The Heart's Sinful Nature As Per The Bible

Sins of the heart are those that originate from within a person, as opposed to external actions. According to the Bible, sin is not just about committing immoral acts, but also about the internal desires, thoughts and intentions of the heart. Jesus himself emphasised this in the Sermon on the Mount, saying that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The Bible identifies various sins of the heart, including lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. These are known as the seven deadly sins and are considered particularly destructive to the soul. They are thought to originate from the heart, which is described as the seat of indwelling sin. The heart is seen as deceitful and unsearchable, making it difficult for people to fully understand their own hearts and the sin that resides within.

While Christians are called to repent and strive for holiness, they also recognise their ongoing struggle with sin, both externally and internally. This includes sinful thoughts, desires and habits that only God and the individual know about. Ultimately, Christians find forgiveness and redemption from sin through faith in Jesus Christ.

Pride

The Bible frequently mentions God humbling the proud. In Proverbs 11:2, it is written, "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Pride is also mentioned in Proverbs 13:10, where it is associated with conflicts and quarreling, and in Malachi 3:13 and Proverbs 6:17, where it is connected to adverse effects on one's speech.

In the Bible, there are several examples of the downfall of characters due to pride. King Uzziah, who dared to burn incense on the altar of incense, was struck with leprosy as punishment from God (2 Chronicles 26:16). Hezekiah's pride brought God's wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:25-26). King Herod's pride in accepting the people's worship and refusing to give God the glory resulted in God striking him with sickness, and he eventually died (Acts 12:21–23).

People who love God and godliness reject pride, as written in Proverbs 8:13, "All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech."

The Bible warns people to evaluate themselves honestly for the sin of pride and not to think of themselves as better than they are. Instead, they should measure themselves by the faith God has given them, as stated in Romans 12:3, "Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."

Envy

The Bible never speaks of envy in a good light. Envy is one of many inward vices or heart attitudes that defile a person. It is a form of worship, where the envied object becomes an idol. Envy blinds us to our own uniqueness, divides our attention, wastes our time and energy, and can lead to every other sin.

The Bible gives many examples of envy, including:

• The story of Cain and Abel, where Cain envied Abel because God favored Abel's sacrifice
• Esau envied his brother Jacob because of the blessing their father Isaac gave him
• Rachel envied her sister Leah because she gave birth to Jacob's sons while Rachel remained childless
• Saul envied David for his success in battle and popularity among the people
• The Jewish leaders had Jesus arrested because they were seized with envy

The Bible warns of the devastating effects of envy, which can lead to spiritual, emotional, and physical death. Envy rots the bones and is likened to "cancer in the bones". It is a sin that must be confessed and repented of, and believers must rid themselves of envy and all other forms of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander.

The root of envy is a dissatisfied heart. The most effective way to avoid envy is to trust in the Lord, delight in Him, and learn the secret of contentment.

Wrath

In the Bible, wrath is used to refer to both God and man. When used to describe God, wrath is the natural expression of God's divine nature, which is absolute holiness, manifesting itself against the willful, high-handed, deliberate, inexcusable sin, and iniquity of mankind. God's wrath is always regarded in the Scripture as the just, proper, and natural expression of His holiness and righteousness, which must always, under all circumstances, and at all costs be maintained.

When used to describe man, wrath is the exhibition of an enraged sinful nature and is therefore always inexcusable. Man is forbidden to allow anger to display itself in his life. He is not to "give place unto wrath", nor must he allow "the sun to go down upon his wrath". He must not be angry with his brother but seek agreement with him lest the judgment that will necessarily fall upon the wrathful be meted out to him.

The Bible provides examples of wrath or anger that is justifiable:

• Jesus
• Jacob
• Moses
• Nehemiah

It also provides examples of sinful anger:

• Cain
• Esau
• Moses
• Balaam
• Saul
• Naaman
• Herod
• The Jews
• The high priest

Lust

The Bible provides guidelines on how to resist and overcome lust, such as praying for strength and casting your sins onto God's mercy. It also encourages believers to put on the "armor of God" and use Scripture to battle temptation.

Sloth

The word "sloth" comes from the Latin "acedia", meaning "without care". Spiritually, acedia was an affliction that caused people to become indifferent to their duties and obligations to God. Mentally, acedia is characterised by affectlessness, a lack of feeling about oneself or others, leading to boredom, rancour, apathy, and a passive, inert, or sluggish mentation. Physically, acedia is a cessation of motion and an indifference to work, expressed as laziness, idleness, and indolence.

In the Bible, sloth is mentioned in the following verses: Proverbs 6:6, Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 10:4, Proverbs 19:15, Proverbs 19:24, Proverbs 21:25, Proverbs 24:33-34, Romans 12:11-13, Colossians 3:23, and 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

The best example of God's attitude towards slothfulness and laziness is seen in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, a master gives three men bags of gold or talents of money. Two of them multiply their money, but the third, who is slothful, hides his talent in the ground and does nothing with it. When the master returns, he calls the slothful servant "wicked and lazy", expecting a return on his money.

Guarding Against Sloth

To guard against sloth, one must find their purpose. When one knows their purpose and is in the place God desires them to be, they are motivated to work. Understanding your purpose and what you are striving for can keep you motivated and help you avoid laziness.

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