A New Heart

"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy" (Prov. 12:20, ESV).

There is a certain sense in which we are all planners. We may not have a day-planner or a ten year plan, but somewhere deep inside of us is a heart that plans. Now the intent of that heart, will be determined largely by the things that fill it. Jesus said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexually immorality, theft, murder, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (Mark 7:20-23, ESV).

Jesus' words expand on what Solomon has said here: Deceit is in the heart of the those who devise evil. Evil heart, evil plans. Now, I know you are breathing a sigh of relief right now, thinking that you don't have an evil agenda. However, God's idea of evil and our idea of evil aren't always in the same ballpark. Unless our understanding of evil is informed and controlled by the Word of God, we will be off of the mark.

Notice in Jesus' list that there are somethings we might not find particularly offensive like pride, envy, or foolishness. However, Jesus says these things defile. They pollute. They make a person unholy in the eyes of God. The simple fact is that the human heart is a wile beast. It is subtle and cunning. By the Spirit, Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9, ESV).

Then, who is it that can make plans of peace? Those whom the Spirit regenerates. When the Spirit applies the gospel to the heart, awakening sinners to their need, he gives them a new heart. The Lord said, "I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (Jer. 24:7, ESV). Paul express the same truth, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17, ESV).

This reality, that we are new creations, should move us to work out our new natures. The heart, through faith in Christ, is transformed so that it now desires to do the will of God, where formerly it desired its own sinful desires. The nature of indwelling sin, and the old habits of the heart, lead to a struggle against sin (see Romans 7). And while we may not always succeed in walking in obedience, the desire to obey the Lord is their.

Thus, it is a person whose heart has not been regenerated that habitually allows their heart to generate deceptive schemes. Evil schemes precede from an evil heart, but it means more than simply evil actions. A person of a regenerate heart might tell a lie (which would still be a sin), but they will not habitually live a lie, such as, making themselves out to be holier than they are or more important than they are. The evil schemer is intent on doing evil, it is his desire to satisfy the cravings of his flesh, regardless of what the Law of the Lord says.

But a person whose heart has been transformed by the gospel isn't out to do evil. They don't want to destroy their neighbor, instead they plan peace. They love their neighbors as themselves and pray for those who persecute them. And while they may stumble and struggle, they continue to seek the Lord's forgiveness and guidance. If the driving force in your life is love for the Lord, you can breath a little easier. Your evil heart has been removed, its sins have received their full punishment in Christ's body on the cross. You have been given a new heart, with which you can plan peace to the glory of God.