The New Heart
Zion's Advocate, December 1898, Vol. 37, No. 12
"A new heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." - Ezekiel, xxxvi. 26.The entire gospel, in its truths and precepts, may be proved and illustrated from the Old Testament. Human nature is the same in all ages, and is, therefore, set forth in the history and descriptions found in the Old Testament. That ancient record presents the experience of God's people under the gospel, both in illustrations of human character and the marvelous dispensations of Jehovah. It is true that the prophets themselves did not understand fully the import of their own words, as they testified long before of the coming of the Messiah, of the variety of his complicated sufferings, of the extent of his humiliation, of the height of his exaltation, of the glory, nature, and results of his reign, and of the ultimate happiness of his subjects. Those "who prophesied of the grace that should come" searched to understand what they predicted when they testified of "the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." The Spirit of Christ which was in them revealed to them that they ministered unto God's children in the new dispensation, and not unto themselves. Amid the darkness of the former age they saw the day star from on high and the cheering beams of the Sun of Righteousness, but could not bask in the full enjoyment of the light and warmth. The same divine life enjoyed by the children of God now, was imparted to them by the Spirit that inspired them, but their knowledge of it was obscure. The atonement made by Christ was the ground of their justification through they may not then have fully understood its nature and results. The blessed benefits of the fountain that was opened for sin flowed to them the same as to us, and it was by its cleansing efficacy that they were washed and made clean, but a clear knowledge of all this while in this world was denied them. Many of their predictions were statements of general principles applicable to them the same as to us. Such is true of the passage we now propose to consider. In this prophecy the Lord promises to sprinkle clean water upon his people to cleanse them, and to put his Spirit within them to cause them to walk in his precepts. This work belongs to all ages and dispensations. It was as needful that Abel should be thus favored as the last one that shall be brought into the kingdom.
The natural insensibility, obduracy, and obstinacy of fallen man is here denoted the "stony heart." In Gen. vi. 5. it is declared that God saw not only that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, but that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. He could not have formed an incorrect estimate of the state of the human heart, for he saw into its most hidden recesses. Under the searching power of his infinite vision it was discovered that the workings of the fancy, the contrivances of the understanding, the productions of the imagination, the purposes, desires, and affection of the soul, were all evil, entirely evil, without any mixture of good, and that such condition existed continually. All outward wickedness is traceable to an inward principle of evil in the heart, for "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Matt. xv. 19. Corrupt nature expresses itself in the crimes perpetrated by the body. The fountain of iniquity from which the streams of evil flow is the depraved heart of man. Being a bitter fountain, it cannot send forth sweet water; being a corrupt tree, it cannot bring forth good fruit. We are not giving here a description of an exceptional case, but a general delineation of human character as seen by the penetrating eye of Jehovah, who "looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God," when the decision was rendered that "they are all together become filthy, there is none good, no, not one." Psalms xiv. Paul, after having proved that all were under sin, both Jews and Gentiles, gives a number of passages from the old scriptures describing the depravity of the human race, and deduces the conclusion that "there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 3rd chapter of Romans. If any, like the proud, boastful pharisee, suppose themselves better than others, it only proves they are so blind they cannot see the real state of their hearts. We do not wish to be understood as meaning that all are murderers, and liars, and thieves, and adulterers, exactly alike, and we would not discourage moral instruction and training by presenting the subject of depravity in such a way as to make it appear that we are nothing in every sense, and cannot be something in the world. We do not aim to do this. On the contrary, we believe man, the highest order of God's earthly creation, is a being endowed with faculties susceptible of great possibilities, and it is the indispensable duty of all to strive to attain a high standard of moral rectitude. When we say that the depravity of man is total we do not mean that his conduct is as bad in every sense as it could be, and that no amiable affections have a place in his heart. God has been pleased to implant natural affections in hearts that have no real love for him, so that the evil propensities are balanced to some extent, and even where there is no holiness such feelings of natural love and sympathy exist that human society has many enjoyments. Thus many that care nothing for God or his Holy Word are possessed with neighborly kindness. Men seek good at their own choice and walk in their own ways by deeds of Kindness and natural charity regardless of God's authority. Many men who are irreligious prove to be honest in their dealings, and kind to their fellow men. This is all commendable, and God is to be praised for his goodness to us in having it so. But where real love for God is wanting the grand principle of spiritual service is wanting, because there is a total absence of that pure motive by which moral actions should be directed.
The depravity of the human heart is not the result of evil habits, for evil habits are produced by a repetition of evil actions, and evil actions would not be if there were no evil propensity. David in his penitential psalm wrote, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." He did not stop at confessing actual transgression, but discovers the source of his sinful actions in the pollution of his fallen nature, and showed that his depravity was interwoven in his nature and dated from the very origin of his being.
Man is wholly unable to free himself from this state of depravity, because he lacks the necessary disposition to do so, and if he even had the disposition he has not the power. If this inability were physical the failure to act would be excusable, but it is of a moral nature and is not an excuse for man's depravity but is the depravity itself. No amount of education will eradicate it. As well might one try to educate a vulture to hate the putrid food its nature craves and relish the food of the domestic fowl. As well might one try to train a wolf to be a sheep. The leopard could as easily change his spots, and the Ethiopian his skin, as could the depraved sinner change the enmity of his heart into love for God. The only remedy is for God to take away the stony heart and give a heart of flesh. This means a change of disposition which is effected by the sovereign power of God, the power that called light out of darkness, and raised up Christ from the dead. In this work God is alone, using no means or instrumentalities. It is sometimes urged that he is able to produce this change either by the use of means or without them. The question is not as to what God is able to do, but as to what he does do. There is not a passage in all the bible that teaches that means are employed in the work of regeneration. In taking away the stony heart, and giving a heart of flesh, the Lord works a change in the disposition of the sinner that renders him susceptible of being affected by the gospel.
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