The Heart of Man

It is clear in the Bible that God made us body, soul and spirit. So, where is the heart of man in the totality of our being and how does it fit into the picture of mankind. In this discussion we are not talking about the physical heart which pumps blood throughout our body but the heart or center of our being and how it ties together our body, soul and spirit.

The Word of God shows us that our heart isn’t a fourth, separate part of our being. Instead, our heart is a composition of all three components of our soul—our mind, emotion, and will—plus one of the most important part of our spirit—our conscience. There are verses in the Bible that reveal this.

1. Matthew 9:4
“And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?” Thinking is an activity of the mind, but the Lord Jesus asked the scribes why they were thinking in their hearts. This shows that our mind is part of our heart.

2. Acts 11:23
“Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.” To purpose is to decide strongly to do something, which is an exercise of our will. So this verse shows that our will is part of our heart.

3. John 16:22
“Therefore, you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” Rejoicing is related to our emotions, but here we see that our heart rejoices. This shows us that our emotion is also part of our heart.

4. Hebrews 10:22
“Let us come forward to the Holy of Holies with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience indicates that our conscience is also part of our heart. This is further confirmed by the phrase “if our heart blames us” in 1 John 3:20. Since our conscience blames, or condemns, us when we’ve done something wrong, this verse also makes it very clear that our conscience is part of our heart.

When God regenerates us to life through salvation provided by Jesus his Son it creates a new dynamic with the heart the center of our being and as the verse says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
We truly become a new creation in Christ. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 AMP

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:36-37 NKJV

20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21 NKJV