Is it True that God Only Looks at the Heart?

I can imagine the frustrated look on Jesse's face when all his sons were being rejected one by one after they were deemed unfit for the Anointing. The argument from the Lord’s prophet was that, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Interestingly, this story has become famous among the modern professing Christian, especially as a defence mechanism against criticism.

It brings to my mind a particular lady in my community. She was commended by all of us for her good efforts towards helping others within our neighbourhood. Notwithstanding that she was also a member of this big worldwide denomination that shall remain nameless at this time. Then one day she found herself lashing out at a group of friends for “judging” her, she said. Apparently, it all started when she was seen dressed in something that can be defined as “inappropriate clothing” by the standard of Christianity. Hence her apparent outrage was that she had every right to dress however she wanted because “God looks at the heart, not the outside appearance.” So, do you think she was right in her defence? Is God only concerned about the inward heart posture and nothing else? Let's talk about it.

The reality of the Christian salvation is that everything starts in the heart. God takes a heart of stone – says the prophet Ezekiel – hostile to everything that God stands for and converts it into a new creature altogether. This is what theologians like to define as ‘regeneration’. A simpler term: being born again. This is what makes Christianity distinct from other religions. For example, according to the Islamic faith, the condition of your heart is not really that much of a big deal. As long as you can outwardly display an appearance of religiosity; public prayers and giving to the poor – you are good to enter. From the Christian worldview, that is hypocrisy. The very thing that our Lord scolded the Scribes and Pharisees for. “First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also,” He said. It starts with the heart.

Now, I believe a good case has been made about this, yet it's only half the truth. We must proceed to this point: it does not end with the heart. I think this is where we lose a few of our Christian friends. That is, some are convinced that salvation is when God changes the inside of a person and He then leaves them to continue the same way in outward behaviour. It's not true. Rather, the inward transformation must affect the inward conversation – it's inevitable! Just a reminder that the “heart” that is the subject of our matter is not the blood-pumping body part, instead it's all a figure of speech to describe the centre of the human mind processes, where decisions are made. Therefore, it is impossible to separate this from the outward conduct because one directly controls the other. “As the man thinks, so is his heart” (Prov 23:7). What we see your body doing is a product of your inner self. What comes out through your mouth is an overflow of the deep wells of the heart. 

This means we can, without a doubt, know the condition of anyone’s heart. And it does not take a telescope but we simply have to observe their actions; what they love; where they go; what comes out of their mouth, etc. Keep in mind also that it's not about cherry-picking one incident in one’s life on their bad day and use it to judge them. Instead, it's all about the regular pattern of that citizen. That is who they are. It is absurd, I think, for me to claim to believe, while my actions resemble those who do not believe in our Lord. In fact, you might as well question the reality of my salvation if that is the case. It is also misleading to say, “God looks at the heart” to condone immorality. That was not the purpose of that verse.

The great lesson from all this is that people have the right to “judge your heart” based on what you project outwardly. Therefore, we all have to examine ourselves in this matter: Is what you display to the world consistent with the transformed life that you claim to possess in your heart? If it happens that people are concerned about your so-called inappropriate conduct, do not be angry with them, rather, thank God that you have people who are able to discern the wrong path that you are on, and are willing to tell you about it. Take it as a correction from the heavens, do some introspection, repent and be restored back to the way of righteousness. Dismissed.

Sinothi Ncube

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