There Is No Difference

4           Then I said, “These are only the poor;
they have no sense;
                        for they do not know the way of the Lord,
the justice of their God.
            5           I will go to the great
and will speak to them,
                        for they know the way of the Lord,
the justice of their God.”
                        But they all alike had broken the yoke;
they had burst the bonds.
            6           Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down;
a wolf from the desert shall devastate them.
                        A leopard is watching their cities;
everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces,
                        because their transgressions are many,
their apostasies are great.
Jeremiah 5:4-6
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There Is No Difference
God reminded Samuel that he looks not at the outward appearances, but instead looks inside on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus reminds us that it isn't what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, it is what comes out (Matthew 15:11). Jeremiah would go and find those who outwardly look more righteous, but he finds none. The problem is the human heart. The Holy Spirit must intervene and make new. Our transgressions are many and there is no man that is able to keep himself from sin. The Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel and transforms our hearts. It is the Holy Spirit that brings Jesus to our hearts and the forgiveness that he has won. For man, to know the way of the Lord is to be lead by God in that way. The Word breaks down walls and destroys sinful desires. Jesus is strong to save and steadfast in his love for you.