THE HEART COMPARED
WITH:
1. THE CONSCIENCE
Acts 23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men
and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
The word conscience cannot be found in the entire Old
Testament. As a matter of fact the word conscience cannot be found in the first
three Gospels of the New Testament. The word conscience is mentioned just once
in the Gospel of John. (John 8:9).
The apostle Paul speaks of/or writes about the conscience
more than all of the other Bible writers combined: Acts–Titus = 21 Verses;
Hebrews = 5 Verses; [Another testimony
as to who wrote Hebrews]. The only other place in the Bible where the word
conscience is found is: John
= 1 Verse; Peter = 3 Verses.
The conscience is that faculty within a man or woman wherein
resides the awareness of right and wrong (good
and evil), and which influences the
heart and mind as to the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own affections &
actions. According to the Scriptures the human heart and conscience are separate and distinct from each other in purpose and in operation.
The purpose of our conscience is to: convict one’s own self (of sin and our sinful nature John 8:9, Hebrews 10:2); witness to one’s own self
(concerning the truth of God’s words Romans 2:15, 9:1) witness to one’s own self
(concerning our relationship with God Acts 24:16, 1Peter 2:19 ); and testify
to one’s own self (as to our conduct 2Corinthians 1:12, 2Corinthians 4:2,).
According to the Bible:
A person
can have a pure conscience (1Timothy 3:9; 2Timothy 1:3).
A
person can have a good conscience (Acts 23:1; 1Timothy
Hebrews
A
person can have a weak conscience (1Corinthians
A
person can have an evil conscience (Hebrews
A
person can have a conscience with dead works (Hebrews
A
person’s conscience can be seared (1Timothy
4:2).
A
person’s conscience can be defiled (1Corinthians
8:7; Titus
The following verses
contain both the words heart and conscience together.
1Timothy 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
THE HEART COMPARED
WITH:
2. THE MIND
1Peter
The word mind
is mentioned in the Bible approximately 111 times in 108 verses. It is much
more difficult to accurately define the words mind or heart than it is to define the word conscience.
The mind is that faculty within a man or woman wherein
resides our intellect or intelligence. In the Bible the mind
is separate and distinct from the heart in purpose, though similar in function
and operation.
In the Bible the mind is
involved with:
The exercise of our will (Genesis 23:8; Numbers
The
operation of our memory
(Deuteronomy
30:1; Nehemiah 4:6; Psalms 32:12; Isaiah 46:8, 65:17; Jeremiah 3:16, 51:50;
Lamentations 3:21; Mark 14:72; Romans 15:15; Titus 3:1)
The formation of
our thoughts [reasoning] (Proverbs 29: 11; Ezekiel 11:5,
The following verses
contain both the words heart and mind together.
Deuteronomy 28:65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the
sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow
of mind:
1Samuel
1Chronicles 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.
Ezekiel 36:5
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire
of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against
all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their
possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it
out for a prey.
Daniel
Matthew
Mark
Luke
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews
Hebrews
Verses where the word mind has some of the same
characteristics or functions as the word heart.
OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis 26:35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Leviticus 24:12 And they
put him in ward, that the mind of
the LORD might be shewed them.
Deuteronomy 18:6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;
Deuteronomy 28:65
And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy
foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
1Samuel
1Samuel
1Chronicles 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.
Job
Proverbs
Isaiah 26:3 Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because
he trusteth in thee.
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 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their
sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake
it, neither came it into my mind:
Jeremiah 32:35 And
they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass
through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them
not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
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?
Ezekiel 11:5 And
the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD;
Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come
into your mind, every one of
them.
Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel 38:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
Daniel
Daniel
Habakkuk
NEW TESTAMENT
Mark
Luke 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Luke
Acts
Acts
Romans
Romans
Romans
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans
Romans
Romans 12:2 And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
1Corinthians
2Corinthians 7:7
And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted
in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent
mind toward me; so that I rejoiced
the more.
2Corinthians
2Corinthians
2Corinthians 9:2
For I know the forwardness of your mind,
for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year
ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians
Ephesians
Philippians 2:3 Let
nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 2:18
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping
of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed
up by his fleshly mind,
Colossians 3:12
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering;
2Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Timothy 1:7 For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.
Titus
Hebrews
Hebrews
1Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Revelation 17:9
And here is the mind which hath wisdom.
The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
THE HEART COMPARED
WITH:
3. THE SPIRIT
Job 32:8 But
there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration
of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
The Bible clearly testifies to the existence of spirits
and distinguishes between God’s Holy Spirit and evil spirits. The Scriptures
also demonstrate a distinct difference between the spirit within man and an animal’s spirit. (Ecclesiastes
The word “spirit”
(pertaining only to mankind – and excluding God’s Spirit or
evil spirits, etc.) is mentioned approximately 50 times in 49 Verses in the
Holy Bible. To accurately describe something that we cannot see, but accept by faith in the
Scriptures, is extremely difficult. Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 is not that
much help here either, because of the difficulty distinguishing between the soul and spirit.
