HEART
The heart is often mentioned in the Scriptures as the seat of the affections and passions, and also of wisdom and understanding.
Hence it is read of “the wise in heart” (Prov. 16:21); Also, the Lord gave Solomon “a heart of wisdom and understanding” (1 Kings 3:12).
It is the center of man’s being. But before the flood the verdict passed by God upon man was that the thoughts of their hearts were toward evil (Gen. 6:5). A similar verdict is found in Gen. 8:21, after Noah left the ark.
The Lord Jesus adds that evil thoughts and all forms of evil proceed from the heart of man (Mark 7:21).
The law required man to love God with all his heart.
Acceptance of the gospel must be in the heart (Rom. 10:9), and God gives the hearer the ability to receive the good news with a “good and upright heart,” which bears fruit (Luke 8:15). .
In the new creation there is a “pure heart,” the Christian being led by the Holy Spirit (1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Pet. 1:22).