Internal
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The concept of "internal" in the Bible often pertains to the inner life of a person, including thoughts, emotions, and spiritual condition. This internal aspect is crucial in understanding one's relationship with God, as the Bible emphasizes the importance of the heart and mind in spiritual matters.

Heart and Mind

The heart and mind are frequently highlighted in Scripture as the seat of internal life. Proverbs 4:23 states, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life." This verse underscores the significance of maintaining a pure and righteous heart, as it influences one's actions and life direction. Similarly, Romans 12:2 encourages believers to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind," indicating that internal transformation is essential for discerning God's will.

Spiritual Condition

The internal spiritual condition is a recurring theme in the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 23:27-28 , Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." This passage highlights the importance of internal purity over external appearances.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the internal life of a believer. According to John 14:26 , "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you." The Holy Spirit works internally to guide, teach, and remind believers of Christ's teachings, facilitating spiritual growth and understanding.

Internal Struggles and Sin

The Bible acknowledges the internal struggles that believers face, particularly in the battle against sin. Romans 7:22-23 describes this internal conflict: "For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in my body, waging war against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me." This passage reflects the tension between the desire to follow God's law and the reality of human sinfulness.

Prayer and Internal Reflection

Prayer is a means of internal reflection and communion with God. Philippians 4:6-7 advises, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Through prayer, believers can align their internal thoughts and emotions with God's peace and guidance.

Conclusion

The Bible places significant emphasis on the internal aspects of faith, urging believers to cultivate a heart and mind that are aligned with God's will. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, prayer, and adherence to Scripture, Christians are called to nurture their internal spiritual life, ensuring that it reflects the righteousness and purity that God desires.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (a.) Inward; interior; being within any limit or surface; enclosed; -- opposed to external; as, the internal parts of a body, or of the earth.

2. (a.) Derived from, or dependent on, the thing itself; inherent; as, the internal evidence of the divine origin of the Scriptures.

3. (a.) Pertaining to its own affairs or interests; especially, (said of a country) domestic, as opposed to foreign; as, internal trade; internal troubles or war.

4. (a.) Pertaining to the inner being or the heart; spiritual.

5. (a.) Intrinsic; inherent; real.

6. (a.) Lying toward the medial plane; medial.

Greek
2680. kataskeuazo -- to prepare
... From kata and a derivative of skeuos; to prepare thoroughly (properly, by external
equipment; whereas hetoimazo refers rather to internal fitness); by ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2680.htm - 8k

1650. elegchos -- a proof, test
... persuasion; reproof. Cognate: 1650 (a masculine noun) -- focuses on God
("the internal from Him," see 4102 ). See 1651 (). Word ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1650.htm - 6k

5356. phthora -- destruction, corruption
... Cognate: 5356 (from 5351 ) -- destruction from internal (deterioration, decay);
"rottenness, perishableness, corruption, decay, decomposition" (Souter). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5356.htm - 7k

3913. paraphronia -- madness
... Cognate: 3913 (from 3844 , "contrary-beside" and 5424 , "internal perspective behavior")
-- properly, thinking " oneself," madness; insane (irrational) behavior ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3913.htm - 7k

3709. orge -- impulse, wrath
... 3709 ("settled anger") proceeds from an internal which opposes someone or something
based on extended personal exposure, ie solidifying what the beholder ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3709.htm - 7k

1261. dialogismos -- a reasoning
... From dialogizomai; discussion, ie (internal) consideration (by implication, purpose),
or (external) debate -- dispute, doubtful(-ing), imagination, reasoning ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1261.htm - 7k

4698. splagchnon -- the inward parts (heart, liver, lungs, etc.) ...
... 4698 -- properly, the internal organs ("viscera"); (figuratively) "" ( feelings);
the capacity to feel deep emotions (sympathy, empathy, etc.). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4698.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew
4578. meeh -- internal organs, inward parts, belly
... 4577, 4578. meeh. 4579 . internal organs, inward parts, belly. Transliteration:
meeh Phonetic Spelling: (may-aw') Short Definition: body. ...
/hebrew/4578.htm - 6k

