--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A pagan, a person of profound corruption…" description: "\"“A pagan, a person of profound corruption, may do acts externally conforming to the demands of the law. The internal motivation, however, is that of se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/r-c-sproul-2-1477_motivation_a-pagan-a-person-of-profound-corruption_2128675.jpg" --- # A pagan, a person of profound corruption, may do acts… ![“A pagan, a person of profound corruption, may do acts externally conforming to the demands of the law. The internal motivation, however, is that of selfish interest or what the theologians call "enlightened self-interest," a motive that is not in harmony with the Great Commandment. Our external…” quote by R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/r-c-sproul-2-1477_motivation_a-pagan-a-person-of-profound-corruption_2128675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/r-c-sproul-2-1477_motivation_a-pagan-a-person-of-profound-corruption_2128675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/r-c-sproul-2-1477_motivation_a-pagan-a-person-of-profound-corruption_2128675.jpg) > ““A pagan, a person of profound corruption, may do acts externally conforming to the demands of the law. The internal motivation, however, is that of selfish interest or what the theologians call "enlightened self-interest," a motive that is not in harmony with the Great Commandment. Our external deeds may measure up to the external demands of the law, while at the same time our hearts are far removed from God.”” [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. External compliance with law can mask selfish motives that conflict with the greatest moral command. **In simple terms:** Good deeds can hide selfish hearts. Key Takeaway Check inner motives, not just actions. Themes morality hypocrisy religion Mood reflective serious Type theological ethical When to use this quote - church leadership - personal ethics - community standards Key Concepts selfish interest great commandment inner vs outer Questions to Reflect On - What drives your actions more, fear of punishment or love? - How can you align heart and deed? A Different Perspective External obedience may not reflect true devotion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Selfish interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish-interest/) ## Related quotes > [Every action that we take has some motivation of either being selfish or altruistic. 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Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) ## More by R.C. Sproul > [“If we rest our assurance on an experience and not on the Word of God, we're inviting all kinds of doubts to assail us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/if-we-rest-our-assurance-on-an-experience-and-not-on-the-word-of-god/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“Where Adam collapsed, Jesus conquered. Where Adam compromised, Jesus refused to negotiate. Where Adam's trust in God faltered, Jesus' never wavered. The second Adam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/where-adam-collapsed-jesus-conquered-where-adam-compromised-jesus/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“Arrogant worship is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Yet we see it throughout Scripture. The gospel was given to Adam and Eve. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/arrogant-worship-is-an-oxymoron-a-contradiction-in-terms-yet-we-see/) [R.C. 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Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/when-we-understand-the-character-of-god-when-we-grasp-something-of/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“For an action to be judged good by God, it must fulfill two primary requirements. The first is that the action must correspond outwardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/for-an-action-to-be-judged-good-by-god-it-must-fulfill-two-primary/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“The simplistic way of not conforming is to see what is in style in our culture and then do the opposite. If short hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/the-simplistic-way-of-not-conforming-is-to-see-what-is-in-style-in/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy. If we understand the difference, we can avoid the pitfalls that entice the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/though-sin-often-brings-immediate-pleasure-it-gives-no-lasting-joy-if/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“To be a Christian is to be a theologian—a student of God and his will. The church is where believers should be nurtured in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/to-be-a-christian-is-to-be-a-theologian-a-student-of-god-and-his-will/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“We need Christ-the real Christ. A Christ born of empty speculation or created to squeeze into the philosopher's pattern simply won't do. A recycled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/we-need-christ-the-real-christ-a-christ-born-of-empty-speculation-or/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) [Explore all 221 R.C. Sproul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) ## More Motivation quotes > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. 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However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) [Browse all 14,479 Motivation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A pagan, a person of profound corruption, may do acts externally conforming to the demands of the law. The internal motivation, however, is that of selfish interest or what the theologians call \"enlightened self-interest,\" a motive that is not in harmony with the Great Commandment. Our external deeds may measure up to the external demands of the law, while at the same time our hearts are far removed from God.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R.C. 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