Likewise, “as he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV) can only be true of firmly held convictions, not of wavering, uncontrolled or invasive thoughts that gatecrash into one’s mind. It cannot apply to unwelcome thoughts that are inconsistent with what one genuinely believes; just as when on earth Jesus was not defined by his temptations but by what he consistently believed.

In fact, the King James rendering of this verse is dubious. For a start, it is not presented as general, all-embracing truth – and certainly not as applying to believers – but to a very specific situation. Note the context:

Proverbs 23:6-8 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Moreover, here is the NIV rendering:

Proverbs 23:6-8 Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.

Yes, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he,” becomes “for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.” The NIV rendering is supported by at least fourteen other versions. Moreover, an additional eight versions rely on other ancient manuscripts that depart completely from the King James Version (Details).

For what Bible scholars say about this verse, see Commentaries.

Our secret thoughts are significant to God if – and only if – they genuinely reflect our firm beliefs. Should, for instance, we pretend to be loving but secretly hate someone so much that we would kill him if we thought we could get away with it, that’s significant.

Thoughts, however, are often mere temptation and even the holy Son of God suffered horrific temptation.

Just as God is not impressed by lip service but looks to our heart – our genuine beliefs – so he is unmoved by thoughts that plague us and are not what we have committed ourselves to believing. Thoughts, no matter how strong and persistent, that we do not whole-heartedly agree with are merely an annoyance and of no spiritual consequence.

The God of infinite understanding knows our minds often play tricks on us. Some crazy jingle from an old TV commercial, for example, might endlessly go around and around in someone’s head, even though it does nothing but annoy the person and he has no interest in the product.

God is not some heartless monster, nor an imbecile. He knows us:

Psalms 78:38-39 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh . . .

Psalms 103:13-14 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Hebrews 2:17-18 For this reason he [Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God . . . Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are . . .

Hebrews 5:2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. (Emphasis mine.)

The Almighty is way too smart to hold anyone accountable for random thoughts that are not what the person really believes or wants.

If we plunged into genuinely hating God or became utterly convinced that Jesus was demon-possessed, it would clearly affect our relationship with God. Nevertheless, the God who told us to love our enemies and to forgive seventy times seven, is no hypocrite. Even if “we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:13). No matter how evil we become, God’s loving, faithful nature is unchangeable – the Holy One would still love us and keep on longing for us to let him shower us with full forgiveness.

No matter how loving a husband is, his wife could still walk out on him but if he were as steadfastly committed to loving her as God is, she could return at any moment and find his arms wide open to accept her back in the marriage. This is the powerful truth locked in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son.

Jesus has already been tortured to death so that we can be forgiven. The Lord will not waste that horrifically costly sacrifice. All that it would take to restore the relationship is for us to accept his love and forgiveness. We would have unresolvable problems only if we were to go to the grave steadfastly refusing to accept his offer.

This above is biblical fact. Anyone suffering from the anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, will be filled with doubts about forgiveness, not because there is any theological reason for doubt but because it is the nature of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to keep hammering people with doubts and overwhelming them with nagging anxiety that feels deceptively like a guilty conscience. Especially in the short term, I cannot change these distressing symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and neither can you. It is up to you, however, whether you will doggedly keep committing to believing in the infinity of Christ’s love and forgiveness, or whether you will chose to believe the doubts and anxiety that plague you.

If needed, take a break now, but it is then important to continue with the next page:
Scrupulosity: Worried about Salvation, Oppressive Guilt Feelings & Uncontrollable Blasphemous Thoughts

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