Our hearts are not to be trusted. I am well aware that many, many people—Christians included—are prone to rely on their own hearts to guide them through the situations, trials, and perils of daily living. But, God’s word warns us that this should not be so.
It wasn’t that God thought the Jews better than the gentiles (non-Jews); in fact, God’s intent from the very beginning was for the Jews to carry His message to the entire world. As the Jews failed to follow through on their calling, Jesus–being Jewish–served to fulfill God’s intent. Like the Jews, we–living in the present day–were also far off. We were separated from God by our sinful natures. We could not approach God on our own. Thanks be to God that we live in an age when Salvation (Yeshua) has come to all.