Chapter 17: BOS: The Pure Heart of Sanctification

​In this chapter, we’ll consider aspects of the heart. Yehovah and the Old Testament prophets cite Israel’s stony and uncircumcised heart as the reason Israel was unable to keep the Law – the Law that would sanctify Israel. Yeshua makes the condition of the heart a primary theme in His Sermon on the Mount. So here we’ll see how thoughts become actions and Yeshua’s testimony about how we can change our hearts.

​The Process of Perfection
Our Process of Perfection looks like this:

Individual Salvation

Born of the Blood Redemption ​

Born Again Sanctification Born of the Water > Born of the Spirit > Born of God

Man’s Mortal Life
When Adam and Eve transgressed and fell, they became mortal and subject to all of the foibles
of a fallen world including being exposed to evil, sin, and death. Our job as God’s children is to rise above and subdue our carnal nature. Yeshua’s three temptations of passion, power, and praise showcases the challenges humanity faces in overcoming this carnal nature.
 
 
Israel’s Uncircumcised Heart
Israel inability to subdue their carnal nature and keep the Law is described as having a stony and uncircumcised heart.
 
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.”  – Deu 10:16
 
“Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”  – Jeremiah 4:4
 
“… and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, …” - Ezekiel 36:26
 
 
Thoughts to Actions
Man goes through an internal process that determines his character and ultimately his destiny.  The Scriptures sets out that process to include thoughts, hearts, spirit, words, and actions. Thoughts are the ideas that appears in our minds, they are those things that we think about. Thoughts can be temporary or permanent. While it is true that our hearts are considered the center of our emotions - how we feel, our hearts also include our beliefs, opinions, and desires that determine our attitude (spirit) - how we behave toward others with words and actions.
 
Our Thoughts
"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace," Romans 8:5-7 "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2 

Our Hearts
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" Proverbs 23:7 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23 "To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires," Ephesians 4:22-24 “And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." Deuteronomy 5:21

Our Spirit
“And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.” Exodus 28:3 “And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:” Numbers 5:14  “And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.” 2 Chronicles 18:21
 
Our Words and Actions
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart," Matthew 15:18-19 "He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live." Proverbs 4:4

​“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 

In summary this is what our thoughts, our hearts and our actions look like:​

Thoughts	>	Hearts	>	Spirit	>	Words ​Actions
Temporary ​Permanent		Beliefs Opinions ​Desires		Attitude ​How we act		What we say and do

A New Heart and New Spirit
The prophet Ezekiel explains to Israel that Yehovah will give them a new heart and a new spirit so that Israel won’t profane God’s name and break His Law – Ezekiel 36:26,27
 
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:…”
“…and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

 
Baptism of Fire
We see the fulfillment of this promise to give Israel a new heart and new spirit with Yeshua’s testimony of being Born Again and the Baptism of Fire. This Baptism of Fire is a trial of faith that will purify our hearts.
 
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” - 1 Peter 1:7
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” - 1 Peter 4:12
 
 
New Heart
This new heart will purify our beliefs, opinions, and desires, and bring them in alignment with God, which will give us a new spirit.
 
 
New Spirit
Ezekiel goes onto say that Yehovah will give Israel His spirit so they can live His Law – Ezekiel 36:27.
 
“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.”
 
Yehovah’s Spirit
We see Isaiah list the attributes/attitudes (spirit) of Yehovah – Isaiah 11:2. We develop these attributes/attitudes as we grow in truth and the Holy Spirit.
 
“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;”
 
Paul’s Expansion
The Apostle Paul seems to expand on this at 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."  - 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
 
 
Pure Hearts and Clean Hands
This brings us back to the Psalms about having pure hearts and clean hands – 119:142 - and Yeshua’s testimony on the Sermon on the Mount to have pure desires and righteous actions living God’s Law/Commandments.