Bible Class E book 2013_heart mind soul 1

The Heart the Mind and the Soul

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.�

The Heart the Mind and the Soul Part I KEY POINTS •The heart is the center of a person and it is where their true desires reside

The first commandment is to love God with all of our heart, our mind, our soul and with all of our strength or might. We will discuss exactly what the scripture means when it talks about our heart,

•It is also the seat of the law and ark of God

mind and soul. It is obvious that

•A heart may be hard or it may be considered unclean

abilities. The heart, mind and

•In order to be saved your heart must be pure

we must love God with everything that we have and with all of our soul are the three components or parts of an individual through which either the works of God or the

works

of

the

devil

are

manifest. Each of these parts has a specific role in the battle between good and evil. This

class will help us begin to understand what the heart, mind and soul is, and how they work together to bring us into that perfect love of God.

THE HEART The heart is the core and center of a person. It is the place of one’s will or desire. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The heart determines our actions. The physical heart pumps blood, which is life to the entire body. The spiritual heart also sends life. The Spirit of God goes from the heart to the mind and the entire body and enables us to obey God. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” A “good conscience”, which is a combination of the knowledge of what is good and

right with the will and desire to do it, is found in the heart.

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

The heart is the seat of God and of the law. It is compared to the tables of stone in the Ark, where God would meet with the ancient Israelites. The law of God is written on our hearts. If a person has idols in their heart then they will sin against God because their will and desire are for carnal and sinful pleasures. A person is said to have a “hard heart” when it is difficult for them to accept or understand the law of God. A person with a hard is unbelieving and stubborn, and determined to do what they want to do rather than humbling themselves to God. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not repent or listen to reason even though his kingdom was being destroyed. The children of

Israel in the wilderness constantly provoked God in disobedience through their hard hearts. Hebrews 3:8-13.

The heart is also compared to a ground that needs to be sown. The seed is the word of God. If the ground is too hard the seeds cannot take root. It must be broken up and tilled. Breaking up the ground is the humility that comes from hardship, sacrifice and troubles in the world.

“Sow

to

yourselves

in

righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is times to seek the Lord, till

he

come

righteousness Hosea 10:12.

and upon

rain you.�

A heart that is unclean is compared to having a foreskin.

The foreskin or uncleanness must be circumcised in order to be acceptable to God. God warned the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 4:16, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.” Paul further explains it to us in Romans 2:29 when he says, “circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;” and again in Colossians 2:11, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”

The things in the heart are the center and the core of a person, those things that they treasure and that they desire. The heart sends the things in it throughout the entire body. If your heart is full of sin then your actions will reflect it.

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” Matthew 12:35.

There is hope even for someone with idols in their heart, or who has a hard or uncircumcised heart. God punished his people with a curse in Isaiah 6:9-12, because of their disobedience. Today we live in a time of darkness and famine. The truth is not spoken or known. God promised to leave a remnant of his people in the end. He also promised that he would change the hearts of his people; he would remove the stony heart and give them a heart of flesh. He promised he would write his law in their hearts and forgive them of their sins. Ezekiel 11:17-20. He will call his people to repentance.

“Therefore also now saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord…” Joel 2:12-13. “….ye do well that

ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.� II Peter 1:19.

Please read How the seed is sown in the heart in the parable of the sower, Mark 4:1-20, how the peoples heart were changed on Pentecost, Acts 2:22-47