Hi, I recently had the privilege to lead a bible study session in my local bible study group. The study’s title was “Matters of the Heart,” and the anchor scripture was from Psalm 51:6: “Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.” A psalm borne out of David’s repentance when he sinned against God with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. The lesson is quite lengthy, so I will split it into 2 parts. We shall look at the heart today and the more in part 2.
I prayed and asked God to help me so that I could do the topic justice, and oh boy, did he do that. First of all, I asked him to teach me the meaning of the heart, and for that, he led me to this site – https://www.truevinelife.com/growthinchrist/the-architecture-of-man-part-1-heart-mind-and-soul -My what a blessing this site was to me and the entire study.
So what is the heart? First we look at the physical heart and then compare it with our spiritual heart.
The physical heart:
The heart is one of the most vital organs of our physical body due to its essential role in maintaining life and supporting other bodily systems. It is a muscle that pumps blood to every part of our body. The blood it pumps provides our bodies with oxygen and all the nutrients that our bodies need to function. The heart is at the center of the circulatory system. This system is a network of blood vessels, such as arteries, veins, and capillaries, and acts as a transport system carrying blood, nourishment, and nutrients all through our body.
The blood carries the oxygen and nutrients that our organs need to function correctly. Blood also carries carbon dioxide to our lungs so that we can expel or breathe it out. Inside our hearts, valves keep blood flowing in the right direction. In essence, without our physical hearts, we are dead because it helps to ensure that the good stuff flows through our bodies and the bad stuff is taken out. This way we can function properly. I dare to say that if our heart stops beating, it can be fatal signifying death.
The spiritual heart:
Similarly, our spiritual heart is synonymous with our physical heart. But, to understand the spiritual heart, it is important to note that man is a tripartite being; he is spirit, soul, and body. There is (1) a non-material component of man that comes exclusively from God- the spirit; (2) a non-material component of man that is unique to man – the soul; and (3) a material component of man – the body.
The heart is the driver of the soul
Having said that, how do they concern the heart. Well, the spiritual heart is a component of the soul. It is non-material (mind, emotions, etc.), and drives the soul pretty much the steering wheel of the soul (mind, will, and emotions). The heart interacts and overlaps with all the functions of the soul – and together with the soul is often referred to as the mind – https://biblediscoverytv.com/question-answer/2020/q9-what-is-the-difference-between-heart-soul-and-spirit/ (another great read).
Essentially, the heart drives the soul- from where our thoughts, will and emotions come from. It fuses the spirit and the soul providing the network for communication between them and the body. So, the heart is a component of the tripartite man (spirit, soul, and body). The heart and soul are often used interchangeably, but this is not generally the case as these bible verses mention them separately – Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Mark 12:33.
The central role of the heart is belief and action or behavior – Romans 10: 9-10 – For we believe with the heart – Romans 10:10 “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Our hearts can receive the word of God which leads to joy and abundant life – John 10:10, John 17:1-3 or we can reject it and become deceived and obstinate – Romans 1: 18-22; 22-28; 29-30; Romans 2:5.
According to the bible, the heart is the center not only of spiritual activities but of all the operations of human life. It is where we are commanded to love God and our neighbors- Deuteronomy 6:5 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” – Same as Mark 12:30 and Mark 12:33 .
We use the heart to obey God’s command – Deuteronomy 26:16 “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul”. Deuteronomy 10:12- “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
The heart is our instrument of faith but it is also the battleground of our faith. It holds our thoughts and intentions, and it is where we process the word of God and plan our ways for our choices to produce either good or evil – Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
The heart is the seat of the conscience
The Bible talks about people in the book of Romans 1:18-32 who refused to acknowledge Him as God even though the very nature of God is evident for us all to see in nature and in our conscience. Romans 2:15 says, “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.”
Our conscience speaks to our hearts whether you are a Christian or not. We can choose to listen to God in our hearts through our conscience or sear our conscience with hot iron in disobedience through our deceitfulness, hypocrisy, and lies to stop us from listening to him because we want to go our own way 1 Timothy 4:2.
Our heart is willful and deceitful
Our heart is naturally wicked and deceitful – Genesis 8:21, only God can search it and help us accordingly Jeremiah 17.9-10. This we see in our daily interactions with our fellow humans. Without the help of God, we are essentially evil or corrupt. If we are honest with ourselves, we sometimes do things that puzzle us due to the depravity we can think up in our hearts. As a result of this corruption and deceitfulness, our lives and character have become tainted, which is confusing – Matthew 12:34, Matthew 15:18, and Psalm 73:7.
The heart needs to be changed to obey God
The heart must be changed and regenerated before man can willingly obey God – Ezekiel 36:26; 11:19; Psalms 51:10-14. This happens at salvation when God gives us a new heart by putting in us a new spirit- when we become born again. He takes away the old heart that is after the fallen nature of our flesh and gives us a new one more disposed to listen to him; it is only then we can be saved to obey and serve God. For we are only justified in our hearts when we believe- Romans 10:10.
So, having explained extensively what the spiritual heart is, then comes the question, what are the affairs of our hearts? and how do we deal with the affairs of our hearts? -We shall look at this in part 2.
Invitation to know God
My dear friend, reading this blog post, are you yet to accept the free gift of salvation of God that can help your heart to start listening to your creator? Jesus Christ came to die for you and me to be saved and reconciled to God. He came to give us a renewed heart. One that is tender and not overwhelmed by the corruption of our self-focused nature. The Bible says that our fleshly nature cannot please God Romans 8:8.
First, we must accept God’s free gift of reconciliation by acknowledging what Christ did for us—dying on the cross to restore our relationship with God—so that we may be saved. We will be given a new nature, and we will be born again. Jesus Christ is still coming back, but before he does, are you sure that if you were to die now, you would go to heaven or hell? The choice is ours; if you are ready to change and start living the life God has planned for you, please say this prayer:
Dear God, I am a sinner, and I admit that I do things my way. Please forgive me and accept me into your family in Jesus’s name.
If you say this prayer sincerely and believe it in your heart – your inner being, you are born again and have become grafted into the family of almighty God. Welcome to the family. Please find a bible based church where you can fellowship and be disciplined; your life will never be the same again. Also, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I would love to hear from you. May God bless you.