Rom. 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.When the Bible speaks of the heart, what does it mean? I remember when the heart transplant first started and I had some people ask, " if a person that is saved had a heart attack and received the heart of a lost person would they have to get saved again?". If you think that hilarious then the reason is because the heart transplant has been around as long as a lot of you have. But when they first started heart transplants and most people did not understand what the Bible meant when it stated, "believe in the heart," they were serious about the question. When people get under Holy Ghost conviction, which is very rare these days, it feels as if the heart is going to burst so people believed that it was the heart organ which believed. If you do not understand what God means by the word heart, then this is a good question. The first three times the word heart is mentioned in the Word Of God reveals what the heart of man consists of. The first time it is found is in Genesis 6 : 5 "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Notice the words "thoughts of the heart". This is the intellectual part of a man, the mind. This enables a man to reject or believe the Word of God and thereby be saved or lost. The second time the word heart is mentioned is in Genesis 6 : 6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." Notice the words "grieved him at his heart.." This is the emotional make up of a man. The emotions of men are grief, love, hate, joy, anger, happiness, sadness, etc. So by the word grieved we understand this is referring to the emotions. When a person is under conviction the Holy Spirit stirs up his emotions. The third time the word heart is mentioned is in Genesis 8 : 21 "And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done." Notice the words "The Lord said in his heart, I will", this shows God’s will is in His heart and man being created in His image also has a will within his heart.. With this will he can choose to do right or wrong, get saved or stay lost. Now the Calvinists say man has no will to get saved because their salvation is predetermined before the foundation of the world. But when he gets saved he can will to do right or wrong, good or evil. There is a fool born every day. So biblically speaking, a man's heart consist of his emotions, mind and will. This is the real person and not the outward appearance. When a person is saved he is a new creature and is to love the Lord with all his heart, have the mind of Christ and a surrendered will to the word of God. Old things are passed away and all things become new. The order in which the word heart is found in the book Genesis is the same order that God deals with a person about their sinful condition. God will first deal with a person
with the word of God which has to be believed or rejected by the
intellect. Romans 10:13-17 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? Next God deals with a person emotionally through his conscience which will produce guilt or as we conviction. John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. In Romans 10:9 notice the words Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus can't be a person's Lord without that person's will being surrendered to His. Rom. 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Mark chapter four we find a parable pertaining to the aower and the Kingdom Of God. Jesus explains the parable in verse 14-20 1. Verse 15 deals with the intellect, (hear the word), but the devil confuses their mind thereby he keeps them from believing. Mark And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
2. Verses 16-17 deals with the emotions, notice they received the
word with gladness. Mark 4:16
And these are they
likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard
the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time:
afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's
sake, immediately they are offended.
3. In verses 18-19 their will was for self and this world, not the
surrendered will toward the Lord Jesus Christ and living the
Christian life. Mark 4:18
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and
the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it
becometh unfruitful.
4. Verse 20 says these people are the ones who hear the word, receive
it in their hearts and their will being surrendered
to the Lord Jesus Christ and
His work there of. Mark
4:20
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word,
and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some
sixty, and some an hundred.
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