Topical Bible: The Heart: we should Keep God's Statutes With All

◄ The Heart: we should Keep God's Statutes With All ►

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

Topical Encyclopedia

The heart, in biblical terms, often represents the center of human emotion, will, and intellect. It is the seat of our moral and spiritual life, and Scripture frequently emphasizes the importance of the heart in our relationship with God. The Bible calls believers to love and serve God with all their heart, underscoring the necessity of wholehearted devotion to His statutes and commandments.

Biblical Foundation

The call to keep God's statutes with all one's heart is rooted in the Shema, a central declaration of faith in Judaism found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This commandment highlights the comprehensive nature of our devotion, where the heart is the primary organ of love and obedience.

Wholehearted Obedience

The Bible consistently teaches that obedience to God's statutes must be wholehearted. In Deuteronomy 11:13, God promises blessings for those who "diligently obey My commandments that I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." This passage emphasizes that true obedience is not merely external but involves the inner commitment of the heart.

The Heart's Role in Righteousness

The heart's condition is crucial in determining one's righteousness before God. Proverbs 4:23 advises, "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life." This verse underscores the heart's role as the wellspring of life, influencing thoughts, actions, and ultimately, one's relationship with God. A heart aligned with God's statutes is essential for living a life that pleases Him.

Repentance and Renewal

Scripture also acknowledges the human heart's propensity to stray from God's ways. Jeremiah 17:9 warns, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Despite this, God offers hope for renewal. Ezekiel 36:26-27 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. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances."

The Heart in the New Covenant

In the New Testament, the heart remains central to the believer's relationship with God. Jesus reiterates the importance of loving God with all one's heart in Matthew 22:37-38: "Jesus declared, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." This commandment encapsulates the essence of the Law and the Prophets, calling believers to a life of complete devotion.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers believers to keep God's statutes with all their heart. Romans 5:5 states, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." The Spirit transforms and guides the heart, enabling believers to live in accordance with God's will.

Conclusion

The heart is central to the biblical understanding of obedience and devotion to God. Believers are called to love and serve God with all their heart, keeping His statutes as an expression of their faith and commitment. Through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, the heart is renewed, enabling believers to walk in God's ways and reflect His righteousness in their lives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 26:16
This day the LORD your God has commanded you to do these statutes and judgments: you shall therefore keep and do them with all your heart, and with all your soul.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God the Teacher.
... Thy Law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. ... with the most intense interest;
lest you too should be wrecked ... If we do not know and keep the Laws of God ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xi god the teacher.htm

Britain's Mercies, and Britain's Duty
... "My heart, says Deborah, is towards (ie ... And God, even our own God, would yet give
us more abundant blessings! And why should not we "observe God's statutes ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/britains mercies and britains duty.htm

The King 'Blessing' his People
... adequate hope and object of our nature, we should give our ... We, too, are tempted to
bring Him divided hearts, and ... to serve Him with all our heart and strength ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the king blessing his people.htm

The Man after God's Own Heart
... You question whether it is right that life should be such a ... He is too full to speak,
so his heart bursts into ... Therefore we must find in the Bible the praise of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/the man after gods own.htm

What is God's Will?
... it would be absurd to imagine that God should ever keep ... Passing through the human
heart of Christ, the older ... How can we keep these ten grave laws, with their ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/what is gods will.htm

Man's Inability to Keep the Moral Law
... the copy of God's law written on his heart; no sooner ... by nature, we not only want
strength, but we want will ... Oh, that the devil should rock men so fast asleep ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/3 1 mans inability to keep.htm

The one Escape.
... "Incline mine heart unto Thy ... the special trouble was, in which the Psalmist found
himself, we are not ... they did wrong, that was no reason why he should do wrong ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xiii the one escape.htm

An Appendix to the Beatitudes
... The heart would be ready to run wild in sin ... the precepts of Christ as a yoke keep
the godly ... Whither should we not run, into what damnable opinions and practices ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/an appendix to the beatitudes.htm

The Holy Nation
... Undeserved mercies steal into the heart like the breath of ... When we have tasted God's
sweetness, we think with more ... and He wills that the world should know His ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the holy nation.htm

A Kingdom's Epitaph
... the Lord had charged them, that they should not do ... of Israel are repeated by every
heart departing from ... We have little conception of the strength of faith and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a kingdoms epitaph.htm