THE HEART
Thank You and a pleasant good morning to each listener. It is
good to have you in our audience. Your presence indicates an interest
in spiritual matters. I trust that you have pen and paper before you
that you may note the scriptures presented so that you may be able to
study them more in detail at a later date. This is "What saith the
Scriptures?"; a program dedicated to a better understanding of the
book we call the Bible, God's revelation to mankind.
Perhaps you have heard someone say, "I believe in heart felt
religion." Or, "I believe in a change of heart." These and other
similar expressions are often accompanied with the person pointing to
their chest. Generally what is meant by these expressions and motions
is that one's religion is correct if that one feels right about it. In
other words, the feelings become the standard of judging right or
wrong. Let us not be misunderstood, I, too, believe that one must be
sincere in what we believe and practice; that we must feel that we are
right. But, is it possible for one to be sincere and honest in our
feelings and still be wrong in what we believe? And, if wrong in our
beliefs, then still in sins, regardless of how good we may feel about
it. Surely, the woman who offered her child to the crocodiles was
sincere about what she was doing. But, who in our society today would
say that she was right. A person may be honest and sincere, yet, wrong
in what they believe and practice. But, back to the thought, "I
believe in heart felt religion." Let us examine a little closer what
is meant by the Bible heart.
When we speak of the heart in religion we are not speaking
about the blood pump, that instrument in the chest cavity that pumps
blood throughout body. We are discussing the heart with which
religion has to do. The intelligence of the mind, as it accepts and
dissimulates information. Let us look in the Word of God and define
the heart as it is used there. The heart performs three major
functions: The intellect, The emotions, and The will.
All of our intellectual activities are ascribed to the heart.
The heart thinks, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" (Matthew
9:4). "Out of the heart come forth evil thoughts" (Matthew 15:19). The
Bible heart understands. "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and
their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest
haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts, and should turn again, and I should
heal them " (Matthew 13:15). The Bible heart knows. "The heart
knoweth its own bitterness" (Proverbs 14:10). The Bible heart
believes. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans
10:10). The Bible heart ponders. "But Mary kept all these sayings ,
pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). The Bible heart reasons.
"But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in
their hearts" (Mark 2:6). The Bible heart judges. "Because if our
heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all
things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness
towards God" (1 John 3:20, 21. "To condemn" in these verses means to
pass judgment. All of these characteristics are actions of the Bible
heart and have nothing to do with our physical heart or our blood
pump.
Secondly, the Bible heart deals with emotions. With the Bible
heart we love, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart"
(Matthew 22:37). We can despise with the heart. "She despised him in
her heart" (2 Samuel 6:16). The Bible heart can be the seat of
gladness and of sorrow. "A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance;
but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (Proverbs 15:13). The
Bible heart rejoices. "Our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have
trusted in his holy name: (Psalms 33:21).
Thirdly, The Bible heart involves our will. Our will is a
function of the Bible heart. We determine with the heart, "But he that
standeth steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power
as touching his own will, and hath determined this in his own heart"
(1 Corinthians 7:37). The Bible heart purposes. "Let each man give as
he hath purposed in his heart" (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Bible heart
can repent. Repentance is a change of mind, or purpose. Paul speaks of
an impenitent heart, a heart not willing to change its purpose with
reference to sin and righteousness (Romans 2:4, 5). The Bible heart
can obey. "Ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching
whereunto ye were delivered, and being made free from sin , ye became
servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17, 18).
There must be a change of heart when a sinner turns toward
God. The sinner must change his or her intellect, emotions, and will.
The intellect must learn about God and what Jehovah demands of each
one of us. The intellect will ask the question, "What must I do to
become the child of God?" The intellect will examine the facts or
truths of the gospel and lead one to desire to do what is commanded of
the Lord for one's salvation. The emotions also must change. The
sinner must come to love the things he or she at one time hated. One
must come to love God, willing to serve and obey Him. The will must
also change. Whereas the sinner was not serving God, he now is
determined to serve the Lord with all his mind, with all his soul and
with all his body. A change has taken place. It is a change of the
heart.
Going back to our introduction, I mentioned the idea about
"heart-felt" religion, where the one who makes this reference means
that just so one feels good they are right with God. This conclusion
is based upon the emotional aspect of the heart. Emotions are stirred
and excited and people in great emotional upheavals feel they are
right with God. It seems that today there is such a emphasis upon the
emotional aspect of religion. Much of today religion seems geared
around a "Grand Old Opry" type service. Beating the drums, blowing the
horns, entertaining the audience. But, one's emotions may be reacting
to that which may be false. You see, unless the intellect, as well as
the emotional aspect of the heart is correct, our feelings can very
easily misguide us. An example of a lie causing the same feelings as
the truth can be seen in the case of Jacob. In Genesis 37, Jacob
believed the false evidence that was presented to him by his sons.
