26. Bible Change of Heart

Sermon 26

Among the many false charges made against the Bible teaching of my brethren is that they do not believe in a change of heart. This charge is made by many religious teachers through hatred to the truth; and it is told by the ignorant rho believe the charge is true:

To make the subject plain and simple we have two circles in the diagram—not to represent the shape of the heart, but the contents. The first circle will represent the heart of man before it is changed. The second circle will represent the heart of man in its changed condition, or as it must be to dwell with God. In examining the change that must come to all hearts, we will argue the process by which said change is brought about.

In the first heart you will notice that it is of the world, . is ignorant, and walking not after the ways of God (Ephesians 4:17-20; John 16:19). Therefore, my brethren, knowing that David teaches in Psalms 119:130 that the entrance of God's word giveth light, and knowing that light is given to drive out darkness, we first commence to teach the sinner intelligently the word of the Lord that he may no longer be ignorant, but that he may understand what the will of the Lord is. After he understands the will of the Lord, we call his attention to the unconverted heart, as being full of hatred. It belongs to the world, and Jesus taught that the world hated Him, and would therefore hate His people (John 15:18-19). Those who hate the people of God hate the ways of God, and they who hate the ways of God must hate His word. We then begin to work on that heart, full of hatred, bitterness, and envy, to get it to love God.

Knowing that hatred is killed out by love and that this heart of hatred must have a faith in God that will work by love, as taught in Galatians 5:6, we then begin to present the motives of God by the love He has shown for man in His kite, death, and triumph. Soon this heart of hatred will give way to a heart of love. We often find this unconverted heart filled with evil thoughts as taught of man in Genesis 6:5. We fill this heart with good thoughts as taught in Malachi 3:16.

So far we have abolished ignorance, hatred, and evil thoughts, and put in their stead understanding, good thoughts, and love. At this place, sectarianism, with all its pretense to conversion, and hatred against my brethren, falls down, for this is as far as their change of heart ever goes. Let any man go before a denominational preacher and say, "Brethren, l understand the will of the Lord, I am thinking good thoughts of God's people, and I love the Lord." All would declare that he "had it" (whatever it is) and was one of God's children. After they perform what they call a non-essential act (baptism) by a very essential how (mode) by an essential preacher, as the common members could not baptize him, they would take him into their (not the Lord's) church. But looking into this natural heart in the natural state we find that it is full of unbelief (John 16:9) and under condemnation, and is at the present condemned. Then to bring it out from under condemnation we present the testimony of the scriptures that Christ is the Son of God, and show that in believing this we are to have life through His name (John 20:30:31).

We also find this heart of unbelief is an impenitent heart, and is heaping up wrath against its self in the presence of God to be judged at the last day (Romans 2:5). We then show how God's goodness will lead to repentance as taught in Romans 2:4. We find the natural heart a disobedient heart—a servant of sin (Romans 6:6).

In preaching the gospel we persuade men to obey from the heart the Bible doctrine (Romans 6:17). This unconverted heart then becomes not only a converted heart, but a converted man—converted to love and good thoughts, to faith and obedience. This heart is more than willing to hear the gospel believe it, forsake Sill, confess the Son of God, and do like the people did on Pentecost when Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).

Thus fulfilling the command of the Lord when He said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," my brethren, members of the church of Christ, teach that these things must be done by any man before he has a complete Bible change of heart. A heart that was once ignorant, but now understands the will of the Lord; was once full of hatred but now full of love; once had evil thoughts, but now has good thoughts; was once in unbelief, but now full of faith; was once hard and impenitent, but now gentle and patient; once disobedient but now willing to say, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do"—this heart has undergone all divine changes God ever ordained it should, and must stand behind all commands and put them in operation, as taught in the word of the Lord.

That old heathen superstition as taught by the heathens accepted by the Catholics, and followed by all Protestants— that a change of heart means some unexplainable, better felt than told, imaginary feeling, which my brethren have to combat is a forgery on the word of God, and nowhere recognized by Him.