God knowing our hearts is a concept that appears several times throughout the Bible. Luke 16:15 specifically says, “He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” This verse gives us insight into what it means for God to know our hearts and why it matters.
God Sees Our Inner Motivations and Intentions
When the Bible says God “knows our hearts,” it means He knows the deepest parts of who we are. He knows our thoughts, desires, and secret motives that others cannot see. While people can only judge by outward appearances, God sees the inner person. As 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
God knows why we do the things we do. He understands the real motivations behind our actions, whether good or bad. We may fool other people, and even ourselves sometimes, about our reasons for doing something. But we cannot fool God. He knows the difference between genuine faith and empty religiosity. He distinguishes heartfelt worship from hypocritical going-through-the-motions. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for appearing righteous on the outside but being full of greed and wickedness within (Luke 11:39). What matters most to God is the condition of our hearts.
God Cares More About Our Hearts Than Outward Appearances
The verse in Luke 16:15 gives insight into God’s value system versus man’s. What people tend to exalt and applaud is often an “abomination” to God if the heart is not right. People look at status, achievements, wealth, and outward righteousness. God looks at humility, faith, purity, and love. People prize prestigious positions and public recognition. God values private character and obedience to Him. What gets rewarded and praised by people may be motivated by pride, selfishness and other sins of the heart. But God cares more about who we really are on the inside than how we impress others on the outside.
Knowing God sees our hearts should motivate us to cultivate inward purity and sincerity in our motives. We spend so much effort cultivating our outward image before others. But even more important is developing a heart of love, humility, integrity and godliness before the Lord. The condition of our heart drives our words, actions and lifestyle. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts diligently, “for from it flow the springs of life.” Our thought life, attitudes, values and secret desires all contribute to shaping our heart for good or bad. So we must be careful what we allow into our hearts through our eyes, ears and minds.
God Judges Our Hearts
Not only does God intimately know the depths of our hearts, He also judges us based on our hearts. 1 Samuel 16:7 goes on to say that “the Lord looks on the heart” when choosing Israel’s new king. God chose David, a man after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14), not his brothers who were more impressive in outward appearance. We may be able to hide our sins from others, but we cannot hide them from God.
Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us, “No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Everything done in secret will be brought into the light one day. Jesus warns that we will have to give account even for every careless word (Matt 12:36). Motives matter to God. He will examine the heart and judge us accordingly, with perfect insight into every detail.
Knowing God sees the heart should produce in us a healthy fear of the Lord and motivation to please Him in our inner person. We take great pains to look good before others. How much more should we labor to have a heart of sincerity, authenticity and righteousness before God? We must submit even our secret thoughts and motives to His lordship.
God Transforms Our Hearts
Beyond searching our hearts and judging us accordingly, God also works to change and renew our hearts. In Ezekiel 36:26 God promises His people, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Apart from God’s transforming power, our hearts are prone to wander and deceive us (Jer 17:9). We need Him to give us new desires, values, thoughts and affections.
As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to convict us of sin and shape us into Christ’s image (Rom 8:9). God is concerned not just with cleaning up our outward behavior, but with renewing our inner being. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” God wants to make us like Christ in the core of who we are. Then our outward actions will follow.
Knowing God cares about our hearts should drive us to seek Him earnestly for heart-level transformation. We cannot change ourselves at the deepest level. We need the Spirit to root out sins of the heart and fill us instead with the fruit of love, joy, peace and godliness (Gal 5:22-23). Heart-change starts from within and works outward. So we must open ourselves to His light exposing the darkness and His power making us new.
Characteristics of an Upright Heart Before God
Since God examines and judges the heart, what does He look for in our hearts? Here are some key qualities of a righteous heart:
– Humility – Having a low view of ourselves and a high view of God (Ps 51:17, Is 57:15)
– Integrity – Being undivided in our devotion to God and living according to our convictions (Ps 15:2, Ps 78:72)
– Faithfulness – Being dependable and steadfast in our walk with God (Neh 9:8, Ps 78:37)
– Purity – Living in holiness and freedom from sin (Ps 24:3-4, Matt 5:8)
– Honesty – Being truthful and sincere, not hypocritical (Ps 32:2, Ps 51:6)
– Love – Genuinely caring for others from the heart (Mark 12:30-31, 1 Pet 1:22)
– Obedience – Submissively following God’s commands from the heart (1 Kings 9:4, Ps 119:34)
– Worship – Praising God out of sincere appreciation for who He is (Ps 9:1, Ps 86:12)
– Repentance – Readily confessing sin and turning from it (2 Cor 7:10, James 4:8-10)
These qualities of the heart are more important to God than outward acts of righteousness or religious performance. We can do good things with impure motives, but God sees the heart. As King David sought God, he prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps 51:10). This should be our prayer as well.
Practical Ways to Cultivate an Upright Heart
How can we actively pursue having a heart pleasing to God? Here are some practical suggestions:
– Read the Bible regularly to reshape your heart and mind toward God’s perspective.
– Come to God each day in prayer, honestly sharing your heart and inviting Him to search you.
– Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of specific sins that need to change at heart level.
– Make a habit of quick, sincere repentance when you become aware of sins of the heart.
– Meditate on passages about the fear of the Lord and God’s holiness to develop a heart of reverence.
– Examine your motives and desires against the qualities listed above. Does it represent an upright heart?
– Listen to biblically solid teaching that emphasizes loving God with all your heart.
– memorize Scripture and think on Truth throughout your day to shape your heart.
– Be aware of what you expose your heart to through media choices. Does it encourage purity?
– Purposely cultivate Christlike qualities like humility, compassion, honesty and selflessness.
The heart sets the direction for our lives. Above all else, we must guard it diligently (Prov 4:23) and prayerfully align it to God’s truth and righteousness. For the eyes of the Lord search back and forth across the whole earth looking for hearts totally committed to Him (2 Chr 16:9). May He find that heart within us.
Conclusion
In summary, God’s knowledge of our hearts means:
– He cares more about our real inward motivations than outward appearances.
– Nothing is hidden from Him, even secret sins and thoughts.
– He examines our hearts and judges us accordingly, not just by actions.
– We need to seek Him for inner heart transformation, not just outward change.
– Qualities like humility, integrity and repentance reflect a righteous heart.
– We should actively pursue purifying our hearts through spiritual disciplines.
Rather than copying the Pharisees’ obsession with external matters, we must focus first on becoming righteous and wholehearted followers of God from the inside out. For the Lord does not see as people see – He knows and weighs our hearts. May we actively pursue having a heart fully devoted to Him.