A Cry For Change
October 2023 |
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
—Psalm 51:10-12
THE PASSAGE
King David had sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband, Uriah, murdered. After a period, he was confronted by Nathan the prophet, who not only announced his guilt publicly, but also proclaimed that God had put away his sin and that the death sentence normally carried out for adultery or murder was not to be carried out upon David.
We can be confident of the truth that David repented. In verses one through nine of this psalm, we clearly see David’s attitude toward repentance. David took personal responsibility for his actions. But the fact remains that forgiveness of sin is not the same thing as deliverance from sin. Sin resides in and proceeds from the heart of man and unless a person’s heart is changed, it is very likely that the same sin or a similar sin will again surface in the one forgiven. David seems to recognize this truth and cries out to God for a heart change. He knows that forgiveness is just the first step. Change has to occur, or there will just be more of the same.
There are five keywords in verses ten through twelve that reveal the desire of David’s soul: create, renew, rely, restore, and uphold. David is a powerful example of new covenant truth in an old covenant believer. If a new covenant believer cries out to God for a heart change and relies upon God to accomplish the task, then He is willing and able to see to it that it is accomplished. Let us take a closer look at David’s cry for change.
CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART
In order to change the heart of man, a supernatural series of events must take place. Ephesians 2:8-10 spells out a complete overview of new covenant salvation and transformation. Paul says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The new covenant processes of God always involve the two concepts of grace and faith. When faith is expressed in Christ and His redemptive work, the grace of God (carried out by the Holy Spirit) goes to work in the heart and life of the one expressing properly placed faith. As a result, the believer becomes the workmanship of God, created new and consistently changed within the sphere of being in Christ. This workmanship of the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can release the human heart from the grappling vines of the fall and transform that same heart into one that bears the image, the nature, and the character of Christ.
When David cries out for God to create in him, he is not relying upon himself to accomplish the change. He knows that despite his hatred of the sin he has committed, his heart will continue to lead him astray if not changed. David’s cry for change is an expression of faith in God’s ability to do what David could never do for himself. Change my heart, O God. Create in me a clean heart. This is the cry of faith dependent upon grace to accomplish an impossible task.
RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN ME
The idea of renewal is explained by the concept of renovation. In the last decade, the renovation of homes seems to have taken hold of the American public. Television is filled with programming that shows construction workers tearing out the old contents of a home and replacing it with an updated version that displays a more effective design, one that is pleasing to the modern eye. The renovation of a house is a good analogy of the renovation of the human heart and spirit. This change can only be accomplished by grace and faith. The believer trusts in the truth that what Christ has done at Calvary has opened the door for the Holy Spirit to accomplish in him what he cannot do for himself. It is the Holy Spirit who takes out of the individual those things that are outdated, no longer needed—things that no longer fit in the lifestyle of a new covenant believer. He replaces those things with provisions for life and godliness. This transformation will only be accomplished as the Spirit moves upon and changes the believer. God never operates from a labor-for-reward mentality. He will only renew those whose faith is secured in His Son’s redemptive work. A believer who is in Christ is a candidate to receive this renewing process as long as his faith remains centered in Christ and not in himself. Renewing is something that will be carried out over time. The role of the believer is to maintain consistent faith in Christ while the role of the Holy Spirit is to accomplish the task of renewing the heart and spirit of the believer. The Bible teaches us that renewal is never a onetime event but an ongoing process. II Corinthians 4:16 says, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
CONCLUSION TO PART I
This process can only be carried out by grace and faith. Faith must ever be centered in Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. One aspect of God’s grace is the internal working of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind and soul of the believer who is exhibiting proper faith. This cannot be accomplished by any effort of the flesh. As one Bible teacher has well said, “All hope of the flesh has to die.” We will cover the final three keywords in the next issue of The Evangelist.
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