HEART

The Greek word for "heart" is kardia (as in the English, cardiac). Though "heart" literally refers to the blood pump within man's body cavity, the term rarely refers to the physical organ in the Bible (yet see 2 Sam. 18:14). "Heart" is used, therefore, mainly in a figurative sense in the Scriptures. The term depicts certain types of dispositions -- for good or evil. (a) Solomon once wrote of the one who has the "prudent heart," which as he subsequently explains, represent the one who seeks knowledge (Prov. 18:15). Some have a thirst for truth and will search for it (cf. Acts 17:11). (b) In one of his parables, Jesus spoke of those who possess the "honest and good heart," i.e., they have an aura of sincerity about them -- a willingness to learn and obey. (c) The Lord once rebuked the Jewish leaders of his day, because they were not interested in seeing, hearing, or "understand[ing] with [their] hearts" (Mt. 13:10ff). With some religions, "understanding" is unimportant, because factual history is irrelevant. With Christianity, that is not the case. The religion of Jesus is intellectual as well as emotional. (d) One may be exposed to the truth, and even understand its basic elements, and yet not be inclined to obey it. It is imperative, therefore, that one cultivate the "obedient heart" (cf. Rom. 6:17). (e) Once one has become a Christian, he must grow, and guard himself against "sliding" back into his old ways. Scripture speaks of those who develop the "backsliding" heart (Prov. 14:14). More than a dozen times, Jeremiah warned the nation of Israel about backsliding (cf. Jer. 3:22), and Hosea called the northern kingdom a "backsliding heifer" (4:16). These admonitions contradict the denominational notion that a child of God cannot be lost (cf. Heb. 3:12). See APOSTASY. (f) Pharaoh of Egypt is an example of one who so resisted God that his heart became "hardened" (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34; 13:15). And while it is also true that Jehovah hardened his heart, such language merely expresses the "permissive" will of God, i.e., Jehovah made demands upon the king that he refused to obey, and the Lord allowed him to grow in stubbornness until a time of reckoning was reached. The Christian must guard his own heart against becoming hard and insensitive (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1ff; Eph. 4:19).