We are all familiar with the expression “the heart,” and at least in Western society, almost all of us understand the dual meaning that is attached to it.
The Organ
First of all, we may think of the heart in medical terms, as that entity in us that pumps our blood around our bodies. As such, the heart is indeed a wonderful organ, for it must continue beating if we are to stay alive. If the heart stops beating and nothing is done to remedy the situation, irreversible damage to the body occurs in less than five minutes, especially to the brain.
In a normal healthy person, the heart may beat close to 100,000 times in a 24-hour day, pumping an average of five liters per minute. During vigorous exercise, this volume may increase to 10 or 15 liters per minute, and even higher in those in tip-top condition.
What is also wonderful about the heart is that it has its own natural, internal pacemaker, the so-called sinoatrial (or SA) node. The impulses that cause the heart to beat in a proper manner originate here and are transmitted down to the rest of the heart through nerve fibers. These impulses continue to be generated in a regular sequence, independent of the central nervous system. The speed of these impulses can be modified, of course, by various factors in the body, which we will not enlarge upon here. When I was in medical school, I well remember asking one of my professors what caused these impulses to be generated by the SA node. His reply was, “God does, if you believe in Him.” I replied that I certainly did believe in Him, for only He could create something that would continually send out impulses for a lifetime, to keep the heart going.
Thoughts and Feelings
However, as we have mentioned, the expression “the heart” has another meaning, and it is this meaning with which we are concerned in this issue of The Christian. The Word of God uses the term “heart” more than 800 times, nearly always with the meaning of “thoughts and feelings.” The expression is used first of all in Genesis 6:55And 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. (Genesis 6:5), where it is recorded that God said, “Every imagination of the thoughts of his [man’s] heart was only evil continually.” The verse that follows refers to God’s heart, where it is recorded that “it grieved Him [God] at His heart.” If we look at the various references to the heart in Scripture, we see that it is a general expression for all the inner man. Sometimes it is spoken of as the seat of the affections and will, while at other times (as in the verse quoted from Genesis 6:55And 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. (Genesis 6:5)) it refers to our sinful self with its evil desires. When Scripture says, “If our heart condemn us” (1 John 3:2020For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20)), then it encompasses the conscience as well as the affections. When we read, “My son, give me thine heart” (Prov. 23:2626My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23:26)), it is more our affections that are in view. In Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) we read that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Here it is man in all his sinfulness as a result of his fall. When we read, “The veil is upon their heart” (2 Cor. 3:1515But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. (2 Corinthians 3:15)), it is spiritual perception or lack of it. Thus, within the framework of the Word of God, the heart refers to all moral exercise within us. The word must, of course, be interpreted to some extent by the context in which it is used.
The Mind
The expression “the mind” in Scripture may sometimes overlap “the heart” in meaning, but there is a distinction; they are not synonymous terms. The heart refers more to the seat of desire and affection, while the mind is connected more with thinking, perception and reason. Thus, my heart tends to go toward what is important to me — where my affections are—but I have the ability to set my mind on something as an act of my will. Thus the will, while, in one sense, being part of the mind, also controls it and directs it in different ways. But as to the heart, our Lord Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:3434For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:34)). We find the two expressions used in connection with Nebuchadnezzar: “His heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride” (Dan. 5:2020But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: (Daniel 5:20)). His heart was lifted up in pride, and as a result of that pride he hardened his mind against God. In other articles in this issue, we have sought to bring out some of what Scripture says concerning our heart and God’s heart.
“The Heart”
It is interesting to notice that even in the world at large, the expression “the heart” has a large place in our everyday speech, and particularly in the realm of affection and love. We speak of someone having a “large heart” for some particular cause, or of an individual who “puts his whole heart” into something. We speak of those who have fallen in love, saying, for example, that “she lost her heart” to someone. Figures of hearts are used to indicate love between individuals, and they are often featured in Valentine’s Day cards and anniversary cards.
Concerning the expression “the heart,” a writer in the New York Times recently made this observation:
“To accurately size up a human situation, you have to project a certain quality of attention that is personal, gentle, respectful, intimate and affectionate — more moving with and feeling into than simply observing with detachment. ... I see less and less of this sort of attention in America, even amid the tragedies of 2020. Far from softening toward one another, the whole country feels even more rived, more hardened and increasingly blind to lives other than our own.”
It is sad to see this tendency creeping up on us, and surely it is not limited to the United States of America. But we must realize that it is familiarity with the heart of God in Christianity that has brought about the philanthropy and goodwill that has been seen in Christendom over the years, and which consequently has spilled over into the rest of the world. But with the giving up of God and His Word, it is not surprising that man has become more self-centered, narcissistic and callous toward the feelings and plight of others.
W. J. Prost