Body, Soul, and Spirit, pt. 5

The final aspect of our series on the tri-partite nature of man that we will cover is the heart. This immaterial possession of man is related to the soul and the spirit and resides deep within us. The heart is at the center of man, in the sense that it is at the core of who we are, the deepest part of our person, the real you.

The Bible teaches a lot about the heart. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Mt. 12:34). Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:1, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.” He writes in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” We see that the heart motivates what we say and do, and it is the true indicator of what we really think and who we really are.

The heart is the seat of the thoughts (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 119:11), emotions (Gen. 6:6; Dt. 6:5), and will (Gen. 20:5; Ex. 8:15). It is also the seat of the conscience (I Sam. 24:5; Rom. 2:15).

Because of the fall, man’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). However, at salvation God gives the repentant sinner a new heart, a new quality of heart, one that loves God, loves righteousness, and keeps His Word (Ezek. 36:26). With salvation, we can love the Lord with all of our heart (Mt. 22:37), and we can praise Him out of a grateful, submissive heart (Eph. 5:19). Nevertheless, you must “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Pro. 4:23).