Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Proverbs 28:25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in YHWH shall be made fat. 26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, "Ye shall be kadosh (set-apart): for I YHWH your Elohim am kadosh."
After King David felt convicted for the multitude of sins that resulted from him committing adultery with Bathsheba, he pleaded with YHWH to create in him a clean heart (Psalm 51).
The focus of this study is not the fact that we have all sinned and need forgiveness, it is rather the question of how can we be worthy for our Heavenly Father to create in us a clean heart?
Many believe that the process of repenting (turning from sin) and being baptized in the name of Yahushua the Messiah, is the entire process. This is far from correct! In fact, after we are immersed and forgiven for our sins, the process has only just begun! Once we are immersed and forgiven for our sins, do we realize exactly for what sins we have been forgiven? If we are sincere, YHWH will reveal to us our sins. How will we view ourselves as sinners? Will we view ourselves as having been terrible sinners, or as acceptable sinners (or somewhere in between)?
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made evident, that they have been done in Elohim.
The following is an account of a Pharisee inviting Yahushua to eat with him:
Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And see, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Yahushua sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of perfume. 38 And standing behind, at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and wiping them with the hair of her head, and was kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 And when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This One, if He were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Simon was judging that Yahushua could not be a prophet
because the woman was a sinner.
Luke 7:40-47 And Yahushua answering, said to him, “Simon, I have somewhat to say to you.”
And he said, “Rabbi, say it.”
41 “A certain creditor had two debtors. The one owed five hundred pieces of
silver, and the other fifty. 42 “And when they were unable to repay, he forgave
them both. Which of them, then, shall love him more?”
43 And Simon answering, said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
44 And turning to the woman He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house – you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wetted My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but she has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, he loves little.”
Luke 7:48 And he said unto her, "Thy sins are forgiven." 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, "Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."
According to the word of YHWH, we cannot trust our heart to lead us, for it will result in sin.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Isaiah 64:6 And all of us have become as one unclean, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags. And all of us fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohim. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Is there anything that we can do to strengthen the probability of getting a clean heart?
Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from YHWH. 2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but YHWH weigheth the spirits. 3 Commit thy works unto YHWH, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Mark 10:15 "Verily I say unto you, 'Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of YHWH as a little child, he shall not enter therein.'"
Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then also can ye do good, that are accustomed to doing evil?
We must become accustomed to doing acts of righteousness, if we sincerely desire to have a clean heart.
Matthew 7:3 “And why do
you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam
in your own eye?
Matthew 7:4 “Or how is it
that you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the splinter out of your eye,’ and
see, a beam is in your own eye?
Matthew 7:5 “Hypocrite!
First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you
shall see clearly to remove the splinter out of your brother’s eye.
When we are baptized, we are forgiven for our sins. But that does not mean that we will no longer have the beam in our eye. We must become accustomed to being righteous.
John 9:39 And Yahushua said, "For judgment I am come
into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see
might be made blind."
John 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him
heard these words, and said unto him, "Are we blind also?"
John 9:41 Yahushua said unto them, "If ye were blind, ye
should have no sin: but now ye say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remains."
If they would admit that they were sinners, and needed Yahushua for salvation, they would be forgiven; but since they believed that they were righteous, their sin remained.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, "As I live, saith the Sovereign YHWH, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"
When we sincerely seek to have a clean heart, YHWH will cause us to remember the sins that we have committed.
Jeremiah 3:13 "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against YHWH thy Elohim, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice," saith YHWH.
Ezekiel 20:43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
Yahushua came to heal and to set free...
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of YHWH is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the glad tidings to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Deuteronomy 30:6 And YHWH thy Elohim will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love YHWH thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in the Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Isaiah 12:1 And in that day thou shalt say, "O YHWH, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me."
Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in YHWH with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
HalleluYaH!