Topical Bible: Heart: Renewed: Graciously Affected of God

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The concept of the heart being renewed and graciously affected by God is a profound theme throughout the Scriptures, reflecting the transformative power of divine grace upon the innermost being of a person. In biblical terms, the heart is often seen as the center of one's emotions, will, and intellect, and its renewal signifies a fundamental change in one's spiritual state and relationship with God.

Biblical Foundation

The renewal of the heart is a work attributed to the sovereign grace of God, who initiates and completes the transformation. In Ezekiel 36:26, God 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 passage highlights the divine initiative in replacing a hardened, unresponsive heart with one that is tender and receptive to God's will.

New Covenant Promise

The renewal of the heart is central to the New Covenant, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33: "But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." Here, the internalization of God's law signifies a heart transformed to align with His purposes, moving beyond mere external adherence to a deep, intrinsic commitment.

Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the renewal of the heart. In Titus 3:5, Paul writes, "He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." The Spirit's work in regeneration is essential for the heart's renewal, bringing about a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Evidence of a Renewed Heart

A heart renewed by God exhibits certain characteristics and behaviors that reflect its transformation. In Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are manifestations of a heart graciously affected by God. These virtues are evidence of the Spirit's ongoing work in the believer's life.

Transformation and Sanctification

The renewal of the heart is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of sanctification. Romans 12:2 exhorts believers, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This transformation involves a continual renewal of the heart and mind, aligning one's thoughts and desires with God's will.

Prayer and Dependence on God

The believer's response to God's gracious work in renewing the heart is one of prayerful dependence. Psalm 51:10 is a heartfelt plea for divine intervention: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This prayer acknowledges the need for God's ongoing grace to maintain a pure and steadfast heart.

Conclusion

The renewal of the heart is a testament to God's gracious intervention in the life of a believer, transforming the core of one's being to reflect His character and purposes. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the promises of the New Covenant, and the believer's active participation in sanctification, the heart is continually renewed and aligned with the will of God.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 10:26
And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
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1 Chronicles 29:18
O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart to you:
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Ezra 6:22
And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
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Ezra 7:27
Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
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Proverbs 16:1
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
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Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will.
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Jeremiah 20:9
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
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Acts 16:14
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul.
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Library

Love's Logic
... to God is as natural to the renewed heart as love ... O loveless sinner, with heart
unquickened and chill, the ... her of Jehovah's love when he graciously said, "They ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/loves logic.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... strong emotions of mind, who are affected with any ... even the promise which our Lord
has graciously annexed to ... the same entire change of heart, renewed after the ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 27 upon our lords.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of ...
... with them, for I was greatly affected with their ... the Lord did more fully and graciously
discover Himself ... wickedness and blasphemy of my heart, and considering ...
/.../bunyan/grace abounding to the chief of sinners/grace abounding to the chief.htm

Immanuel
... a man, and the principles of it are renewed, by the ... heart of stone, and create a
heart of flesh ... And even where revelation is vouchsafed [graciously given], the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon v immanuel.htm

An Address to the Regenerate, Founded on the Preceding Discourses.
... occasion of greater mischief; God should graciously incline our ... the instances in
which this perverse heart of mine ... to the honor of God, that renewed life which ...
/.../doddridge/practical discourses on regeneration/discourse x an address to.htm

The Parable of the Wedding Feast
... in which the Son of God has graciously been pleased ... with good things and our youth
is renewed like the ... God becomes our Father, and reveals his paternal heart. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the parable of the wedding.htm

The Life of John Campbel Earl of Loudon.
... and at last renewed his protest, where upon lord Loudon ... and the bishops being galled
to the heart to see ... your majesty (saith he) may be graciously pleased to ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of john campbel.htm

The Protevangelium.
... that it is the desire of his heart to destroy ... who says, "Meanwhile we see how graciously
the Lord ... us with horror, the recollection of our apostasy is renewed.". ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the protevangelium.htm

Introduction.
... all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will ... remembered involuntarily, yet
remembered with renewed and increasing ... communings with his own heart, or avowals ...
//christianbookshelf.org/montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/introduction.htm

Appendix.
... before the view of which the heart dies down ... and Paten, the symbols of the renewed
troth of ... May that memorial be graciously received whensoever, by whomsoever ...
/.../various/the sermons and addresses at the seabury centenary/appendix.htm