag of tricks, and they have dictated a condition of deceit to the hearts of God’s people, and taught them to reverence doctrines of men as though they are the word of God (Mat. 15:9). And one cannot reverence doctrines of men without cultivating irreverence to the truth of God (Mat. 15:3). Neither can one show irreverence to the truth of God without becoming hard of heart, and losing the fear of God. You simply will not “tremble at the word of God” if you are guilty of the following: “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isa. 66:1,2; Isa. 29:13). A heart that remains totally honest before God cannot be satisfied and content with the modern traditions that are set forth by the modern Christian religion. If that is you my friend, then hearken to the words of the ancient proverb that says, " “Forsake the foolish,and live; and go in the way of understanding” (Prov. 9:6). Amen.