4528. misderon -- a porch, colonnade
... porch. From the same as ceder; a colonnade or internal portico (from its rows of
pillars) -- porch. see HEBREW ceder. 4527, 4528. misderon. 4529 . ...
/hebrew/4528.htm - 6k

Library

Of Internal Acts
... CHAPTER XXII Of Internal Acts. Of Internal Acts Acts are distinguished
into External and Internal. External acts are those which ...
/.../guyon/a short and easy method of prayer/chapter xxii of internal acts.htm

How Internal Exercises are to be Practised in Times Improper and ...
... THE THIRD SECTION OF THE THIRD TREATISE. OF THE EXERCISES OF IMMEDIATE FORCED ACTS
OF THE WILL, BEING THE SECOND DEGREE OF INTERNAL PRAYER. CHAPTER IV. ...
/.../chapter iv how internal exercises.htm

Of Internal and Mystical Silence.
... The First Book. Of the Darkness, Dryness, and Temptations wherewith God purges Souls,
and of Internal Recollection. ... XVII. Of Internal and Mystical Silence. ...
/.../the spiritual guide which disentangles the soul/chap xvii of internal and.htm

Whether Sin Has an Internal Cause?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN GENERAL (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether sin has an internal cause?
Objection 1: It would seem that sin has no internal cause. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether sin has an internal.htm

The Internal Witness of the Holy Spirit
... 9. THE INTERNAL WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. We declare, therefore, and we
continue to repeat the declaration, till the gates of hell ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/9 the internal witness of.htm

In Internal Contemplative Ways a Guide is Necessary, and Why? 2...
... OF THE FIRST TREATISE, IN WHICH IS DECLARED AND PROVED THAT GOD ONLY BY HIS HOLY
INSPIRATIONS IS THE GUIDE AND DIRECTOR IN AN INTERNAL CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE. ...
/.../chapter i in internal contemplative.htm

Evidences Internal and Experimental.
... PART I. EVIDENCES OF REVEALED RELIGION. CHAPTER XII. EVIDENCES INTERNAL
AND EXPERIMENTAL. 1. The external evidences of revealed ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xii evidences internal and.htm

Of Internal Prayer in General, and Principally of Internal ...
... Of internal prayer in general, and principally of internal affective prayer.? ... 1.
Of internal prayer in general, and principally of internal affective prayer. ...
/.../chapter iii of internal prayer.htm

Declaring the Nature of Internal Recollection, and Instructing the ...
... The First Book. Of the Darkness, Dryness, and Temptations wherewith God purges
Souls, and of Internal Recollection. CHAP. XI. Declaring ...
/.../chap xi declaring the nature.htm

Of the High Felicity of Internal Peace, and the Wonderful Effects ...
... whereby God Purges Souls; of Contemplation, infused and passive; of Perfect Resignation,
Inward Humility, Divine Wisdom, True Annihilation, and Internal Peace. ...
/.../the spiritual guide which disentangles the soul/chap xxi of the high.htm

Thesaurus
Internal (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (a.) Inward; interior; being within any limit or surface; enclosed; -- opposed
to external; as, the internal parts of a body, or of the earth. ...
/i/internal.htm - 7k

Ferment (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Intestine motion; heat; tumult; agitation. 3. (n.) A gentle internal
motion of the constituent parts of a fluid; fermentation. ...
/f/ferment.htm - 7k

Authority (326 Occurrences)
... toqeph; exousia; exousiazo; katexousiazo; epitage; huperoche; authenteo; dunastes
I. GENERAL IDEA 1. Of Two Kinds (1) External (2) Internal 2. Universal Need ...
/a/authority.htm - 69k

Inside (185 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Being within; included or enclosed in anything; contained; interior; internal;
as, the inside passengers of a stagecoach; inside decoration. ...
/i/inside.htm - 36k

Interior (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Being within any limits, enclosure, or substance; inside; internal; inner; --
opposed to exterior, or superficial; as, the interior apartments of a ...
/i/interior.htm - 8k

