INTRODUCTION TO
THE HEART OF THE
MATTER
(A Biblical Study of
the Heart)
Proverbs 1:7
The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Proverbs
Proverbs 2:1
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my
commandments with thee;
2
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her
as for hid treasures;
5
Then shalt thou understand the fear
of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6
For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge
and understanding.
7
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them
that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the
way of his saints.
9
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment,
and equity; yea, every good path.
Knowledge of the Lord God
of the Bible is the most important thing that anyone, especially Christians,
can learn. Knowledge of
the Scriptures – God’s words (The Holy Bible) is
essential in order for us to not only learn about
God but know Him personally.
Knowledge of the human heart closely follows in order of
importance.
Human nature is a
reflection of mankind’s heart condition. The major pursuits of mankind:
Self-preservation, self-propagation and self-gratification are all bound up in
the heart. When it comes to understanding ourselves and others, knowledge of
the heart is indispensable. Since the issues of life proceed from out of the
heart (Proverbs
Scriptures
(God’s own words – from God’s Mouth) to see what God has to say about it.
The study of the heart, as
portrayed in the Bible, is one of the most important studies a Bible believer
can undertake. And yet, since I believed on and received my Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, in October of 1958, I cannot recall any study on the heart in all
of the various churches [Evangelical, Brethren, Independent, Pentecostal
(Charismatic), and Baptist] that I have attended.
A sincere Biblical study
of the heart will take the believer into almost every area of a Christian’s
life, including but not limited to: our attitude towards God; our relationship
with God; our attitude towards God’s word; our relationship and conduct towards
our Christian brethren; our relationship and conduct towards all those outside
of the church; our estimate of our own value and importance; the value we place
on riches and wealth; the value we place on religious institutions and
traditions; the value we place on “personal religious experience”; the value or
importance we place on the world’s institutions, the value or importance we
place on government institutions; the value or importance we place in men,
customs, traditions, society, culture, schooling, education, etc., etc., etc.
In the four Gospels the
Lord Jesus Christ speaks about the heart over 60 times and testifies to the
extreme importance of the heart over and over again:
Matthew
Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is
far from me.
Matthew
19 For out
of the heart proceed
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are
the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man.
Mark
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these
evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Luke 6:45 A
good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is
good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his
heart
bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the
abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh.
In Proverbs
Psalms 33:4 For
the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are
done in truth.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Since the Bible refers to
the heart(s) approximately 950 times in about 880 verses, no study
on the heart can possibly be considered complete or final. However, God has
graciously supplied us with an abundance of verses on the heart so that we can
certainly learn a
great deal about how it functions and its importance in
all of our lives.
This study is dedicated to the
Honor and Glory of the Lord God of Scripture, the Father (Who loved us); the
Son Jesus Christ (our Saviour and the WORD); and the Holy Spirit (Who ministers
to us), and to His written word, God's Final Authority on this earth. May
everything that is presented here
be truthful, honoring to God, faithful to the word, and
edifying to the reader.
George Anderson
THE HEART OF THE
MATTER
(A Biblical Study of
the Heart)
Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Man Is a Three Part
Being (Body-Soul-Spirit)
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul.
1 Thessalonians
God Is A Three Part
Being (Body-Soul-Spirit)
1 John 5:7 For there
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these
three agree in one.
Man Possesses – A
Heart, a Mind, and a Conscience
1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve
him with a perfect heart
and with a willing mind: for
the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him,
he will cast thee off for ever.
Matthew
Mark
Luke
Titus
1 Timothy 1:5
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience,
and of faith unfeigned:
Hebrews
God Possesses A Heart And A Mind
(He has no need of a
Conscience)
1 Samuel
Genesis 6:6 And
it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him
at his heart.
Genesis 8:21
And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in
his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake;
for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again
smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Jeremiah
Acts 13:22
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to
whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of
Jesse, a man after mine
own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Job
Jeremiah 15:1
Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind
could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go
forth.
Jeremiah 44:21
The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of
Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people
of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?
Romans
1 Corinthians
Conclusion: The Holy Bible clearly teaches that there is a Scriptural distinction between the body, soul, and
spirit, even though an individual (man or woman) is just one person. The
Scriptures also demonstrate that the heart and the mind and the conscience
are different, inseparable, but distinct from each other. According to
all the Bible verses cited above they are clearly not the same.
[To cite another example:
In the Holy Bible, of the three words (heart, mind
& conscience) only
the heart can be and needs to be circumcised
– there are no verses indicating that the mind or the conscience
can be or needs to be circumcised. [Deuteronomy
10:16; Deuteronomy 30:6;
Jeremiah 4:4; Romans 2:29.]
As we proceed in the study of the heart I will attempt to give a Biblical (Scriptural) definition for each of the
words presented. I have also included an addendum to the study that will
present Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definitions - always keeping in mind that Noah Webster was not infallible, therefore the Bible’s own definitions will take
precedence if there is a demonstrable difference.
THE BIBLE’S
DESCRIPTION OF GOD
God is a Tri-Part Being – Body, Soul, Spirit (Substance)
The physical attributes of God are - God is:
Eternal (Without beginning or end of
existence, Immortal, Perpetual, Unchangeable.)
Omniscient (All-Knowing -
All-Seeing.)
Omnipotent (All Powerful –
Unlimited Power.)
