Today in chapel, Dr. Thomas White continued his sermon series in the Gospel of Mark, covering chapter seven. The main idea was, “Transformation comes from a new heart, not new habits.” Dr. White addressed the legalism seen in the Pharisees and other religious leaders in the passage and compared it to the legalism found in our own hearts.

Hypocritical Religious Works (7:1–13)

First, Dr. White walked through how the laws that the religious leaders were opposing the laws given by God. They were placing their manmade laws level with Scripture and sometimes even above it. Jesus called them out on their sin, bringing to light the hypocrisy and judgement that these leaders had brought into their faith.

Dr. White says that “we are to be people of the Book. We are not to look to the traditions of man to follow God.” He encouraged listeners to think about their personal preferences versus biblical mandates and what their heart posture is about both.

The Heart of the Problem (7:14–23)

Dr. White called to attention the heart posture of this legalism, addressing how sin runs deep in our lives. According to Jeremiah 17:9, all hearts are deceitful and evil, and this is the root of all of our shortcomings. There is nothing that we can do to fix ourselves; no mandates, spiritual disciplines, or hard work can cure our sick hearts.

However, placing our trust in Christ frees us from our sinful ways. Dr. White encouraged listeners to dwell on the words of Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Jesus is the only true solution to our sin nature.

The Healing of the Savior (7:24–27)

The final section of the sermon addressed the healing power of Christ against legalism and calloused hearts. Dr. White pointed out that Jesus commended the faith of the woman in verses 24–30 — this was significant because she was the only Gentile present. The religious leaders were not happy about this, which further revealed their heart posture and how hardened they had become due to their strict legalism.

To close, Dr. White further emphasized how Jesus’ forgiveness is the only way for us to be saved from our evil hearts. No number of rules will save us; we need the cleansing blood of Christ to cover our sins and create clean hearts within us.