Gold or Gravel

“Our words and actions, therefore, are determined not by an autonomous will, but rather by our nature — whether good or bad . . . because our choices proceed from our hearts, our responsibility before God is not limited in the slightest. Our words are determined by our hearts, and we will be judged on the basis of our words precisely because they reflect our hearts . . . Jesus also makes the same point by referring to treasure chests . . . good deeds come from a good treasure chest, while evil deeds come from a bad one. Whoever reaches into a chest can only pull out of it what was already inside it . . . one chest may contain gold, while another chest may contain gravel. One who reaches into the chest containing gold will pull out gold, wheras the one who reaches into the chest containing gravel will pull out gravel . . . Seen in this light, the will is simply the arm that God has given us to reach into the chest in order to bring out the contents of the heart. Just as the arm has no power to determine the contents of the chest, so the will has no power to determine the contents of the heart. The will has power only to reveal the contents of the heart, and this it does very well” (Back to Basics, p. 20)