THE REFUGE
Dear Reader, What follows does not spring from any worthiness in me, but from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, who has laid bare the sinfulness of my own heart. I do not speak as one above you, but as one who has tasted the mercy that comes through conviction— conviction that leads to holy repentance and a hatred toward sin. The law of God is etched upon every human soul, and the pangs of guilt and shame that torment the conscience when brought to light stand as witnesses that divine judgment is not a distant notion, but a present reality.
God’s appeal through Jeremiah was to a people who had religion without repentance. Judah performed the rituals of worship, yet their hearts were far from conviction. They had built vast systems of belief and self-righteousness— broken cisterns that could hold no water. Their hearts were filled with immorality and inward corruption. They went through the motions of sacrifice while gratifying their flesh through pagan practices and indecent acts. The Lord was bringing imminent judgment, yet in His compassion, He pleaded with them, saying, “Wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?”
Understand this: the God who spoke creation into being, who commands the sea, “You shall come this far and no farther,” is holy and just. Because He is loving, He will not allow injustice to go unpunished. The law we have all broken is a reflection of His own perfect character, and its verdict is condemnation. Therefore, I plead with you—examine your thoughts. Those secret sins unseen by others are fully known to God. He has appointed a day when He will judge every person who has been born of man, according to His perfect righteousness revealed in His law.
The Scriptures declare, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” On that day, no one will stand unless clothed in the righteousness of Christ. For the Lord Jesus will return to judge all mankind, and only those covered by His perfect righteousness will enter His kingdom. The rest will stand condemned and suffer the eternal punishment of hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The word “practice” carries the sense of being given over to these corruptions of the flesh as a way of life—a continual devotion to sinful indulgence. Paul is not describing the believer’s struggle against sin, where the heart resists and mourns its failures, but rather a person who pursues these forbidden passions with joy and without repentance.
John affirms this same truth in his first epistle: “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” In other words, the one who has the seed of God dwelling within—the life of Christ formed in the soul—cannot continue in sin as a settled course. Though he may stumble, he cannot rest in rebellion, for the divine nature within compels him toward repentance and holiness.
But here is the good news: the God who wounds also heals, and the One who convicts also shows mercy. His Word, like a hammer, breaks in pieces the stubborn heart of stone. When that heart is broken, grace flows in, and from the depths of repentance springs the cry, “Abba, Father!” By the blood of Jesus Christ, the heart once defiled is made new, cleansed from its filth, and joined forever in communion with the living God.
The scriptures declare, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” O that the God of mercy would, by His Spirit, press upon your heart the reality that Jesus’ death and resurrection are your only hope when you stand before the great Judge at the end of this age. May this truth kindle in you a continual desire for repentance and a holy pursuit God that endures until your final breath.
““Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?” Jeremiah 4:14 (NASB95)