Entrails (18 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The internal parts of animal bodies; the bowels; the guts; intestines.
2. (n. pl.) The internal parts; as, the entrails of the earth. ...
/e/entrails.htm - 11k

Ptolemy
... He devoted great attention to the internal administration of his kingdom, endowed
the Museum and Alexandrian Library in which his father had taken much interest ...
/p/ptolemy.htm - 17k

Belly (62 Occurrences)
... beTen = "the internal abdomen," "the womb" (1 Kings 7:20 Job 15:2, 35 the King James
Version; Job 20:15, 23; Job 40:16 Psalm 17, 14 Proverbs 13:25; Proverbs 18 ...
/b/belly.htm - 28k

Colossians (1 Occurrence)
... epistles (eg, those to Corinth), this seems to have been written in consequence
of information which had somehow been conveyed to him of the internal state of ...
/c/colossians.htm - 23k

Colony (1 Occurrence)
... proconsuls. It had an independent internal government, the jus Italicum; ie,
the privileges of Italian citizens. Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/c/colony.htm - 10k

Resources
Is the Bible truly God's Word? | GotQuestions.org

How do we know when the books of the Bible were written? | GotQuestions.org

What is situationism? What is a situationist? | GotQuestions.org

Internal: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Internal (1 Occurrence)

Matthew 12:25
Knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war has raged suffers desolation; and every city or house in which there is internal strife will be brought low.
(WEY)

Subtopics

Internal

Internal Sin

Related Terms

Ferment (3 Occurrences)

Authority (326 Occurrences)

Inside (185 Occurrences)

Interior (5 Occurrences)

Entrails (18 Occurrences)

Ptolemy

Belly (62 Occurrences)

Colossians (1 Occurrence)

Colony (1 Occurrence)

Sanhedrin (19 Occurrences)

Spontaneous (5 Occurrences)

Nahum (3 Occurrences)

Judaeus

Philo

Subapostolic

Sub-apostolic

Baptismal (1 Occurrence)

Virgin (62 Occurrences)

Discomfiture (6 Occurrences)

Taxing (3 Occurrences)

Poetry

Tax (43 Occurrences)

Birth (357 Occurrences)

Government (20 Occurrences)

Regeneration (2 Occurrences)

Ephesians (4 Occurrences)

Testaments

Corinthians (3 Occurrences)

Esdras

Between (2624 Occurrences)

First (4693 Occurrences)

Second (2060 Occurrences)

Tobit

Vessel (118 Occurrences)

Nut (1 Occurrence)

Unknown (15 Occurrences)

Job (60 Occurrences)

James (40 Occurrences)

Leprosy (51 Occurrences)

Low (216 Occurrences)

Lachish (22 Occurrences)

Gamaliel (7 Occurrences)

Wormwood (10 Occurrences)

Worm (22 Occurrences)

Inner (141 Occurrences)

Intimate (12 Occurrences)

Intermittent (1 Occurrence)

Inward (43 Occurrences)

Internally (1 Occurrence)

Inmate (1 Occurrence)

Nehemiah (9 Occurrences)

Fig-tree (33 Occurrences)

Feel (58 Occurrences)

Founder (5 Occurrences)

Figtree

Form (153 Occurrences)

Teach (172 Occurrences)

Temptation (22 Occurrences)

Teaching (372 Occurrences)

Table (125 Occurrences)

Teacher (103 Occurrences)

Raged (12 Occurrences)

Entire (119 Occurrences)

Eternity (23 Occurrences)

Energy (1 Occurrence)

External (8 Occurrences)

Elkoshite (1 Occurrence)

Demon (26 Occurrences)

Disciples (277 Occurrences)

Mother-of-pearl (1 Occurrence)

Mole (2 Occurrences)

Motion (8 Occurrences)

Money (284 Occurrences)

Police (10 Occurrences)

Pen (16 Occurrences)

Pekahiah (4 Occurrences)

Policy (3 Occurrences)

Blindness (7 Occurrences)

Intermittent
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