"I will take away the stony HEART out of your flesh"

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Something that has been bothering me about Biblical description of regeneration is the language used in Ezekiel 36:26. Although I'm pretty sure that the reformed position of regeneration is that God gives a new principle into our wicked hearts to desire the will of God, I struggle with explaining this from Ezekiel 36:26 which states,

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

If we would interpret this passage of Scripture literally, the obvious sense would be that the source of our sin is taken away and replaced with a perfect heart (since anything that God creates is originally perfect). But if that were true, we would not sin anymore. Thus, John Gill explains the bolded phrase, "the Targum is, 'and I will break the heart of the wicked, which is hard as a stone;'" Or as Matthew Henry puts it, "turning a dead stone into living flesh." The obvious emphasis is on the word "heart." Depending on how we define "heart" in this passage we could say that, as a matter of fact, no old heart is taken away and no new heart is given. The "heart" of Ezekiel 36:26 must be understood in the whole context of Scripture. In Hebrews 8:10 the exact same event of regeneration is described, yet this time in other words,

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" (Hebrews 8:10)

Here God does not promise an exchange of hearts, but rather an impartation of godly principles into our wicked mind and heart.

So, according to reformed understanding of Scripture, we should understand the "heart" of Ezekiel 36:26 as a principle; old principle of sinful desire is replaced with a new principle of godly desire.

But my question has to do with the heart language of the Old Testament:

Are there other places in the Old Testament where "heart" could be understood as a principle rather than the actual heart of man which is the source of all his desires, sinful and godly? If not, why does Ezekiel 36:26 use such language which is misleading to many readers of the Bible?

 

[yoyoceramic]

I suppose one should keep in mind that prophecy has multiple fulfillments, and it will be a certainty, that in glory our hearts will be stony no longer nor deceitfully wicked and sick.

Also, the categories of definite and progressive sanctification may come in to play as we understand the new status of our hearts:

Definitive sanctification, as defined by John Frame, is "a once-for-all event, simultaneous with effectual calling and regeneration, that transfers us from the sphere of sin to the sphere of God’s holiness, from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God." Definitive sanctification marks us out (or separates us) as God’s chosen people – His treasured and covenantal possession (Acts 20:32; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11). So too, definitive sanctification redeems (or frees) us from the dominion (or slavery) of sin by uniting us to Christ, particularly in His death, resurrection and ascension. Sanctification, in this sense, refers to a decisive and radical break with the power and pleasures of sin.

Progressive sanctification, as defined by Wayne Grudem, is "a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives." According to John Frame, "We can think of sanctification as the outworking of the new life given in regeneration." It involves the gradual, incremental and (S)piritual work of both putting to death the remains of "indwelling sin" as well as putting on the likeness of Christ. Sources

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

I suppose one should keep in mind that prophecy has multiple fulfillments, and it will be a certainty, that in glory our hearts will be stony no longer nor deceitfully wicked and sick.

So, are you saying that the promise of Ezekiel 36:26 has to do with the completion of sanctification, not definite sanctification?

 

[yoyoceramic]

[I am afraid this is not answering your question at all (requesting where in OT the heart language is used), so for that I apologize, Samuel. However, maybe you will find the Apostle's discussion of the heart language useful below.]

I think Ezekiel 36:26 primarily points forward to the New Covenant which Paul speaks about here in 2 Corinthians 3:3.

Paul offers up a commentary on Ezekiel's language by calling on it in 2 Cor 3:3 "And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." Paul goes on to then discuss the glory of the ministry of the New Covenant which is surpassing the glory of the Mosaic Covenant. Paul ends the discourse by discussing a change in order of glory which occurs in v18 "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[f] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." We have access to a more glorious covenant, one which shines brighter than Moses' face.

What makes the question interesting, I think, is that the same New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah indicates that a new "interal piety' source is a fruit of the new covenant. IE Our neighbor no longer tells us "know the law", but rather it is written on our hearts by the Spirit.

So, perhaps I should amend my earlier comment, and not place sanctification on the forefront, but rather the promise of the new covenant. However, with a new heart comes definitive sanctification where we are marked as God's holy, chosen, covenantal citizens who dwell in his inaugurated Kingdom now being united by Christ, but day by day, as we await the final consummation of the kingdom at the sound of the 7th trumpet, we enjoy progressive sanctification being conformed into the image of Christ.

Maybe some other could chime in who may be able to correct me or answer in a more direct and applicable way?

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

*Bumb* Mark, thank you for sharing your thoughts! Could anyone else attempt to answer to my question?

 

[JBaldwin]

I tend to interpret this passage in light of the NT idea that we were dead in our sins but have been alive unto God. A heart of stone is dead, it cannot respond to God. We are given a heart of flesh (i.e. one that is alive) so that we can respond to God and follow Him. I don't think it has to do with sanctification as much as regeneration.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Hey, could it be possible that I'm reading too much into the words "take away" and "give?" The greek word for "take away" can also be rendered "put an end to," which sounds consistent with the idea that God breaks the stony heart so that it may live again. Also, with a simple use of logic, the word "give" does not necessary presuppose the means by which the giving takes place -- in regeneration God gives us a new heart by making our old, dead heart alive to God, not by imparting a brand new heart on the place of our old heart, which would remove all our sin.

In light of that, one must not think that the word "heart" means something other than the actual heart which is the source of all our desires. It is no wonder, then, that nowhere in the Old Testament "heart" means something other than the core of our being, the place from which all our thoughts derive. So, I think the problem solved!