1
God gave us a Perfect Heart; He is able to keep it perfect
In order to receive a new, perfect heart we must be made clean from all our past sins:
Ezek 36:25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean...
What is this clean water that cleanses us from all our past sins? The word of God:
Eph 5:26 That he might....cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, KJV
John 15:3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
What part do we play? We believe God’s words. With what part of us? With our hearts:
Eph 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation...
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness (cleansed from sin),
At the moment we are cleansed from sin we are given a new heart, that is, a new spirit:
Ezek 36:26 I will give you a new heart; put a new spirit within you...
This is the new birth, our heart or spirit is re-created, made over and is brand new. Who created it? God. If He created this new heart how do we describe it? It’s perfect:
2 Cor 5:17-18 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new...all things are of God...
Eph 4:24 ...The new man (the new heart), which after God is created in
KJV righteousness (no sin) and true holiness (holiness means it is perfect).
Ps 101:2 ...I will walk within my house (of flesh) with a perfect heart...
When I’m born again God gives me a perfect heart, there is nothing imperfect about it. It’s a brand new creation by God Who cannot create anything that isn’t perfect. But what about the rest of me, my outer or human nature? That is still unclean, contaminated with sin and imperfect. So now I have two natures that ere in conflict:
Rom 7:17-18 (written by a Christian) ...It is sin that dwells in me. For I know that in
Me, that is, in my flesh (my human nature), nothing good dwells...
Gal 5:17 For what our human nature wants is opposed to what our spirit wants,
and what our spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, (over our will or soul) and our wishes are never free from their pressures. TEV/TLB
Has God made a way to keep our hearts perfect? Yes, Christ the perfect One lives there:
Our new and perfect hearts have the ability to think and to believe, as distinct from our
2
heads or intellects. They can either believe good, that is of God, thoughts, or evil, that
is not of God, thoughts. Our hearts are our new nature, how we continue to believe in them determines who we really are. God wants to fill our hearts with His Spirit, which is the Spirit of peace, so He can keep our hearts perfect as we let Him rule our thoughts.
Prov 23:7 For as he thinks (and believes) in his heart, so is he...(for good or evil)
Col 3:15 Let the peace of God rule, act as umpire continually in your hearts
AMP deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds;
1 Cor 12:3 ...No one can say that Jesus is Lord (and ruling) but by the Holy Spirit.
Rom 14:17 The kingdom of God is...peace...in the Holy Spirit.
Phil 4:7 God's peace (His Spirit), which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. TEV
When our hearts stay under the continuing influence, rule, of the Holy Spirit, meaning we continue to obey all His leadings, they are kept clean and perfect and joined to Christ. And they ever continue to receive and believe more of the seeds of God’s word.
Luke 8:15 The ones (seeds of more of God’s words) that fell on the good ground
are those who, having heard the word with a beautiful and good (perfect) heart, keep it (believe and do it) and bear fruit with patience.
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (as you keep believing)
Col 1:28 Him (Christ, the living word) we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 6:17 He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (the perfect One).
This new and perfect heart, given by God to every born again Christian, as it continues to be ruled by God’s perfect Spirit, and continues to think on more of God’s perfect thoughts which are His living words, is kept perfect. It remains joined to and one with the perfect One, Jesus Christ and has His meekness, a willingness to hear and to do God’s will. In this state, it is not capable of being corrupted with sin. This perfect spirit remains in submission to the Father who birthed it, and so is very precious in His sight:
1 Pet 3:4 Let it be the hidden person of the heart, the incorruptible beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Matt 11:29 (Jesus) ...Learn (receive) of me; for I am meek and humble in heart:
1 Cor 1:30 ...Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us...righteousness...
Isa 32:17 ...The result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust (toward God) forever. AMP
Heb 12:9 ...Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of (our meek and quiet and perfect) spirits and live (alive to Him now and forever)
3
Matt 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1 Pet 1:16 Because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (To be holy is to be perfect)
If my spirit or heart can be kept perfect, and my human nature remains unchangeably evil, do I have an ongoing need for salvation? Yes the salvation of your will, your soul:
To be given a new heart or spirit by God at the new birth is only the beginning of my salvation. For now I have two natures, my heart which is perfect and my human nature or flesh which is evil. And the part of me that chooses which of these two natures governs me is my will, which is my soul. My will now needs to be saved from choosing to submit to the evil influences of my flesh and of the world and of the devil. It is only as I let God save my will, so that I, by Him, overcome these three enemies, that I’m saved.
Ps 143:8 ...Cause me (God) to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You (I yield my will to your will).
How does God turn my will away from all wrong and enable me to do only what is right? By the power of His living words in my heart as I continue to receive and believe them.
By these words, which are Christ’s nature, He strengthens and enlarges my heart so that it becomes able, by more of Him in it, to win the battle with my flesh for my will.
Jam 1:21 ...Receive with meekness (a hearing heart, more of) the implanted word,
NKJV/AMP which has the power to save your souls (your wills, from your own flesh)
Heb 10:39 But we are...of those who (continue to) believe to the saving of the soul.
1 Pet 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.
Ps 119:32 I will run in the path of your commands for you shall enlarge my heart.
1 Co 1:18 The message of the cross is to us who are being saved the power of God
Pro 29:18 Where there is no (continuing) revelation (of God through His words), the people cast off restraint...(and their own flesh again dominates their will)
The power to remain free from our sinful human nature is available to us by the continued engrafting of God’s words into our hearts, keeping them perfect, and by the ruling over us, the lordship, of God’s Holy Spirit. If we reject His words and His Spirit, Jesus Christ, our flesh will rule our wills and we will die to God. But if we let Him save our souls from death, by staying occupied in out thought lives with God, with His words and the voice of His Spirit, we will stay alive to God now and inherit eternity. But often:
Luke 19:14 (its Christians who say) we will not have this man (Christ) to rule over us.
Rom 8:13 For if you (Christians) live according to the dictates of the flesh you will die (die to and stay dead to God). But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live forever. AMP
Rom 8:5 Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. TEV
