Topical Bible: Heart: Renewed

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In the biblical context, the concept of a "renewed heart" is deeply rooted in the transformative work of God in the life of a believer. The heart, often seen as the center of one's emotions, will, and intellect, is a focal point for spiritual renewal and transformation. The renewal of the heart is a theme that runs throughout Scripture, emphasizing the necessity of divine intervention for true change.

Old Testament Foundations

The Old Testament lays the groundwork for understanding the need for a renewed heart. In Jeremiah 17:9, the prophet declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" . This verse highlights the inherent sinfulness and deceitfulness of the human heart, underscoring the need for divine renewal.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 provides a prophetic promise of this renewal: "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. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances" . Here, God promises a transformation that involves both a new heart and the indwelling of His Spirit, enabling obedience and a life aligned with His will.

New Testament Fulfillment

The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of these Old Testament promises through the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul writes, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!" . This passage speaks to the comprehensive renewal that occurs when one is united with Christ, including the renewal of the heart.

The process of heart renewal is further explained in Romans 12:2, where believers are exhorted, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" . This transformation involves a continual renewal that affects both the heart and mind, enabling believers to live in accordance with God's will.

Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the renewal of the heart. In Titus 3:5, Paul emphasizes that God "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 Holy Spirit is the agent of renewal, bringing about the new birth and ongoing transformation in the believer's life.

Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities reflect a renewed heart, transformed by the Spirit's work within.

Practical Implications

The renewal of the heart has practical implications for the believer's life. A renewed heart results in a life characterized by love for God and others, as seen in the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-39). It also involves a commitment to holiness and obedience, as the believer seeks to live out the new identity in Christ.

Psalm 51:10 captures the prayerful desire for heart renewal: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" . This plea reflects the ongoing need for God's transformative work, as believers continually seek His grace to renew and purify their hearts.

In summary, the concept of a renewed heart is central to the Christian faith, emphasizing the transformative power of God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is a work that begins with salvation and continues throughout the believer's life, resulting in a heart that reflects the character and will of God.

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Deuteronomy 30:6
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.
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Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
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Ezekiel 11:19
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
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Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, O house of Israel?
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Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
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Romans 2:29
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
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Ephesians 4:23
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
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Colossians 3:10
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
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Library

The Test of Discipleship
... "We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19, RV In the heart renewed
by divine grace, love is the principle of action. It ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 7 the test of.htm

The Stony Heart Removed
... The hard heart does not love God, but the renewed heart does. The hard heart is
selfish, cold, stolid. ... Now, the privileges of this renewed heart are these. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the stony heart removed.htm

The Story of an Opium Smoker
... At the close of three weeks' treatment in the Refuge, Fan returned home a new creature,
restored in body and mind, and with a heart renewed in hope. ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter x the story of.htm

Sacrifice Renewed
... THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES SACRIFICE RENEWED. ... the congregation brought in sacrifices
and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/sacrifice renewed.htm

The Fruits of Grace
... But get the heart renewed, and let the man receive the Saviour, and perhaps the
greatest mercies he has are those which are blessings in disguise. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/the fruits of grace.htm

The King after Man's Heart
... the sop, as a last token of friendship, a last appeal to his heart? ... There the Covenant
had been renewed, after the wanderers had crossed the river, with Joshua ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the king after mans heart.htm

Prayer Born of Compassion
... We speak here more particularly of spiritual compassion, that which is born
in a renewed heart, and which finds hospitality there. ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/x prayer born of compassion.htm

A Faithful Witness
... found. "We love Him, because He first loved us." In the heart renewed by
divine grace, love is the ruling principle of action. It ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 54 a faithful witness.htm

The Monk of Thagaste
... now under his feet, but quick to be unchained at the first gust of wind; and he
did not feel either the overflowing energy swelling his heart renewed by Grace ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iii the monk of thagaste.htm

How, While the Whole Heart is Employed in Sacred Love, yet one May ...
... different from himself in this love; and that with his second heart which God created
pure and clean in him, and with his right spirit which God renewed in his ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter iii how while the.htm