The title of this site may confuse some. In many of Paul’s epistles the word flesh is used to describe our carnality and sinful nature.
[Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.] -Galatians 5:19-21
This of course is not the type of “flesh” I’m referring to. In other areas the bible uses the word flesh to denote a person’s physical body or marriage partner…..
[Then the man said,“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”] -Genesis 5:23
But once again this is not the type of “flesh” im referring to. Before we go to the text that solves this matter let us look at something that Jesus said.
[ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?]
-John 3:5-10
Notice that Jesus uses the word flesh in this passage to distinguish a natural physical birth from a spiritual birth. The bible teaches that man is born spiritually dead and needs to be regenerated (born-again). This is what Jesus was trying to tell Nicodemus. He was surprised that Nic didnt understand. Being a teacher he should have been familiar with Old Testament scripture and noticed the prohphecy Jesus was alluding to. Which is……..
[ And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.] -Ezekiel 36:26
The heart of “flesh” is not a heart of stone….a heart that is spritually dead, resistent to truth, and not willing to follow or obey Christ . It is alive, being able to feel the consequences of sin and how precious Christ is. A regenerated heart is willling and able to follow Christ. It is not stone but tender and soft, feeling deep sorrow for sinning against God and feeling compassion for a world that is lost. If this is true, what do we do with all the christians who say they are “born-again” but show no evidence whatsoever that the Holy Spirit has done anything to them (stone heart replacement surgery) ? please tell me your thoughts.
17 Comments
August 30, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Danny, I like ur biblical facts and evidence used here! I love how you break it down and show us the process! You give plenty of examples of types of flesh referred to in the bible and u r humorous simultaneously! Keep it goin my brother!!!
1 luv and God bless
August 30, 2007 at 6:47 pm
thanks chris.
August 31, 2007 at 2:36 am
Honestly, at first i had no idea what the title meant[heart of flesh] but at the end I got it.I pray that God will give us that Heart of flesh.That is a beautiful thing that God will actually give us a Heart of flesh that will help us want to seek and follow him,and feel hurt and feel bad for our sin,and hurt because we hurt the one we love the most which should be Christ.
August 31, 2007 at 2:45 am
Yes, christians should have hearts that hurt. Many prophets and saints were “weak” people who grieved over their sin and the sin of their people. Jeremiah a.k.a. “the weeping prophet”.
August 31, 2007 at 2:52 am
I agree,christians should have hearts that hurt because then if we do we will know that sin hurts us and we will be able to hate sin.We should hate sin because God hates sin.
August 31, 2007 at 3:24 am
This blog really struck me when i first read… cause i was the type to think a heart of flesh was a heart conformed to this world.. as you said in your first point.. flesh to describe our ‘carnility and sinful nature’… as i kept on reading.. after each point that u said, i told myself “oh, this is what a heart of flesh is”.. but then was let down to know, that it wasnt what each paragraph made it out to be. I really like how you gave the true definition to what a heart of flesh is.. a flesh after Gods own heart. And your right when you said, how many christians today are saved, but have lost their once fleshy heart… I really just pray that we get that fire for God that we once had.. and keep the purpose of our salvation in our mind. Really enjoyed reading this, great bible refrences, keep it comin dann!
August 31, 2007 at 3:26 am
Solid my brother
August 31, 2007 at 3:28 am
thanks deb. i must point something out tho…..can people who are saved have hearts of stone? isnt it necessary to have a heart of flesh to be able to believe and repent?
August 31, 2007 at 3:40 am
People who are saved, dont completely have hearts of stone.. i dont think. I would describe it to be “a hard boiled egg”.. tough on the outside, but still soft and tender inside.
August 31, 2007 at 3:50 am
Well, there are christians who appear to have hard hearts sometimes but i believe that genuine believers always have brokeness. they might slip and fall into sin but return in repentance like David in the psalms.
The christian heart may still have hard spots but it is tender enought to admit like paul did…” WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM!” romans 7:24
August 31, 2007 at 4:30 am
course, but when i mean, hard boil egg hearts, they are of course tender; and no matter what: they still recognize what they do, and are guilty about it. Those christians, do follow Christ.. to others they seem really devoted to God. but the hard outside shell is just: them not following the will that God has for their lives. They have a pre-set course of their life, what they want to be… how they want their future to go. Yea, they are still living for Christ, but arent up for the full potential of what he has set out for him.”Drinking from a sprinkler” when it comes to their possibilties instead of “drinking from niagra falls” when it comes to Gods possibilities. And I do that alot too, we all do. Sidetracking to do what we want, but forgeting what God wants. .. . thats what i mean, not jus repenting and recognizing your down points: but doing Gods will.
August 31, 2007 at 4:58 am
Deb, this reminds me of the “LORDSHIP SALVATION” controversy. to find out more about it, read this….
http://www.enjoyinggodministries.com/article/the-lordship-salvation-debate
There is a false teaching that believes someone can receive Christ as “Savior” but not necessarily as “Lord” of their life.
[....And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.] -Ezekiel 36:26
A christian will follow and obey Christ, although it is not a perfect obedience. I know that you probably dont believe this false teaching….and i would agree with you that we can always drink more and more of Christ than we do now…..but beware of those people who profess to believe in Christ but Christ does not appear to be the Lord of their life.
September 2, 2007 at 1:00 am
This blog is heatin up! Let’s keep this pumping for Christ!!!…hey everybody and God bless you.
November 22, 2007 at 10:04 am
Very nice. God revealed to you the connection between Ezekial and Jesus’ discussion with Nic. However, your writing suggested Nic didn’t get the Lord’s instruction. I am a bit more optimistic. I will bet you a dollar that we meet Nic in Heaven. Unlike some of the Pharaees, Nic seemed to be truly seeking God. You would probably be happy to pay me off because I suspect you also would like meet Nic one day too.
November 22, 2007 at 11:22 am
Edwin,
thanks for responding to the post. “your writing suggested Nic didn’t get the Lord’s instruction”…my writing suggests that becuase that is what i believe. it is clear in scripture that Nicodemus did not fully grasp or understand the teaching that Christ was unfolding, atleast at the onset. this is clear by the comments he made in his dialogue with Jesus…..
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
The story ends without showing us if Nic came to a full realization of Jesus’ teaching at the end. So, i won’t go so far (in this passage) as to say whether Nicodemus fully understood what he was being taught or that he is heaven. but i have good news for you Edwin! Nicodemus is mentioned only one more time in scripture……John 19:39. in it, Nic brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare the crucified body of Christ for burial. for a man to do that for a crucified “criminal” says a lot. so i believe that chances are prety good that Nicodemus eventually became a follower of Christ. grace and peace.
July 26, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Great, Dan, but also note that hearts of flesh are soft hearts – which are pliable; you can sow and grow in them; have room for Christ, the Spirit and the word to take root and grow us into Christ; fill us with the fulness of God. On the other hand, hard or stone hearts are impenetrable, unyielding, stubborn. They resist planting good things in them. Also, weeds and rubbish are hard to pull out. A soft heart is like soft, damp soil – you can tend it, weed it and grow great things in it!
Praise God that changes the heart and not just the externals and frills.
David, East Maitland, Hunter Valley, Australia.
July 27, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Thanks David! Glad to have people from the other side of the world stopping by.