The spirit (pertaining only to mankind) is that substance,
given by God, within a man or woman wherein our very life resides. In the Bible
the spirit
is separate and distinct from the heart and the soul in purpose, though it may
have some similar characteristics.
The word “spirit”
(pertaining only to mankind) is used almost exclusively in
the Bible in describing the “life force”
that resides within a man or woman. The “life” within man is manifested in
energy, power, activity, etc. (James
It is quite clear from the testimony of Scripture that
our spirit [“life”] emanates from the Lord God of the Bible. (Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me,
and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.)
Man’s spirit is given [by God] to men
and women at the moment of birth and at the moment of death that spirit returns
unto God [who gave it]. God gave us our “life”,
He has every right to take it back whenever it pleases Him. (Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:
and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it. Job
There is a clear
connection between the breath
that is in man and his spirit.
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust (body)
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life; and man became a living
soul.
Job 27:3 All
the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 34:14 If
he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself
his spirit and his breath;
Isaiah 42:5
Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out;
he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh
out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
From the moment of birth until death our life is in his hands. We have no power either to retain that life or to prevent our death. (Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.)
While the Scriptures clearly demonstrate a distinct
difference between the heart [a faculty] and the spirit [a substance] in purpose, a comparison between the heart and the
spirit reveals that they both have many of the same characteristics.
The following verses
contain both the words heart and spirit together.
Exodus 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
Exodus 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.
Joshua 5:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
Job 34:14 If he
set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit
and his breath;
Psalms 34:18 The
LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psalms 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit
within me.
Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Psalms 77:6 I
call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
Psalms 78:8 And
might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a
generation that set not their heart
aright, and whose spirit was not
stedfast with God.
Psalms 143:4
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed
within me; my heart within me is
desolate.
Proverbs
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Isaiah 57:15 For
thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy;
I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite
ones.
Isaiah 65:14
Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart,
but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart,
and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel 21:7 And
it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer,
For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all
knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass,
saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh.
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?
Luke 1:17 And he
shall go before him in the spirit
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just;
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Hebrews
1Peter 3:4 But
let it be the hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of
great price.
Additional verses on man’s
spirit:
OLD TESTAMENT
Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Job 34:14 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
Psalms 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Daniel
Zechariah 12:1
The burden of the word of the LORD for
NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mark
Luke
Luke
Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
John
Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Acts
Acts
Acts
Romans
1Corinthians
2Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
1Thessalonians
Hebrews
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
James
THE HEART COMPARED
WITH:
4. THE SOUL
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust (body)
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life; and man became a living soul.
The soul of man is extremely difficult
to define. (Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD
thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.).
Although the
Bible testifies to a distinct difference between a man’s spirit, soul and body, (1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the
very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.) it
is sometimes very difficult for us to discern that difference -especially in
the Old Testament.
When David said, “I
will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy
works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” - Psalms 139:14, he sure
knew what he was talking about! The complexity of man’s true essence, identity,
and being is beyond anything that modern man can imagine.
After literally thousands of years of inquiry “science”
and modern medicine have just begun to unlock some of the “mysteries” of what
constitutes the make up of our physical being - our body. However, modern day “soothsayers” (Psychiatrists and Psychologists, etc.) haven’t
even begun to unlock the mysteries of the mind.
With the exception of the study of our physical brain and
attempts to control it through electrical, surgical, and chemical means, and
the numerous feeble attempts to study and understand the function and workings
of the mind, almost all Psychiatrists and Psychologists don’t (or won’t) even
recognize the existence of our other faculties – the conscience and the heart, to say nothing about the existence of the substances
(in addition to the body) that make
up a whole man or woman – the spirit
and the soul!
According to the Scriptures the soul is that substance
within a man or a woman, which is created at the moment of birth, (when the body receives the spirit) and which is the very essence of their being. The soul is that substance which
separates an individual from every other individual and makes them unique. The soul
within a man or woman is that substance that distinguishes mankind from
all of the other
living creatures in God’s creation.
Noah Webster’s 1828
Dictionary definition of the word soul demonstrates how hard it is to define.
WEBSTER’S 1828
DICTIONARY DEFINITION
SOUL, n.
1. The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in
man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to
think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality
of the soul is a fundamental article of the Christian system. Such is the
nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme
affection.
(Only 1 of 15 parts of Webster’s original
definition.)
The word soul
is found approximately 537 times in about 498 verses in the Holy Bible. A close
examination of all these verses is not possible in this lesson outline.
However, here are a few Scriptural facts about the soul:
(Matthew
Mark 8:36-37)
(Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under
the altar the souls of them
that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony
which they
held: Matthew 10:28; Acts 2:27, 31; James 5:20; Revelation 6:9, 20:4.)
(Proverbs
(Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are
mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall
die. Ezekiel 18:20)
souls. James 1:21, James 5:20)
(1Peter
from
your fathers;
19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot: (Ephesians