Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  5000 Humanity  »  5012 heart  »  5016 heart, fallen and redeemed

The inner thoughts and feelings of an unregenerate person are opposed to God, making that person reject God and his love. At conversion the renewing work of the Holy Spirit transforms the human heart, enabling it to love and obey God.

The unregenerate heart

Hostile to God

Psalm 14:1 pp Psalm 53:1 See also 1 Kings 15:3; 2 Chronicles 12:14; Proverbs 19:3; John 5:42; Acts 8:21-22; Romans 1:31; Romans 8:7; Hebrews 3:12

Hardened against God

Jeremiah 18:12

Pharaoh's hard heart:

Exodus 4:21; Exodus 7:3,14,22-23; Exodus 8:15,32; Exodus 14:8 Deuteronomy 2:30; Isaiah 6:10; Isaiah 42:25; Jeremiah 16:12; Daniel 5:20; Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27; Romans 2:5; Revelation 16:9,11

Spiritually ignorant

Ephesians 4:18 See also 2 Samuel 6:16 pp 1 Chronicles 15:29; Romans 1:21; 2 Corinthians 3:15; Corinthians 4:4

Proud

Psalm 73:7 See also Proverbs 18:12; Proverbs 21:4; Jeremiah 48:29; Jeremiah 49:16; Ezekiel 28:2,17; Ob 3; Revelation 18:7

Deceitful

Jeremiah 17:9 See also Job 31:33-34; Psalm 5:9; Psalm 28:3; Psalm 62:4; Proverbs 6:14; Proverbs 23:7; Proverbs 24:12; Proverbs 26:23-25; Isaiah 44:20; Jeremiah 22:17; 2 Timothy 3:13

Sinful

Genesis 6:5 See also Job 36:13; Psalm 10:3; Psalm 41:6; Psalm 55:21; Proverbs 6:18; Proverbs 20:9; Isaiah 1:5; Matthew 9:4 pp Mark 2:8 pp Luke 5:22; Matthew 15:18-19 pp Mark 7:20-23

Condemned

Proverbs 11:20 See also Psalm 101:4-5; Proverbs 16:5; Proverbs 17:20; Ecclesiastes 11:9; Isaiah 10:12; Jeremiah 17:10; Ezekiel 25:6-7; Romans 1:24

Conversion: the changed heart

Convinced of need

John 16:8 See also Jeremiah 29:12-14; Acts 2:37; Acts 16:30; Romans 7:7; 1 Corinthians 14:25

Changed by the Holy Spirit

Ezekiel 36:25-27 See also Jeremiah 4:14; Jeremiah 24:7; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 18:31; John 3:5-6; Romans 2:29; Titus 3:4-5

Given faith

2 Corinthians 4:6 See also Acts 5:31-32; Acts 15:9; Acts 16:14-15; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8

Spurious conversion

A less-than-saving change

1 Samuel 10:9 See also Matthew 13:5-6 pp Mark 4:5-6 pp Luke 8:6; Matthew 13:20-21 pp Mark 4:16-17 pp Luke 8:13; Hebrews 6:4-8; Hebrews 10:26-29

See also

3230  Holy Spirit & regeneration
3248  Holy Spirit, conviction
3284  Holy Spirit, resisting
5799  bitterness
6026  sin, judgment on
6178  hardness of heart
6185  imagination, desires
6626  conversion
8020  faith
8777  lust
8802  pride
8834  unbelief