The Law in our Hearts

[Woody]

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

[phkrause]

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

I would think that David meant the 10 commandments. That's the only law I know of. He didn't always keep them did he? But when he said that I'm pretty sure that when he did abide by them he was much happier person. Not sure this exactly answers your question. But this is the way I see it. And have to agree with him.

pk

[karl]

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

When we desire to do His will, He writes His will (Law) in our hearts.

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 a heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.

And ye shall keep my judgments and do them.

Also, if we desire to do His will, we will know the doctrine. It is all about obedience and relationship. We can't have any of it unless our desire is to do God's will.

[Woody]

Thanks pk. I have no idea where I was going with this question. I just figured it was an important verse and calling for us as Christians and wanted to hear what others felt about it.

I think one key to this verse is that He "delighted" to do God's will.

[phkrause]

Thanks pk. I have no idea where I was going with this question. I just figured it was an important verse and calling for us as Christians and wanted to hear what others felt about it.

I think one key to this verse is that He "delighted" to do God's will.

I agree he really did delight in doing the Lords will, because when he did, it made him a better and happier person than when he didn't.

pk

[Tom Wetmore]

If the law spoken of is the 10 Commandments which were written on tablets of stone it would seem to make us hard hearted. And perhaps removing that "stony" heart was taking a step away from that rigid legalism toward following the law of love, the "new" commandment spoken of by Jesus.

[Woody]

If the law spoken of is the 10 Commandments which were written on tablets of stone it would seem to make us hard hearted. And perhaps removing that "stony" heart was taking a step away from that rigid legalism toward following the law of love, the "new" commandment spoken of by Jesus.

[Guest]

Originally Posted By: Woody

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

When we desire to do His will, He writes His will (Law) in our hearts.

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 a heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.

And ye shall keep my judgments and do them.

Also, if we desire to do His will, we will know the doctrine. It is all about obedience and relationship. We can't have any of it unless our desire is to do God's will.

Exactly karl, and when we delight to do God's will instead of our own, then we know we have been converted, or born again, as it were.

[Woody]

Quote:

Exactly karl, and when we delight to do God's will instead of our own, then we know we have been converted, or born again, as it were.

I know that I'm born again as soon as I stand up again in the baptismal tank. Even athiests have good works and obey the law. The Jews kept the law. I don't think it's a very good measuring stick.

[Lutz13]

I would say the law is in your heart when it becomes a joy to follow them. If it isn't in your heart to follow them, then following them is a bit pointless. Kind of like tithing, if it isn't in your heart to give, then it is pointless to give. That is how I see it anyways. Once you enter a relationship with Christ you start to imitate Him.

Even athiests have good works and obey the law. The Jews kept the law. I don't think it's a very good measuring stick.

My boss is an atheist, and he is one of the most selfless people I know.

[Guest]

I would say the law is in your heart when it becomes a joy to follow them. If it isn't in your heart to follow them, then following them is a bit pointless. Kind of like tithing, if it isn't in your heart to give, then it is pointless to give. That is how I see it anyways. Once you enter a relationship with Christ you start to imitate Him.

Amen Lutz!

[karl]

Exactly karl, and when we delight to do God's will instead of our own, then we know we have been converted, or born again, as it were.

You know what precedes this, don't you? We have to get sick of our way. We have to see clearly that it doesn't work. We have to feel our weakness and the magnitude of everything on our shoulders. Then we go to Jesus for rest.

I love Sabbath.

[Woody]

Infants need rules to abide by. They need to be told specifically what to do. Once you get more mature ... it is in your heart ... what needs to be done.

The Law must be written in your heart so that doing God's will is just the impulse of your heart.

[Guest]

Originally Posted By: richard

Exactly karl, and when we delight to do God's will instead of our own, then we know we have been converted, or born again, as it were.

