The story has been often told of the Indian chief who sought to obtain salvation by offering first his blanket and then his gun to God. He was told that gifts like these would not purchase the divine favor, but that if he wanted to be saved he must give his heart to God.
Now this sounds very right and good; and the phrase "Give your heart to God" generally passes unchallenged as sterling coin from the mint of truth. The 'writer, however, has met with persons who have been driven into the bypaths of doubt and legality by the use of this very phrase. Not content with hearing the advice given, earnest souls seek to act upon it. Awakened to a sense of their sinfulness, and impressed with the importance of being right with God, they kneel by their bedside and earnestly seek to dedicate their hearts to Him, and their lives to His service. With a sense of relief in having made the "surrender," they rise from their knees determined to live a holier life in the future.
Before very long, however, they find by bitter experience that their hearts, instead of beating with love to God, are just as bad as ever, and that the old sinful thoughts come crowding into their minds again with overwhelming force.
Perhaps they think that the surrender has not been wholehearted enough; so, kneeling down again, and with greater earnestness than before, they try to "give their hearts to God," and beseech Him to take them and keep them. But with what result? Alas! after the first impression of relief and expectation has passed away, they have again to acknowledge their lack of success, and soon conclude that it is no use trying any more. So they sink down into a hard, indifferent state of soul, and perhaps turn to the attractions of the world, hoping to deaden their feelings of disappointment by flinging themselves into the whirl of its pleasures.
To speak of giving one's heart to God in order to gain His favor is a great mistake, and arises from three causes: 1) a wrong estimate of your own heart; 2) a wrong use of Scripture; 3) a wrong idea of the gospel.
One who has seen and estimated his own heart in the light of the Word of truth, could never think of thus securing God's favor. Observe carefully how the heart is described in the following passages of Scripture:
"Out of the HEART proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Matt. 15:1919For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15:19).
These three scriptures are very clear and to the point. They need no interpretation. Their meaning lies upon the surface. Beyond all doubt they teach that the human heart- yours and mine-is naturally full of deceit, and incurably wicked, the source of every kind of evil, not merely sometimes, under great provocation, but "continually."
With this divinely inspired description of the heart, compare the common thought, "I must give my heart to God." What! am I to bring as a present to the holy God a thing which He Himself declares to be the very fount of evil-a thing which is desperate in wickedness, and surpassing all things in deceit? Will that induce Him, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, to look with favor upon me? One must be blind indeed to think so, or not to perceive that such a present, instead of purchasing God's good will, could only call forth His holy condemnation and wrath.
Let the reader then consider the character of his own heart in the light of Scripture, and accept the true and divine estimate of its utter worthlessness.
"But does not the Bible itself say, 'Give Me thine heart'?" asks one.
You refer, I suppose, to Pro. 23:2626My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23:26), but have you ever noticed the two significant words with which that verse opens? "My SON," it says, "give Me thine heart." These two words, "My son," show that the one addressed stands in a known relationship to the one who speaks. But can you claim that such relationship exists between you and God? Are you indeed His child? And is He indeed your Father?
It is not everyone that can say "Yes" to this question. God is the Creator of all, but the Father only of those who are His by redemption ties. The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they alone, can claim to be God's children. (See John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12); Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26).) If you, as a guilty sinner, have trusted in the Savior, and have received from His blessed hands the forgiveness of your sins, you are indeed a child of God. In that case, by all means lay your renewed heart at His feet. To you the exhortation, "Give Me thine heart," applies with full force. You are now no longer your own, but His; and, constrained by His love, it will be your greatest joy to hold all that you have at His disposal -your possessions, your abilities, your time, your influence, your life, your self; in other words, to give Him your heart. And He is worthy!
But until you can say that you have been saved by His love and power from the worst of fates, and been washed from your crimson stains by Christ's precious blood, do not dare to speak of giving your heart to Him. You have no right to arrogate to yourself family privileges until you belong to the family circle. Passages of Scripture such as, "Give Me thine heart," "Yield yourselves unto God," "Present your bodies a living sacrifice," refer only to real believers, those who have found salvation through faith in Christ. To apply them to any others, or to use them as an indication of what should be done in order to gain acceptance with God, is to make a wrong use of them, and to sow the seeds of a sad harvest of disappointment and despair.
But the misuse of such passages is generally the outcome of an imperfect acquaintance with the gospel. People are not sufficiently careful to learn for themselves from God's own Book what God's own way is of blessing sinners.
There are two important points in connection with the glad tidings.
First of all, God is revealed in the gospel as a giving God. He did not always appear before men in this character. On mount Sinai He spoke as a demanding God. He had a full right to the homage and love of men's hearts, as well as to their obedience; and it was this that He claimed.
But alas! among the thousands of mankind, not one was to be found who gave God His due and loved Him with all his heart. If then salvation could only be obtained in this way, not a single sinner would ever have been saved.
The day of demanding, however, came to an end, and the day of giving has taken its place. This is the great contrast between the law and the gospel. The law says, Thou shalt love God; the gospel says, God loves you. The law claimed love and obedience from man, and cursed him because he did not produce it. The gospel takes for granted that man is unable to meet any just claim, and therefore demands nothing, but brings every blessing with it. God is now revealed as the great and good Giver.
If it be asked, What has brought about this great change? the answer is soon given. As long as men were upon the ground of law in their relation with God, there could be nothing but a curse for them. God is too righteous a governor to suffer any violation of His law to pass unpunished. But besides being a God of unimpeachable righteousness, He is a God of infinite love. He saw that unless His wisdom devised a plan, and unless His heart made a sacrifice, He could never address men in terms of grace and mercy.
So instead of continuing to demand, He gave. And what was the gift? The very best that He could give. He "so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son."
For what purpose? That He might so fully meet the just claims of God, that God need make no more demands upon men, but that He might freely give all that was in His heart to give.
It was this that took place at Calvary. The curse was endured by the spotless Victim, and the full right was acquired for God to take the place of giver instead of being a demander.
"It is more blessed to give than to receive," were the words of the Lord Jesus; and as a result of the God-glorifying work of the cross, God gets the more blessed place, and we have only to take the place of thankful receivers.
"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Rev. 21:66And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Revelation 21:6). This is the wonderful message that now rings down from heaven into this dark world of sin; and as if to emphasize it, and make it of even wider application, the invitation is added: "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:1717And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17). Mark those golden words, "I will give," and, "Let him take." Instead of the sinner giving and God taking, it is God who gives and the sinner who takes.
Does not the thought of it make your heart leap with gratitude to the giver of all good? Do you desire to make some response for His grace?
Say then like David of old, "What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits?" And let your answer be like his: "I will take the cup of salvation." Psalm 116:12, 1312What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? 13I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:12‑13). Nothing could please Him better, or be a more acceptable way of showing your gratitude, than for you simply to take what He so freely offers.
"I will give"; "Let him take"; "I will take." Precious words!
If the reader of these lines has not yet accepted God's free gift, may he do so without further delay.