Topical Bible: The Heart: No Man Can Cleanse

◄ The Heart: No Man Can Cleanse ►

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The heart, in biblical terms, is often seen as the center of human will, emotions, and intellect. It is the seat of moral and spiritual life, reflecting the true nature of a person. The Bible frequently addresses the condition of the human heart, emphasizing its natural inclination towards sin and the inability of man to cleanse it by his own efforts.

The Depravity of the Human Heart

Scripture consistently portrays the human heart as inherently sinful and deceitful. In Jeremiah 17:9, the prophet declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This verse underscores the profound corruption and deceitfulness of the heart, suggesting that its true nature is beyond human comprehension and remedy.

Similarly, in Genesis 6:5, the Lord observes the 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 passage highlights the pervasive and continuous nature of human sinfulness, rooted deeply in the heart.

The Inability of Man to Cleanse His Own Heart

The Bible makes it clear that no human effort can purify the heart. Proverbs 20:9 poses the rhetorical question, "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin'?" This question implies the impossibility of self-cleansing, pointing to the need for divine intervention.

In the New Testament, Jesus reinforces this truth in Mark 7:21-23, where He explains, "For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man." Here, Christ identifies the heart as the source of defilement, emphasizing that external rituals or human efforts cannot address the internal problem of sin.

The Need for Divine Intervention

Given the heart's inherent sinfulness and man's inability to cleanse it, the Bible points to the necessity of divine intervention. 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 promise of a new heart signifies a transformative work that only God can accomplish, replacing the hardened, sinful heart with one that is responsive to Him.

The psalmist echoes this plea for divine cleansing in Psalm 51:10, where David prays, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This prayer acknowledges the need for God's creative power to purify the heart, recognizing that true cleansing comes from Him alone.

The Role of Faith and Grace

The New Testament further elaborates on the means by which God cleanses the heart—through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 15:8-9, Peter testifies, "And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith." This passage highlights that faith in Christ is the channel through which God purifies the heart, a process initiated and sustained by His grace.

In conclusion, the Bible presents the heart as fundamentally flawed and beyond human ability to cleanse. It is only through God's intervention, by His grace and through faith in Jesus Christ, that the heart can be truly purified and transformed.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

That no Man Shall Deem Another, but Give God Praise: and of Eight ...
... thou hast taken praise from the mouth of man: have mind ... that are both few and soon
slipping; in no mickle that ... But now Lord Jesu my heart is enflamed with Thy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter xii that no man.htm

The Heart of Man and the Heart of God
... that, in ways and at times that, like David, we can tell to ... No man, we say with David,
cares for our souls. ... His love and His peace so to fill our heart that we ...
//christianbookshelf.org/whyte/lord teach us to pray/iii the heart of man.htm

"If we Confess Our Sins, He is Faithful and Just to Forgive us Our ...
... the world, and make sin to abound in a man's sight and ... and, above all, the desperate
wickedness of the heart is presented, so there is no sin known ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xix if we confess.htm

'First to Mary'
... them all with the assurance that Christ can cleanse them"prostitutes ... As long as man
is man, so long is God ... No heart is given over to irremediable hardness. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/first to mary.htm

God's Exhaustive Knowledge of Man. [*Continued]
... For if God's exhaustive knowledge of the human heart waken dread in one ... with a
thoroughness and intensity of knowledge of which man has no conception; and ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/gods exhaustive knowledge of man 2.htm

God.
... in hate He has cast off His heritage, His love still wonders how that can be ... All
the desolation of Judah is on Him alone: no man lays it to heart, upon Me is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/1 god.htm

Christ Our Righteousness.
... and faith as a personal state of the mind and heart. ... The fact that a man refuses
to contract any more debts ... So no amount of reformation will make amends for the ...
/.../xii christ our righteousness.htm

All Saints' Day, or St Ursula's Day
... making any choice; he who has such a heart will be ... But before a man can attain to
this, so that his conscience ... it, that he may be clean and no longer consent ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxvii all saints day.htm

Christ the Great Teacher.
... drive out the whole crew who were making merchandise of the house of God, and no
one resisted. ... They can not know the heart. ... But Christ knew what was in man. ...
/.../vi christ the great teacher.htm

Repentance
... need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart
against Christ ... 18:13), regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 3 repentance.htm