Time for a New Heart
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 32:26-27
All Scripture is inspired by God. It is all God’s word. Nevertheless, there are some passages of the Bible when we see them, we should sit up and pay special attention to. This is one of those texts. The human problem, the problem facing mankind since the Fall, is a heart problem. One of the things the history of Israel proved is the inability of man to save himself, to be faithful to God, and to achieve perfect righteousness by human willpower and effort. Their history is one of a constant spiraling downward into iniquity.
For them, it was like God would set them on a mountain of righteousness and they would set up camp near the cliffs overlooking the dark valley of sin and then go out every day and stand on the precipice and dare the devil to push them over the edge. Just recall what happened while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law. Or consider the cycles of salvation, sin, and judgment in the Book of Judges. Or look at what happened immediately after the apex of glory under Solomon’s reign. God could give them the high ground, but they could never hold it. And we are no different.
Why is that? What is the explanation for these repeated failures? The problem is always internal. It isn’t a need for a better system, better leaders, or circumstances more conducive to a holy life. The problem isn’t out there. It is in here. It is a heart problem.
This is why this declaration and promise of God is so important. God promises to remove the problem. Here it is described as a “heart of stone.” Stone is lifeless, hard, unfeeling, and dead. A stone can’t be persuaded. It can’t be motivated. It can’t be touched to feel the hand that moves it. God promises to do a heart transplant. He promises to give us a new heart and a new spirit. It is going to be a “heart of flesh” that is alive and able to feel.
But God goes even further. He also promises to “put my Spirit within you.” God Himself will take up residence in the heart of man. He will become the power to do His will. When he says that He will “cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules,” He isn’t talking about forcing us to obey against our will. He is talking about changing our will and our desires so that we want to obey Him.
All of this is accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus described it as being “born again” to Nicodemus. Paul said we become a “new creation” in Christ Jesus. In both instances, they are describing in different terms what God was promising through the prophet Ezekiel.
If you are wondering, “What happens when a person is saved?” this is one of those texts that tell us. When you came to believe in Christ, God did heart transplant surgery on you.