Omnipresent
(Everywhere - Present in all places at
the same time)
God possesses a Heart and a Mind (Faculties)
The moral attributes of God are - God is:
Holy (Perfectly Pure – Sacred)
Truth (Genuine, Faithful, Honest, Veracity, Fidelity)
Just (Principled, Upright, Equitable, Impartial)
Mercy (Grace, Pardon, Compassionate, Pitiful)
Love (Benevolence, Good Will, Charitable)
THE BIBLE’S
DESCRIPTION OF MAN
Man is a Tri-Part Being – Body, Soul, Spirit (Substance)
The physical attributes of Man are – Man is:
Mortal (With beginning and end – Subject to Death, Judgment &
Eternal Punishment)
Man has:
(Limited Knowledge &
Limited Understanding)
(Limited Power &
Limited Abilities)
(A Limited Presence – Confined to His Body)
Man possesses a Heart, a Mind, & a Conscience* (Faculties)
The moral attributes of Man are – Man is:
Sinful (Born with a sinful nature – which negatively affects all of his faculties)
* Man was originally created in the “Image of God” (Body, Soul, Spirit, Heart, and Mind).
Man acquired a conscience along with his sinful nature when Adam and Eve
sinned and disobeyed God by partaking of the forbidden fruit from the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil.
Some General
Information
Number of verses [heart(s)] in
Old Testament ………………...721 Verses
Number of verses [heart(s)] in
New Testament …………….… 159 Verses
Total number of verses in the entire Bible
…………………..… 880 Verses
Number of words [heart(s)] in Old
Testament ………………..784 Times
Number of words [heart(s)] in New
Testament ……………… 166 Times
Total number of times in the entire Bible
………………….…. 950 Times
Number comparison with mind & conscience
in the Bible:
Mind(s) …………………………………………………..….. 108 Verses 111 Times
Conscience(s) ………………………………………………... 30 Verses
32 Times
THE HOLY BIBLE’S
DEFINITION OF THE HEART
The heart is the center
or seat of our 1 thoughts, 2 meditations, 3 considerations, 4 perceptions, 5 concepts,
6 reasoning,
7 understanding, 8
beliefs, 9 imaginations, 10 fears, 11 doubts, 12 counsels, 13 intents, 14 desires (affections
- emotions), and 15 pride.
The heart is where the 16 will resides and operates.
1. Job 17:11; 2. Psalms 19:14; 3. Deuteronomy 8:5; 4. Deuteronomy 29:4; 5. Acts 5:4; 6. Mark 2:8; 7. Proverbs 8:5; 8. Romans 10:9-10; 9. Genesis 6:5;
10. Isaiah 35:4, Luke 21:26; 11. Mark
11:23; 12. Jeremiah
7:24; 13. Hebrews 4:12; 14. Psalms 37:4, Colossians 3:2; 15.
2 Chronicles 32:26;
16. Psalms 101:2, Psalms 119:69, Psalms 119:145, Isaiah
32:6, 1 Corinthians 7:37, Ephesians 6:6.
The total number of verses
in the Bible where the word heart (hearts) has a different application than the overwhelmingly predominant
Scriptural definition given above:
1. Exodus 15:8 (the Sea)
2. Exodus 28:29-30 (physical)
3. Exodus 28:29-30 (physical)
4. 2 Samuel
5. 2 Kings 9:24 (physical)
6. Psalms 104:15 (physical)
7. Psalms 37:15 (physical)
8. Proverbs
9. Isaiah
10. Isaiah 19:1 (
11. Matthew
12. Luke
The
purpose of the following lesson outlines will be to illustrate that the Bible
clearly states and plainly testifies that the heart exists (Biblical definition cited above),
and that all sincere born again Bible believers have a duty to study the Bible,
in order to learn about
the emphasis and importance that God places on the heart, and believe (accept)
the Scriptural record about it as being true. 2Timothy
I recommend to all those
who have an interest in this subject to carefully read and study all of the lesson outlines
presented here. However, should you not have the time, I would encourage you to
pick those lessons that may be of interest to you, since each of the 10 lesson outlines
presented in this study can stand alone in support of the particular subject
covered in the outline.
For
example: Lesson #2 (God’s Comments & Commands); Lesson #4 (God’s Dealings);
and Lesson #6 (God’s Warnings) all demonstrate God’s point of view on the heart
with a different emphasis in each lesson outline.
Another
example: Lesson#3 (Issues of Life-Good); Lesson #5 (Issues of Life-Bad); and
Lesson#7 (Issues of Life –Evil) all demonstrate the existence, operation and
function of the heart, again with a different emphasis in each lesson outline.
And again: Lesson #8 (Heart Attitude
of God’s people); Lesson #9 (The Heart Compared); and Lesson #10 (The
Conclusion of the Matter) each are complete in themselves in presenting the
particular subject under review.
Because of the number of
Scriptural Verses used in this study, there is a certain amount of “overlapping”
(use of the same verse in different lessons) in the presentation of these
lesson outlines. However I have endeavored to provide all of the Scriptures
that I believe are appropriate to each lesson outline.
First mention of man’s heart in
the Bible:
Genesis 6:5 And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
First mention of God’s heart in
the Bible:
Genesis 6:6
And it repented the LORD that he had
made man on the earth, and it grieved him
at his heart.
God’s Heart & man’s heart
mentioned together in the Bible:
Genesis 8:21
And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart,
I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination
of man's heart is evil from his
youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
The Location of man’s
heart:
1Samuel 25:36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
Psalms 39:3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
Psalms 55:4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Psalms
109:22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart
is wounded within me.
Jeremiah 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
Lamentations
Hosea 11:8 How
shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver
thee,
Mark 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Mark
Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
The Most Important Things That We
(Saved or Lost)
Should Remember About The Heart:
The Heart Is Deceitful, Wicked,
Evil & Mad
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Only God Knows the Heart
1Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
2Chronicles
We Should Always Trust God and Not
Our Heart
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.