May 26, AD 2010

The Heart of the Gospel
Frank Allnutt

The Introduction and first three chapters of The Christian's New Heart, by Frank Allnutt, are now available for free reading on this web site. No cost, no registration, no password required.

What did the word “heart” mean when given by the Holy Spirit to men of faith to pen into Scripture so long ago? And what does this archaic term from Scripture have to do with Christianity at the dawn of the 21st Century?

God gave us His model of the heart to help us better understand who we are, our spiritual relationships, and why we think and behave as we do. If we don’t understand the intended meanings of “heart” then the heart of the New Covenant is plucked out and the Greatest Commandments are reduced to sentimental fluff.

Andrew Murray, the beloved 19th Century pastor, missionary, and author from South Africa, was concerned that, even in his day, some biblical words were succumbing to overuse and misuse, and that their original meanings were fading into obscurity:

It is often said that the great aim of the preacher should be to translate Scripture truth from its original form into the language and the thought of the present century, and so to make it understandable to our ordinary Christians. It is to be feared that the experiment will often do more harm than good. In the course of the translation the force of the original is easily lost. The result has been a race of Christians to whom the language and meaning of God’s Word is foreign. With the loss of the meaning of the Scripture words comes the loss of Scripture truth. When truth is lost, the God who spoke the words will be lost. It is imperative, therefore, that the Christian life should involve each person studying and understanding the very words which the Holy Spirit has spoken. (The Believer’s New Covenant, page 9).

“Heart” is one such word that has all but lost its meaning over time. The importance of understanding its various meanings cannot be overemphasized. If the meanings of heart are not understood, the doctrine the heart cannot be understood. And if the doctrine of the heart is not understood, then the Gospel itself and biblical doctrines of anthropology, psychology, and a host of other truths cannot be fully understood and appreciated. Consequently, the promises of the New Covenant cannot be fully understood, and if the New Covenant is not understood, then a believer cannot adequately understand and appreciate who he is and what it means to be a Christian.

Motivated to expand my own understanding of the truths of Scripture, I set out in 1993 to learn all I could about the Spiritual Heart. Incredulously, I could not find a single book devoted to the subject. Not even a chapter in a book. What I did find were some scattered references, most of which did not seem to mesh with Scripture, and a few that were broadly—generally—consistent with Scripture but lacked in detail and thus did not present a clear or comprehensive exposition of the biblical doctrine.

It was soon apparent that my quest for discovery was limited to one source: the Scriptures themselves. And I am quick to add: their illumination by the Spirit of Christ.

With more than one thousand mentions of “heart” in the Bible, the task I undertook was not unlike attempting to assemble a gigantic and quite abstract picture puzzle when no completed picture was available as a reference guide; I had no idea what the final picture would look like—no preconceived notions or mental images. I had no theory in search of “proof text.”

Along the way, I attempted to visualize what I was reading with some very rudimentary illustrations of both the physical and spiritual aspects of a person. We’ve heard it said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, I set out to see if a thousand verses could be represented by pictures!

As I delved deeper into the Scriptures, I realized that a few aspects of my drawings were a little off and needed corrected. But most of the time my drawings, in time, proved to illustrate many truths that I did not comprehend at the time I drew them! Amazingly, I was learning from my own drawings.

Now, I want to be very clear about this: while I believe a ministry of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate the truth of Scripture to believers, I also guard against leaning on my own understanding. The fact that I continue to learn indicates that my understanding is incomplete. So, regardless of my having a pure motive to wrap my mind around the biblical doctrine of the heart, my ability to comprehend all that is written and illuminated is limited. And so is my ability to communicate to you. And that is a reality of our mortal condition. As Paul wrote: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

And now I invite you to embark on a spiritual journey down the path I have been treading, in prayerful anticipation that you also will allow the Holy Spirit to guide your steps and illuminate the path. You can start by clicking the following to read the Introduction and first three chapters from my Advanced Study, The Christian’s New Heart. It's free, and no registration or password is required. Just click and read:

Introduction: A Silly and Tragic Misunderstanding

Chapter 1: The Promise of a New Heart

Chapter 2: The Heart of the Gospel

Chapter 3: Places in the Heart

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©Copyright AD2010 Frank Allnutt. All rights reserved. Content herein may be quoted, subject to the "fair use" doctrine of U.S. Copyright Law.

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