Topical Bible: Heart: Known to God

◄ Heart: Known to God ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the heart, as understood in the Bible, extends beyond the physical organ to encompass the innermost being of a person, including their thoughts, emotions, will, and moral character. In Scripture, the heart is often depicted as the center of spiritual activity and the place where God interacts with humanity. The phrase "known to God" emphasizes the divine ability to perceive and understand the true nature of the human heart, beyond outward appearances.

Divine Omniscience and the Heart

The Bible consistently affirms that God possesses complete knowledge of the human heart. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Lord instructs Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not see as man does; for man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart." This passage highlights God's unique ability to discern the true intentions and character of individuals, which are often hidden from human eyes.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 17:10, God declares, "I, the LORD, search the heart; I test the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve." This verse underscores the divine prerogative to examine the heart and mind, ensuring that God's judgments are based on an accurate understanding of a person's inner life.

The Heart's Condition and God's Knowledge

The Bible describes the human heart as inherently flawed due to sin. In Genesis 6:5, it is written, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time." This depiction of the heart's natural state underscores the need for divine intervention and transformation.

Despite the heart's sinful tendencies, God offers hope for renewal. Ezekiel 36:26 promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." This transformative work is initiated by God, who knows the heart's true condition and provides the means for its restoration.

God's Intimate Knowledge and Relationship with the Heart

The intimate knowledge God has of the human heart is not merely for judgment but also for relationship. Psalm 139:1-2 expresses this personal aspect: "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar." This passage reveals that God's knowledge of the heart is comprehensive and personal, encompassing every aspect of an individual's life.

In the New Testament, Jesus exemplifies this divine insight. In John 2:24-25, it is noted, "But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men. He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man." Jesus' ability to perceive the true nature of the human heart affirms His divine identity and underscores the theme of God's omniscience.

The Heart's Response to God's Knowledge

The awareness that one's heart is fully known by God calls for a response of humility and openness. In Psalm 51:10, David prays, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This plea for a purified heart reflects a desire for alignment with God's will and recognition of the need for divine cleansing.

Furthermore, believers are encouraged to guard their hearts, as Proverbs 4:23 advises, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life." This exhortation acknowledges the heart's central role in spiritual life and the importance of maintaining its purity in light of God's all-encompassing knowledge.

In summary, the biblical portrayal of the heart as "known to God" emphasizes the divine ability to perceive the innermost aspects of human existence. This knowledge serves as both a basis for divine judgment and an invitation to a deeper relationship with the Creator, who seeks to transform and renew the hearts of His people.

Nave's Topical Index

Deuteronomy 31:21
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
Nave's Topical Index

2 Samuel 7:20
And what can David say more to you? for you, Lord GOD, know your servant.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Kings 8:39
Then hear you in heaven your dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart you know; (for you, even you only, know the hearts of all the children of men;)
Nave's Topical Index

1 Chronicles 28:9
And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever.
Nave's Topical Index

Job 11:11
For he knows vain men: he sees wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Nave's Topical Index

Job 16:19
Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
Nave's Topical Index

Job 31:4
Does not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 1:6
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 44:21
Shall not God search this out? for he knows the secrets of the heart.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 94:11
The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 139:1-12
O lord, you have searched me, and known me.
Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 5:21
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his goings.
Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weighs the spirits.
Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 21:2
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD ponders the hearts.
Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 66:18
For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 12:3
But you, O LORD, know me: you have seen me, and tried my heart toward you: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 17:10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 11:5,19-21
And the Spirit of the LORD fell on me, and said to me, Speak; Thus said the LORD; Thus have you said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 36:25,26
Then will I sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Nave's Topical Index

Luke 16:15
And he said to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Nave's Topical Index

Acts 1:24
And they prayed, and said, You, Lord, which know the hearts of all men, show whether of these two you have chosen,
Nave's Topical Index

Acts 15:8
And God, which knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did to us;
Nave's Topical Index

Romans 8:27
And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Corinthians 3:20
And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Nave's Topical Index

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Nave's Topical Index

Revelation 2:23
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts: and I will give to every one of you according to your works.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Second Thing. --Why God, after Rejoicing the Heart, Often ...
... CHAPTER IX. The Second Thing."Why God, After Rejoicing The Heart, Often Withdraws
Himself From His Friends, By Which His True Presence is Made Known. ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter ix the second thing why.htm

God's Peace Obtained in Answer to Prayer
... be our guard when we make our requests known unto Him ... what it means to possess the
peace of God which passeth ... The heart is the center of man's spiritual being. ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 3 gods peace obtained.htm

Our Requests Made Known unto God
... we know that our requests had been made known unto God ... the common jail the singing
servants of God shook the ... joy, all ye that are upright in heart." " Psa.32 ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 2 our requests made.htm

Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving
... praise in song, means the decline of grace in the heart and the ... prayer is called
"requests." "Let your requests be made known unto God," which describes ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/iv prayer praise and thanksgiving.htm

The Privilege of Prayer
... Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary
in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 11 the privilege of.htm

"That those Grievously Sin who Despise or Neglect God's Gracious ...
... those that have been unbelieving, and err in heart, and have not known the Lord's
ways, which John commanded to make straight and to prepare, God is incensed ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter ix that those grievously sin.htm

Wesley -- God's Love to Fallen Man
... where the oracles of God are known, in which alone this grand and important event
has been discovered to the children of men. Has not your heart, and probably ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/wesley gods love to.htm

The Fellowship of Prayer
... life in this world is unimportant in the sight of God. ... the Lord before we can make
our requests known unto Him ... true rest of soul and quietness of heart when I ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 1 the fellowship of.htm

Following Hard after God
... In making Himself known to us He stays by the ... unembarrassed interchange of love and
thought between God and the ... the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/tozer/the pursuit of god/i following hard after god.htm

Discerning Prayer.
... and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God," but
let ... our requests close with the utterance, from a sincere heart, of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/discerning prayer.htm