Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

from the teaching of both the OT and the NT that Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9
and Mark 7:20-23 do no longer apply to the regenerate heart of the Christian.
Christians have experienced a heart transplant (Deut. 30:6; Ezek. 36:25; Rom.
6:6, 11). They now have a heart for God. However, that manifestly does not
preclude that “indwelling sin” can still influence it, even to the point of the
most heinous sins (Ps. 51:10), including the temporary rationalization and
cover-up of such sins (2 Sam. 11:2ff). In daily repentance the Christian’s
heart will break again and again, which will lead to daily forgiveness and
daily change (Ps. 32:1ff; Ps. 51:1ff). But the Christian’s heart is not a rebellious
heart of unbelief (Deut. 1:26-33; 31:26-27), even if the members of the
covenant community are summoned to examine themselves on that score
(Heb. 3:12-13), and, in case they have deceived themselves in the past (1 Cor.
15:34), to cast themselves upon the Lord for the substance of the new covenant,
of which the promise of a heart transplant is an essential part, to become
a reality in their lives (Ezek. 36:25-27, 36; Heb. 8:1013; 10:16-17). 296
In short, the believer’s heart is no longer totally depraved, nor is it as yet
fully perfect, given the need for daily repentance. In fact, as I mentioned
above, it is impotent without the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit. However,
its bent, disposition or appetite, is purposefully holy, even if at times it
leaves lots to be desired in terms of the contemplation or performance of one
evil or another! All in all, while the Kingdom of God is the focus of the new
heart, it always must be remembered that it can be hoodwinked at any time
and in any way. When a David can commit adultery and murder, and a Peter
can turn into a “satan,” and end up denying his Lord and Master, it proves
beyond any doubt how utterly vulnerable every Christian is. 297
In this context James singles out specifically the self-seeking twin evil of
bitter envy or harsh zeal and self-seeking ambition or party-line rivalry,
which eventually find their counterparts in the wisdom of meekness and
mercy (Jam. 3:13, 17). 298 However, this may well raise the question who
296 Quite clearly membership in God’s covenant and individual election are not coextensive.
297 This only underscores quite heavily how soul-destroying it can be if the “I cannot” and the
“I can” are not emphasized programmatically at the same time, even if pastorally at times either
the one side or the other side of these two complementary truths may need to be stressed.
If these truths are not systematically set forth at the same time, I fear that one of them may not
function or stop functioning in the Christian experience. I fear even more, however, that if
either one does not function, they will never be presented systematically as a twin truth! Especially
the latter scenario cannot be but soul-destroying, since it will lead either to disconsolate
despair or presumptuous pride. Presumptuous pride is undoubtedly the more dangerous of
the two because it is not something that is as quickly recognized as disconsolate despair.
Therefore, it is regrettably not something from which one as quickly would (seek to) distance
oneself.
298 According to Moo, 1985, 131, “James stands in the same stream of Hellenistic and Jewish
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