A New Heart Part 1

A New Heart - Part 1

I saw a heart that tries to express itself in love, but at the back of the heart, it is trying hard to mend the wounds of the past. Then the Spirit said to me, "This is what My people think. But I have already given them a new heart to live out."

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. - Ezekiel 36:26 (cross ref Heb 8:10)

Christianity is not about trying harder. It's about trusting Him more. The Old Covenant reveals that trying harder does not work. In the New Covenant, we have been made complete in Christ (Col 2:10). The Christian life is not about living towards the finished works. It's about beginning from the finished works. If we don't start where Christ has completed, we will never grow unto perfection.

Many believers often think that God has to heal their broken hearts and mend their wounds before they could really walk out in love. You cannot find any Scripture on healing the broken hearts in the New Testament except for Luke 4:18, because Jesus was sent to reach the lost sheep of Israel (and some Gentiles in the process) who were not yet born again.

Note: In fact, many early manuscripts omit "heal the broken hearts". Check out ESV, NASB and NRSV, etc.

When you are born again, you have received a new heart (Eze 36:26). God's love has been poured into our (new) hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).

In other words, we have received the power to love, and we can express His love.

Question: What about inner healing of our heart? Don't we need it?

If you can find a Scripture in the epistles that talk about it, then I would be glad to change my mind. Inner healing is needed for an 'old covenant' heart. But God has provided a better covenant and a better way through Christ ------ a NEW heart and a NEW spirit.

We can still choose to operate from the old (covenant) heart or the New (covenant) heart. The former is of the carnal mind, while the latter is of the spiritual mind (Rom 8:5-7).

Why then do some believers feel difficult to love others because of 'unhealed' wounds? Well, this has to do with mind renewal (Rom 12:2).

In the next part, we will talk about how we can walk in our new heart and keep growing in expressing love.