A well known, very famous grace preacher posted:
“Your heart isn't sinful anymore. It’s new! (Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 6:17)”
To me, this teaching is dangerous. And I repent for having taught stuff like this as a grace teacher.
It’s misleading. It’s a slight of hand. It’s theft of kingdom.
Yes. All sin on the flesh of Jesus, except unbelief of the heart. Ask the Israelites in the desert how unbelief worked out for them.
This is the commentary on his thread:
Alan: “Any unbelief IN the heart IS sinful.”
Grace teacher: “The believer exchanged their evil, unbelieving heart for a new heart where Christ lives. Any unbelief or doubt we struggle with is in the mind (Romans 12:2), not the new heart we now enjoy.”
Alan: “Then why in the parable of the sower are there thorns and thistles INSIDE the heart of the believer?”
Grace teacher: no response
Thorns and thistles. The worries of the world. The cares and deceits of what the world offers. The hurts and pains within our soul, come straight from the heart.
The soul is powered by the conscious and subconscious thoughts of both the mind and heart. Your soul has 2 engines. James says we are "double souled" if the heart and mind aren’t aligned in belief.
So. This is why much of the anti religion and grace movements aren’t operating in His power. Simply because many are double minded. If you aren’t looking at the heart, and you only look at the mind - by default you are off center from having earth shaking faith (belief).
- God gave us a heart of flesh that hears His voice.
- God gave us a heart that’s been sealed by the Holy Spirit.
- God gave us a heart that HEARS and SEES by the Spirit.
- God gave us a heart that His spirit dwells in by faith.
- God gave us a heart that He has sovereign access over.
Yet. Until we recognize the doubts, hurts, and fears that sit in our hearts, we will never be able to shake the unbelief that God has more for us.
Yes. Our heart is His.
But. The worldly junk in the heart is ours.
We must recognize the pangs, fears, doubts, bruises, and issues of the heart and hand them clear over to Jesus.