They brought Joseph's many colored coat upon which they had sprinkled
blood and led Jacob to conclude that his son, Joseph, was dead. His
feelings were just as strong as if Joseph were truly dead. Thus, one
can believe a lie and have produced the same emotional impact as if it
were the truth. The same is true today. A person may believe that
which is false in religion and be just as honest and sincere, with the
same emotional effect, as if he or she had believe truth. Thus, we
cannot base our eternal destiny upon our feelings alone. When the
heart is converted or changed, it must be from all three aspects: the
intelligence, the emotions, and the will. What we are saying is that
feelings are not evidence of salvation. Those who worship idols or
something other than Jehovah God have strong emotional feelings that
they are correct in that worship. Do their feelings make them right
with Jehovah. No. Feelings have never been the criteria for judging
right or wrong. The only way to determine right from wrong is to go to
God's Book and search out the truth on whatever subject we may be
discussing. That is our constant challenge. What does God say? What
does His book teach? You see, the intellect must be involved in this
matter of "Heart" religion. An intellect based upon a "thus saith the
Lord." Book, chapter, and verse.
Let us enlarge upon the thought that Honesty is a condition, or
attitude, of the heart. An honest person seeks to do that which is
right. An honest person will deal on principles which are just and
right in business affairs. Have you ever been given the wrong amount
of change where you stood to gain if you kept your mouth shut? If so,
what did you do about it? Were you honest? Did you return the amount
that was not rightfully yours? Or, did you go your way and pocket that
which was given by mistake? Shame on you if you did. As fine as it is
to be honest in our dealings with our fellow man, how much greater is
it to be honest with our God. A person is not honest who does not
accept all that God says on any particular subject. You, my friends,
are not honest if you willingly overlook any passage of scripture that
differs with your understanding of any other scripture. The
scriptures do not contradict themselves. And anytime that we array one
passage against another, we have exhibited a dishonest heart.
May an honest person make a mistake. Most assuredly. Saul of
Tarsus was a man who thought he was doing right when he persecuted the
church. In Acts 23:1, he states that he had done that in good
conscience, he thought he was right; his heart approved of his
actions. Yet, he sinned grievously, as he states in 1 Timothy 1:10-16.
You see, one can be honest and conscientious, yet still wrong, still
in sin. Paul's honesty did enable him to accept the truth of the
gospel when he learned it. But, his honesty would not have saved him,
if he had continued in his persecution of the church.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, it is the good and
honest heart that accepts the seed and brings forth fruit. Yes, the
heart must be willing to accept the Word of God, a heart that is good
and honest. (Luke 8:15). I mentioned earlier the context of Matthew
13, verse 15, where our Lord states, "For this people's heart if waxed
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again,
and I should heal them." Jesus makes it very clear that the heart must
be receptive if the truth is to benefit us. A change of heart? Most
assuredly. Heart-felt religion? Most assuredly. But, heart-felt
religion based upon a "thus saith the Lord."
Can a person be religiously wrong? Listen to James, "If any man
thinking himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but
deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain" (James 1:26). Yes,
indeed, one's religion can be vain, worthless. Hear our Master as He
speaks, "Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This
people honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the
precepts of men" (Matthew 15:8-9). Being religious is not enough. We
must be religiously right if we are to please Jehovah. Sincerity of
heart is essential to one's salvation. One cannot be saved without
being sincere; but sincerity alone will not suffice.
One may be sincere and honest in believing that sprinkling water
over a person is a scriptural mode for baptism. His or her belief in
this does not make it right. In Bible baptism, there is a "going down
into the water, and a coming up out of the water" (Acts 8:38, 39).
Baptism is a burial (Romans 6:3,4). And it makes no difference how
sincere or honest one may be, God's word still demands an immersion in
water for the remission of sins.
Yes, there are three divisions of the heart: Intellect, Emotions,
and Will. To please God, we must allow all three of these aspect of
the heart to be led by God's Word. The heart must be taught; the heart
must feel right; the heart must respond to the truth. The inspired
writer states, "Keep thy heart with diligence; For out of it are the
issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in
heart" (Matthew 5:8).
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