Topical Bible: Heart: The Unregenerate is a Fountain of Evil

◄ Heart: The Unregenerate is a Fountain of Evil ►

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In biblical theology, the heart is often depicted as the center of human will, emotion, and intellect. It is the seat of moral and spiritual life, influencing actions and thoughts. The unregenerate heart, in its natural state, is portrayed as inherently sinful and a source of evil, reflecting humanity's fallen nature.

Biblical Descriptions of the Unregenerate Heart

The Bible provides numerous insights into the condition of the unregenerate heart. In Genesis 6:5, the Lord observes the pervasive wickedness of humanity, stating, "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 verse underscores the continuous and pervasive nature of evil within the unregenerate heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 further elaborates on this condition: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" . Here, the heart is described as deceitful and incurable, emphasizing its propensity to lead individuals away from righteousness and truth.

The Source of Evil Actions

The unregenerate heart is not only a repository of evil thoughts but also the source of evil actions. Jesus Himself addresses this in Matthew 15:19, where He states, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" . This passage highlights the heart as the origin of various sins, illustrating how internal corruption manifests in external behaviors.

The Need for Regeneration

The unregenerate heart's condition necessitates divine intervention for transformation. Ezekiel 36:26 offers a prophetic promise of this transformation: "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 promise points to the need for a spiritual rebirth, where God replaces the hardened, sinful heart with one that is responsive to His will.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The transformation of the heart is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit. In John 3:5-6, Jesus explains to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit" . This passage underscores the necessity of spiritual rebirth, facilitated by the Holy Spirit, to overcome the inherent evil of the unregenerate heart.

Implications for Believers

For believers, understanding the nature of the unregenerate heart serves as a reminder of the transformative power of God's grace. It calls for vigilance against the remnants of the old nature and reliance on the Holy Spirit for sanctification. As Paul writes in Romans 8:5-6, "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace" . This contrast between the flesh and the Spirit highlights the ongoing battle within the believer to live according to the new heart given by God.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Regeneration.
... not only as the source or fountain of good ... a benevolent ultimate choice is a good
heart, out of ... been shown to be universal among the unregenerate moral agents ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxvii regeneration.htm

A Penitent Heart, the Best New Year's Gift
... God, and the unholy nature of carnal and unregenerate men ... Had you now a heart to
turn from your sins unto ... and see his side pierced; there is a fountain open for ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/a penitent heart the best.htm

A Picture of Conversion. 2 Kings ii. 19-22.
... I.--- WE HAVE A PICTURE OF AN UNREGENERATE HEART. ... wise prayer, "Cleanse Thou the
thoughts of our heart by the ... men do not see that an impure fountain cannot be ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/lvii a picture of conversion.htm

Holy Raiment of One's Own Weaving.
... by the soul, so that the heart's evil manifestations and ... Do not many of the unregenerate
shudder at much that ... that which descends from Him, the Fountain of all ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/v holy raiment of ones.htm

Christian Sympathy
... the poor and suffering which exists in many an unregenerate heart. ... of Jesus without
a leaping heart and rejoicing ... come up from the sacred fountain, having left ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/christian sympathy.htm

The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent
... mankind, but could not trace them to the fountain-head ... evil, we shall entice others
to do evil also ... But thus it is with an unhumbled, unregenerate heart; It will ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the seed of the woman.htm

Whitefield -- the Method of Grace
... is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm ... ever you can speak
peace to your heart, whether by ... begins to feel and see the fountain from which ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/whitefield the method of.htm

Israel's Hope; Or, the Centre of the Target
... himself, as the Lord of mercy, and fountain of redemption ... love, learned at once to
hate evil, and to ... deceiving than the notion of the unregenerate heart that it ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/israels hope or the centre.htm

God's Sovereignty and the Human Will
... to their source and declares that their fountain is the ... to reach forth for it, and
his heart not only ... that are in the flesh (the unregenerate) cannot please God ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter seven gods sovereignty and.htm

Confession of Sin Illustrated by the Cases of Dr. Pritchard and ...
... ready acknowledgments of a man whose heart is touched ... Now, the confessions of
unregenerate men are precisely ... God, to forsake the Creator's fountain of living ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 11 1865/confession of sin illustrated by.htm