The Renewed Heart

THE RENEWED HEART God's answer to the sinfulness of the human heart is regeneration, which happens in individuals who truly repent, turn to God by faith and accept Jesus as the Forgiver of their sins and Leader of their lives. Regeneration refers to a heart that has been spiritually reborn, renewed, revitalized, reformed and redeveloped (all being necessary processes of the newness) to where it is right with God. --- UNDERSTANDING REGENERATION 1. BORN AGAIN (John 3:3) Regeneration refers to the heart being "born again." Those who repent from their heart of all sin and confess in their heart that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9) are "born again" spiritually and receive a new spiritual heart from God (cf. Ps. 51:10; Ezek. 11:19). 2. A NEW DESIRE TO LOVE AND OBEY For those who experience this spiritual birth, God creates within them a desire to love him and to obey him. Repeatedly God makes it clear to his people the necessity of expressing a love that comes from the heart (see Deut. 4:29; 6:6). This type of true love for God and devotion to him cannot be separated from obedience to his Word (cf. Ps. 119:34, 69, 112). True love for God and faithful obedience to God are like two sides of the same coin (John 14:15, 23; 1 John 2:5; 5:3). Jesus said the way to fulfill all the law of God is to love God wholeheartedly and love others unselfishly (Matt. 22:37-40). 3. LOVE FROM THE HEART IS NECESSARY Love from the heart is the necessary part of obedience to God. But it is often the part that is lacking. Too often God's people try to substitute a practice of religious rituals and regulations (such as sacred feast days, offerings and sacrifices) for a genuine love from the heart (see Isa. 1:10-17; Amos 5:21-26; Mic. 6:6-8). Outward activity without an inner desire to serve God is not true love and devotion. In fact, it is being boastful and false, and it is greatly condemned by Jesus (see Matt. 23:13-28; Luke 21:1-4). 4. SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES OF THE TRANSFORMED HEART Many other spiritual activities take place in the hearts of those who are spiritually transformed: - Praise God with all their heart (Ps. 9:1) - Meditate on God's Word in their heart (Ps. 19:14) - Cry out to God from the heart (Ps. 84:2) - Seek God with all their heart (Ps. 119:2, 10) - Hide God's Word in their heart (Ps. 119:11) - Trust in the Lord with all their heart (Prov. 3:5) - Forgive others from their heart (Matt. 18:35) - Experience God's love poured into their heart (Rom. 5:5) - Give to God from their heart (2 Cor. 9:7) - Sing to God in their heart (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16) - Love other Christians from their heart (1 Pet. 1:22) Above all, they live from a heart that has been transformed by God.