Jesus said that the tree (or person) is known by his or her fruit (or actions). The Bible also calls King David, the worshiping, Psalm writing, adulterer, and murderer, a man after God’s own heart. Paul was a persecutor of the early church and added to its martyr rolls, yet wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, in which he called himself the chief among sinners. He readily acknowledged that his actions often fell short of his intentions:
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God ]in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25
This is a battle we all fight, the tug-of-war between what we should do and what we actually do. What are we to do with these dichotomies? How do we bridge the gap between holding one another accountable for our sin and its results and extending the mercy we all need to be able to rise from the ashes and live Christian lives going forward?
I have often wondered how David, despite all his virtues could be called a man “after God’s own heart.” It seems ridiculous on its face, doesn’t it? If it was Joseph we could comprehend it, but David? After much thought, I think I understand why the Bible offers such praise to a man we wouldn’t readily say deserves it. It wasn’t so much that David had the heart of God as much as that he clearly wanted to have the heart of God despite his numerous and grievous shortcomings.
It’s the heart of one who wants to do the right thing because he loves God first and foremost, and when he fails, no matter how greatly, he recognizes that his sin is his own and that he has ultimately sinned against God most of all. When David is finally confronted with the gravity of his adulterous night with Bathsheba that escalated to the murder of her husband and culminates with the death of the child they conceived that night, David owns his sin.
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge. Psalm 51:1-4
That is the missing link between David’s actions with regard Bathsheba and the tens of recorded Psalms of prayer and worship that still bring comfort to believers thousands of years after David’s death, preserved by God as a testimonial of His unfailing grace towards us and a very flawed, very human Psalmist who is all to easy for many of us to relate to.
We should be slow to condemn, quick to forgive, and generous with mercy in recognition of our own sinful frailty. Too often we find this hard to do; partly due to our pride. Other times we feel let down when those we regard as faithful brethren fail. If they can succumb to temptation, can we? Mostly we just kind of enjoy the opportunity to feel better about ourselves by turning our attention to the failings of others.
But we also have to hold each other accountable and judge righteously. We also must be able to make the distinction between when it is proper to deal harshly, and when we are to restore with gentleness. Frankly, I don’t really trust myself to know the difference. There is however, one thing I look for in my children when they stumble and fall, and it’s something I desperately pray that I model well before them. Owning it.
David owned up to his role in what transpired. He didn’t blame it on the temptress. He didn’t it blame on the commanders who insisted they could go out to battle without him that spring. He didn’t pass the buck.
Being after God’s own heart is not about perfection. It’s about striving to be perfect. Since none of us is capable of being perfect, it’s about confessing our sin, repent, and making a whole-hearted commitment to go and sin no more in the same manner. When our fellow believers make that commitment, and their lives bear the fruit of true change, it’s our Christian duty to accept them fully. Brothers and sisters in Christ should not fear being judged by the church for who they were before.
However, if they don’t acknowledge, repent, and bear fruit worthy of repentance, it’s our Christian duty to hold them accountable no matter how deeply it grieves us.The challenge is to bridge the gap between mercy and justice, rather that erecting walls of justice while burning bridges of mercy or worse, eradicating all accountability out a false concept of mercy and pretending that justice is literally blind. It’s a tall order, isn’t it?
For those of us who claim the name of Christ, it behooves us to remember that it’s not our profession alone that defines us, but what we do. What we really believe is what we live. Everything else is just religious talk. In other words:
“A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.Luke 6:43-44
We’re back where we started aren’t we? So is it enough if our “heart is in the right place?”
Just something I’ve been mulling over as I work through my own struggles and besetting sin.
A very thought-provoking post!
He’s so good!
As a recovering perfectionist, the balance between grace and law is one that I’m still struggling to find on my best days (for myself, mainly, but also when I feel critical of others).
One thing that has encouraged me has been Jesus’ promise to finish the work he started in me. (Phil 1:6). If I seek Him, he promised that I would find Him (Jer 29:13 / Luke 11:9).
Good contemplation, Terry.
Jesus said that the tree (or person) is known by his or her fruit (or actions).
I used to panic over this, wondering if I am a bad tree. Recently, the full context of the statement came into clearer focus as I realized Jesus is speaking of false teachers, drawing a contrast between them and Himself. As He also refers to Himself as “The True Vine” and a believer’s need to abide in Him in order to produce fruit, the weight of trying to be the good tree has lifted even as the serious nature of obedience has begun to set in.
An observation about David: He invited temptation because he did not go to war as was his responsibility.
Personal application: Whenever I think I have room to (spiritually) kick back and relax, I tend to stray from my God-given responsibilities, and I place myself in a similar position that David found himself.
It appears that being recognized as a “man after God’s own heart” is due to his life-long commitment to humility before the Lord. He understood his place, and usually relied on the Lord for protection and guidance. In the above passage, it is also obvious he trusted God’s just and merciful nature as he pleads forgiveness,. And the account of the horrible consequences of his indiscretion indicate he was willing to accept whatever temporal discipline God decided was appropriate,
Even Jesus came to serve, rather than be served. He is, in a way, the face of God to us, so I have to consider that humility is one of God’s attributes. I’m beginning to believe that this is why having a heart for God (or a heart in tune with His), manifests in humble (other-centered) actions rather than prideful (self-serving) ones.
Just thinking aloud, here…
Interesting thought, Elspeth!
