HEART

The Greek word for "heart" is kardia (as in the English word "cardiac"). Although "heart" literally refers to the blood-pumping organ in a person's body, the term is rarely used to refer to the physical organ in the Bible (see 2 Sam. 18:14). "Heart" is therefore used mainly figuratively in the Scriptures.

The term refers to certain types of dispositions—both for good and for evil.

• Solomon once wrote of the one with the "prudent heart," which, as he subsequently explains, represents the one who seeks knowledge (Prov. 18:15). Some have a thirst for truth and will search for it (cf. Acts 17:11).
• In one of his parables, Jesus spoke of those who possess the "honest and good heart," i.e., they have an aura of sincerity—a willingness to learn and obey.
• The Lord once rebuked the Jewish leaders of his day, because they were not interested in seeing, hearing, or "understanding with [their] hearts" (Mt. 13:10ff). In some religions, understanding is unimportant because historical facts are irrelevant. With Christianity, that is not the case. The religion of Jesus is both intellectual and emotional.
• A person can be exposed to the truth and even understand its basic elements, yet remain unwilling to obey it. It is essential, therefore, that we cultivate an "obedient heart" (cf. Rom 6:17).
• When we become a Christian, we must grow and guard ourselves against "sliding" back into our old ways. Scripture speaks of those who develop a "backsliding" heart (Prov. 14:14). More than a dozen times, Jeremiah warned the nation of Israel about backsliding (cf. Jer. 3:22), and Hosea called the northern kingdom a "backsliding heifer" (4:16). These admonitions contradict the denominational notion that a child of God cannot be lost (cf. Heb. 3:12). See APOSTASY.
• The Pharaoh of Egypt is an example of someone who so resisted God that his heart became "hardened" (Ex. 8:15, 32; 9:34; 13:15). While it is also true that Jehovah hardened his heart, such language merely expresses God's permissive will. Jehovah made demands on the king that he refused to obey, and the Lord allowed him to grow in stubbornness until a time of reckoning.

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