"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." [1 Jn 5:18]
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." [1 Jn 3:2-3]
In Proverbs, The Spirit tells us, “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the fountains of life.” [Prov 4:23] That which we produce in terms of life, in terms of fruit, is dependent upon the heart. As Jesus spoke regarding the relationship between the heart and mouth, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh;” [Mt 12:34] and regarding the life’s fruit as it were,
“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit…Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” [Mt 7:17-18, 20]
That which we allow to enter our hearts, whether it be words, images, thoughts, doctrines, or some other thing, will eventually come out, even as Paul tells us seriously, “be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” [Gal 6:7] Those seeds as it were which we plant into the soil of our hearts shall eventually come forth. For again, Jesus says on multiple occasions, “there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” [Mk 4:22] Our hearts and lives are like a garden as it were, from which both God and men pluck up fruit and eat. In Song of Solomon this picture is made clear when Solomon writes,
“A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices…” [Songs 4:12-13]
And though in this poem, the man speaking calls his bride a garden, yet she says in submissive reply, “let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits,” [Song 4:16] and, “eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” [Songs 5:1] In kind with the woman of the poem, we may say likewise unto Christ our Groom and to our brethren around us: ‘come and eat of that which my garden produces; come and eat of the fruit of my life.’ And if we so say, may our fruit be as our Lord Jesus’, whose fruit is much like the groom of Song of Solomon, regarding whom the woman says, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” [Song 2:3]
Just as a well-tended garden produces good and sweet fruit, pleasant for those who come to enjoy it – so too may our lives, may our hearts, be a spring which wells up good fruit for those who come to partake, whether it be our Lord or our brethren. And seeing that our hearts are such, we ought to guard them as Solomon says in Proverbs, “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the fountains of life.” In fact, this guarding of the heart is not merely a good suggestion, but is necessary, for John says, “he that is begotten of God keepeth himself.”
The man whose heart is open to all influences, doctrines, thoughts, and feelings that happen to pass by, is in grave danger and may not be saved at all. A heart in such a condition is much like Israel, of whose idolatry God describes in terms of a promiscuous harlot, saying, “thou…hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.” [Ezek 16:25] Israel, not caring for their spiritual wellbeing, nor the true state of their hearts, was engaged in every form of spiritual idolatry, opening up their feet/legs to all who would come and be intimate with them. The graphic language God uses is no mistake; for if we allow our hearts, which hearts The Lord Jesus has purchased with His blood and dwells in, to enjoy any pleasure, entertainment, interaction, or experience the flesh or world promote, then we are no better off than the harlot Israel, whose legs were spread wide, unprotected, for all who passed by.
That we should guard and protect our hearts/lives from sin of all kind is manifest when we remember that as Christians we are in a relationship with Jesus. And, as in a physical relationship we take heed to what we enjoy, as to not offend the other party, or to be more attractive to the same, so too it is in our spiritual relationship with Christ. That is, though “all things are lawful for [us],” yet, having a desire to remain pure and as good as possible for our Lord we do not afford ourselves the liberty to enjoy all things, for, “all things are not mixing synergistically: [yes], all things are lawful for [us], but all things are not building up.” [1 Cor 10:23] Paul prays to this effect in Philippians, desiring greatly that the church there choose wisely the most excellent things, that they might be purer for Christ at His return. He writes,
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all discernment; that ye may prove through testing [what] things are of greater value; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.” [Phil 1:9-10]
This truth is found elsewhere in 1 John as well. In chapter three, he writes by The Spirit,
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” [1 Jn 3:2-3]
Notice in particular the statement of truth: “every man that hath [the hope of a new body from Christ Jesus]…purifieth himself.” There is no other option. If we are saved and therefore have a hope of one day acquiring a body like Jesus Christ at His resurrection, then we shall purify ourselves. That is, we will seek to be more like Him, to purify our hearts and thus our lives, so that we might be becoming ever more like Him, for, “every one that is perfect shall be as his master;” and, “pure religion and undefiled before God and The Father” includes “[keeping oneself] unspotted from the world.” [Lk 6:40, Jam 1:27] This pursuit is mandatory. In Hebrews it is written, “pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see The Lord.” [Heb 12:14] Without holiness and a pursuit of such, not one person will see Christ. Thus, the man who does not guard his heart, who does not pursue purity, may very well be unsaved.
See for yourself, good man; prove your life – do you guard yourself? Do you pursue purity and holiness, to become more like your Lord Jesus? And if you do, do you find profit therein? For, “except The LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” [Psa 127:1] Is your life and thoughts occupied with how you might purify your heart another degree, in order to satisfy your Lord’s pleasures? For it is for “[The LORD’s] pleasure [all things] exist and were created,” and, “the righteous LORD loveth righteousness.” [Rev 4:11, Psa 11:7] Let us therefore look well to our going and take heed: do we guard ourselves? Do we strive to produce more righteous and lovely fruit for Christ and His brethren? Do we pass the test?
To see past and future posts in this series of Testing Your Salvation, click here.