All Believers Have a New Heart
In the Old Testament, there was a plan by God to put a new heart in men, in Jeremiah 31:33. The author of Hebrew referred to it again to confirm the fulfillment.
- “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33; cf. Heb. 8:10).
He repeated it again, showing the importance.
- Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”
Hence, all believers in Jesus Christ will be rebirthed with a new heart that makes us very sensitive to right and wrong and the feelings of others. Some describe it as a sharpened conscience. What used to be OK in our past now become not OK! That is a sign of our rebirthed.
Paul puts in very positively as in:
- Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Responding to Our New Heart
James teaches us what we should do with our new heart in
- James 1:21 (ASV) Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
With our new sense of right and wrong, the first part is to put away those behaviors that are obviously wrong. The second part is to learn and grow in the knowledge of our sonship and of God. The keywords are:
- receive
- with meekness
- the implanted word,
- which is able to save your souls.
Every one of us has our own accumulated knowledge and wisdom when we receive Jesus. Now we are to humbly, with an open mind, to listen and learn the new things from the 'implanted' new heart. Our own mind needs to be transformed with the Word of God. The Word of God is able to rebirth us to begin a new kind of life as children of God for us, and also able to continue to save our souls, correcting our wrong thinking of the past and establishing us with the right thinking for our continual growth rightly.
Power of the Implanted Words
- Psa 107:20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
The new Words have power, to guide our thinking and also to heal our body. Right thinking brings right behavior and also health, wealth, and reputation too. Health, wealth, and reputation are not the things we sought for, but rather, are the by-products of our seeking and learning of the Lord. Our worship of God in spirit, soul, and body will bring such by-products as in Matthew 6:33 seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things will be added to you.
Guard Our Mouth
- Pro 13:3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
It is not only what we take in, but also what we speak out that matter, because words have power as in Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
So we do both. Be careful as to what we receive, making sure we receive those that go through the filter of our new heart and also to speak out those that are filtered through our new heart. Then you shall be a good testimony for God as a shining light.
Lim Liat (c) 3 May 2017
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