A Heart of Flesh from Almighty God

"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." —Ezekiel 36:26 [KJV]

What absolute declarations are here! all display the sovereign will and almighty favor of a covenant God. As God's heart of love is towards His people in Christ, so His spirit of power works in them according to the counsel of His will. Hence they know, love and serve Him. By the blood of Jesus their sins are pardoned and their consciences cleansed from guilt. 

By the Spirit of Jesus they are inwardly sanctified from their filthiness and idols: a new heart and a new spirit is put within them; and they are enabled to walk in His statutes, and keep His judgments. Thus "all things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ,"—II Corinthians 5:17, 18. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

'A Christian,' as Luther says, 'is a new creature in a new world.' He has a new heart; he is under a new government; serves a new master, obeys new laws, is actuated by new fears, influenced by new love, animated with new delights and new joys. 'Ah,' says a disciple, 'this is sweet in theory and true in doctrine; but in experience I find and feel to my grief an old nature of sin and unbelief; and groan under a body of death.' This is also very true: yea it is perfectly consistent with a state of regeneration. Saints of God in all ages found it so. The Lord in this very text, accounts for it: "I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." Naturally thy heart is as hard as a stone. Thou couldst neither feel sin, mourn for sin, nor be humbled under a sense of sin, but through the blood of Jesus applied by the Spirit in believing the truth: thou hast a soft, tender, yielding heart, a heart of flesh, susceptible of impressions, looking to Jesus by faith, melted by love, and mourning for sin. 

Though the King's daughter, the Lamb's wife is all-glorious within, though her clothing is of wrought gold; yet she is unhappily allied to a base, wretched, churlish Nabal. Hence, though "thou hast no confidence in the flesh, and in it dwells no good thing;" yet thou dost delight in the law of God after the inward man; and hast continual cause of rejoicing in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:3.

Our heart, that flinty stubborn thing, 

That terrors cannot move, 

That fears no threat'nings of God's wrath, 

Shall be dissolved by love.

There shall His sacred Spirit dwell, 

And deep engrave His law, 

And ev'ry motion of our souls 

To swift obedience draw.

Thus will He pour salvation down, 

And we shall render praise; 

We the dear people of His love, 

And He our God of grace.

 

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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