Your post took me on a slightly different thought process, though. I’m in the middle of some conflict with various committees and Christian groups at home, and one thing I’ve found is that the prevailing attitude among many Christians is “don’t rock the boat or suggest change, even if the leaders of something are incompetent, as long as their hearts are in the right place.” We in the Christian community focus so much on intentions and hearts that we don’t always look at results.
And what if you have people in leadership who are just doing a really bad job? Does it matter if their hearts are in the right place?
I guess I’m just spouting off because I’m really bothered by a few things and don’t know which way to go now. But I do think that while God looks to the heart and values our intentions and our intimacy with Him, He also wants us using our gifts appropriately to forward His kingdom. So we need to find loving and gracious ways of ensuring that’s done, rather than just tolerating subpar performance because “they mean well.”
Does that make any sense? There’s really a balance between grace and valuing people’s volunteer intentions, and actually wanting a program or ministry to thrive. And I don’t know how to find that balance.
Sorry if I threw the comments off track; I’m just thinking out loud (or thinking while typing).
Sheila,
While your example is less personal that I was getting at, it does speak to the balance we all need to find between grace and truth, mercy and justice. With others as much as with ourselves. We have to speak the truth even when other may not like it while trying to do so in a way that doesn’t tear down unity. Godspeed!
An observation about David: He invited temptation because he did not go to war as was his responsibility.
Personal application: Whenever I think I have room to (spiritually) kick back and relax, I tend to stray from my God-given responsibilities, and I place myself in a similar position that David found himself.
Good words Heather and worthy to take to heart. This is true. Detours and calls to take it easy (spiritually and naturally) and always calling us, aren’t they? Especially when we’re stressed, tired, or busy. It’s when we’re weakest though that we most susceptible, and the time we should be most on guard. When it’s hard. Huh. More to contemplate.
Cherise:
Thamks for the encouraging verse from Phillipians. A promise we all need to hold on to because looking at ourselves too often causes more despair than hope.
Detours and calls to take it easy (spiritually and naturally) and always calling us, aren’t they?
Don’t I know it!!!
My husband returned from a men’s retreat a while back and mentioned that the speaker had pointed out the detail about David staying behind. I believe the focal point was with regard to Christian men being aggressive about leading godly lives in our current culture. I think it is interesting how women (especially wives/mothers) can benefit equally well from the instruction.
My greatest struggle at the moment centers around:
What we really believe is what we live. Everything else is just religious talk.
The statement is true. What we believe about God, sin, forgiveness, family, the Church, holy living etc will ultimately direct our day-to-day decisions.
Recognizing the difference between obedience to the Spirit and simply compiling a list of “good deeds” to check off can be difficult–for me, anyway. I’m constantly tempted to look around at what others are doing in order to try to measure myself. But this is not from a heart that is focused on serving Christ.
While each of us is called to take up his cross, its not going to look exactly the same as each individual works out his own salvation from whatever place the Lord rescued him. We all have areas of immaturity and blindness. As you pointed out, while obvious sin should not be tolerated, there is a need to extend grace and mercy to fellow believers.
Something else that was recently brought to my attention is the necessity of simply spending time in study of the Word and prayer. It seems almost too simple and could easily be used as an excuse to not act due to the depth of study…But an intimate relationship is foundational to any act of Christian service. And, unless there is an open connection between the Savior and myself, I will almost assuredly botch every attempt to serve or even miss the opportunity entirely.
I loved this article, thanks for writing it. This is something I’ve been learning about this past year also. If we can never live up to the standard that God has, if even our good deeds are considered filth, then what is the point of trying to be good. We can’t be good no matter how hard we try and we’re fooling ourselves if we think we are righteous. What if it has absolutely nothing to do with our righteousness, and instead has to do with our willingness to listen and obey. Maybe the main point of our obedience isn’t to be righteous, but to be closer to God, to glorify Him, to please Him and show Him our love by obeying Him. If being good isn’t about getting “good” right and instead about showing love to our Father, then it is suddenly okay to admit that we are failures and just keep trying anyway simply because we love Him.
But we also have to hold each other accountable and judge righteously. only for the purpose of bringing souls back to the Lord out of love
I can’t do this sentence: “Being after God’s own heart is not about perfection. It’s about striving to be perfect.”
It’s about striving to be near Him. He is perfect, but I think the focus is easier for me to follow. The pursuit of perfection discourages me, but the pursuit of the Lord emboldens. I just want to be on his team. So I’m happy when I’m constantly suiting up and trying out. It’s not about trying to be a star player–I just want the privilege to wear the jersey.
It’s about striving to be near Him… The pursuit of perfection discourages me, but the pursuit of the Lord emboldens. I just want to be on his team… It’s not about trying to be a star player–I just want the privilege to wear the jersey.
That sounds much healthier and more Biblical than what I presented.
Thank you.
It was your reference to David that I keyed off of. It seems like we’re always talking about the Bathsheba incident–and that was bad–but before that…
“Who said that about my Father?”
CRUUUUNCHHHH!
“Did you see that, Dad? Did you? Did you?”
He’s God’s ferocious son–very different from God, full of sin, but also full-heartedly earnest in his seeking of approval from the Father.
That’s what drives me crazy about the Pink Christian version of “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven It’s not a picture of well-behaved, docile mini-adults, quietly sitting at his feet; prayerfully contemplating their unworthiness. Those were boisterous, ruckus-raising kids!
“Jesus! Jesus! Did you see that? Did you see me throw that rock? Did you like that song I sang? Did you? Did you? Are you going to tell us a story? Yeah! I want a story!”