Reformation is the object we pretend to aim at, but we are perpetually mistaking the subject of it; it is ourselves. It is dreadful (but perhaps not uncommon) self-deceit to present ourselves before God with a lie in our mouths, and hypocrisy in our heart, or a secret unwillingness to be and to do as we pray. (Thomas Adam, Private Thoughts on Religion)
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
We claim that we want to be better, but our heart is so deceitful the claim is made despite the real desires of the heart and the actions that follow. This leads us to talk about reformation of self and perhaps a church, but the talk about it is really what we use to deceive ourselves into thinking that we really want it. We want the church to reform as we want it and we want others to reform so that they could be as we would want, but all this does is allow self to change some without real reformation heart and life. In other words, the cry for revival and/or reformation can be a way that we hide our hearts from ourselves so as not to be truly humbled before the living God.
The same is true of churches becoming more and more committed (in word, anyway) to evangelism. The outward action of evangelism can (and often is) be used to hide the sinfulness of our hearts to us and so it keeps us from real reformation of heart and life and so from true evangelism as well. When we say we desire things and can actually perform the outward actions without a change of heart, we are pretending to aim at that thing and then using that thing to hide our own hearts from us. The Pharisees were masters at religious actions and activities and yet they were deceived by those actions and activities into thinking that they were righteous. They were deceived by those things and their vile hearts were hidden from them.
It would appear in our day that we have a vast number of churches and individuals that are calling for moral reformation, doctrinal reformation, and many other types of reformations as such. But when we consider the facts of what people and churches appear to be actually seeking reformation of the heart by grace alone, it certainly raises the question of how many are truly seeking reformation versus how many are using the words and some actions to hide their own hearts from themselves.
It is possible for a person to preach the truth in words and actually desire some form of reformation and yet use those things to hide his own heart from himself and so keep himself from true reformation. As the Pharisees hid their hearts from themselves by an outward appearance of zeal for righteousness, so preachers can hide their hearts from themselves by an outward zeal (and perhaps an inward desire of some kind for it) for reformation of some sort and preaching on it.
Denominations can hide what is really needed (such as a true reformation in some or many ways) by focusing on moral issues of the day. Roman Catholicism had a moral reformation shortly after the Protestant Reformation and appeared satisfied without a theological and doctrinal reformation regarding the Gospel. So modern day denominations can make great moral proclamations and put out a renewed emphasis on evangelism (though theologically vacuous form of evangelism) and in doing so hide from itself what really needs to be done. When that happens, as the Pharisees, they will cross land and sea to make one convert and make that one convert twice the son of hell as they are.
There can be theological or practical affiliations or agreements that appear to be a reformation of some kind, yet that can do nothing but hide the hearts of men who love an external unity more than they do the truth. One can seek reformation under the guise of these agreements, but the heart can be willing to sell the truth at a cheap price instead of standing for the truth and that may require a higher price in terms of popularity or respect in certain places. This is simply another way that men can say that they are aiming at reformation and yet their actions at seemingly seeking it do nothing in reality but hide their own hearts from themselves which should be the real focus of reformation. How deceptive the hearts of men are, and at times it seems especially when they are pursuing moral issues and reformation of some kind that does not major on their own hearts.
God Loves... Himself 
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