You know what precedes this, don't you? We have to get sick of our way. We have to see clearly that it doesn't work. We have to feel our weakness and the magnitude of everything on our shoulders. Then we go to Jesus for rest.

I love Sabbath.

I love Sabbath too brother.

[DrPatti]

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

Good question!

I am wondering if anyone can give some specific Scriptural answers for this.

[Woody]

Yes. I hope some will. And welcome Dr. Patti.

Perhaps Mark will drop by. :)

[karl]

Originally Posted By: Woody

I don't know if this has been discussed somewhere else .... but:

In Tuesdays Lesson of the Sabbath School lesson study ... it quotes Psalms 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart."

What does it mean though to have His Law in our hearts?

Good question!

I am wondering if anyone can give some specific Scriptural answers for this.

God is willing to write His law on our hearts - give us a new heart, actually, and a new (His) spirit - empowering us to keep his judgments and DO them. Ezekiel 36:26 is one of the best NT promises in the OT.

[Robert]

My boss is an atheist, and he is one of the most selfless people I know.

Impossible!

[Robert]

I would think that David meant the 10 commandments.

What God writes in the heart is in harmony with the last 6 commandments. In other words the law written on the mind means your mind is now in harmony with God, while your nature remains fully in harmony with its bent to self....

If God writes the first four in the heart every Christian would be keeping Saturday, but there's confusion here. Why? It's not written on the heart.....

[Guest]

Robert thank God none of us are dependant on your understanding of things, or the lack there of, in order to get to heaven.

[Guest]

God Promises Us a New Heart of Flesh

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.

The youth especially stumble over this phrase, "A new heart." They do not know what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings. This they term conversion. Over this error thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression, "Ye must be born again." . . .

When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?--a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride.

Then a spirit of kindness will be manifested, not by fits and starts, but continually. There will be a decided change in attitude, in deportment, in words and actions toward all with whom you are in any way connected. You will not magnify their infirmities, you will not place them in an unfavorable light. You will work in Christ's lines. . . .

Instead of exposing and publishing one's faults to others, you will put forth the most patient efforts to heal and bind up. . . . A harsh-spirited man is unrefined, coarse; he is not spiritual; he has not a heart of flesh, but a heart as unimpressible as a stone. His only help is to fall on the Rock, and be broken. The Lord will place all such in the crucible, and try them in fire, as gold is tried.

When He can see His own image reflected in them He will remove them. . . . The religion of Christ is to take possession of the whole being, and give force and power to all our faculties, renovating, cleansing, and refining. It manifests itself without parade, and high-sounding words, but is shown in an upright and unselfish life.

God's power alone can change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. {SD 100}

[Dr. Rich]

Woody-I am guessing, but the 'law' that the Jews and Atheists keep could not be the same as the ten commandments could it be? After all, the first one could not be kept by Atheists very well-if at all!

But this is a very good question and so far, I am in agreement with most on this.

I liken it to your nature--what ever that means. Here is the thing-I don't understand gays or pedophiles because this type of behavior turns me off-like-totally! I could NOT be one of these even IF I tried because it is just not the nature of me to be like that!

So if one has God's law in their heart I suppose it means that they could never change. What do you think?

As for giving or 'tithing', of course it's nice to give and we are told to not let our left hand know what the right hand is doing in giving. Isn't that like not having to think about it--you just do it because it's your nature to do it?

[Woody]

I don't know of very many athiests who kill. I am sure there are some. But I am also sure there are some Christians who kill. Moses. David. Both come to my mind.

[Robert]

Robert thank God none of us are dependant on your understanding of things, or the lack there of, in order to get to heaven.

So you can't refute what I said? If the first four are written on the heart/mind then why aren't all Christians keeping the Sabbath?

Answer: Because only the principle of the last 6 are written there.

[oldsailor29]

I don't know of very many athiests who kill. I am sure there are some. But I am also sure there are some Christians who kill. Moses. David. Both come to my mind.

Moses and David were not Christians