Meanings of the Word "Hearts" in the Scriptures

Elder Holland Safety for the Soul

The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth. If we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith. Then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last days “men’s hearts [shall fail] them.”

Hearts and Desire

Elder Russell M. Nelson “Decisions for Eternity,” October 2013

We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He loves you—each of you! He allows you to access His power as you keep His commandments, eagerly, earnestly, and exactly. It is that simple and certain. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change!

Hearts and Understanding

2 Nephi 16:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed.

Mosiah 12:27

Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?

A Mighty Change of Heart

Mosiah 5:2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

Alma 5:14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

A Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit

3 Nephi 9:19-20 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

2 Nephi 2:7–8 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

Hearts and Sanctification and Yielding our Hearts

Mosiah 4:2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Helaman 3:35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

The Word of the Lord Written in our Hearts

Mosiah 13:11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.

Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Hebrews 8:10 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:

Hearing the Word of the Lord in our Hearts

Elder Neil L. Andersen, “Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice,” October 2015

Addressing honest questions is an important part of building faith, and we use both our intellect and our feelings. The Lord said, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart.” Not all answers will come immediately, but most questions can be resolved through sincere study and seeking answers from God. Using our mind without our heart will not bring spiritual answers. “The things of God knoweth no man, but [through] the Spirit of God.” And to help us, Jesus promised us “another Comforter” and called Him “even the Spirit of truth.”

2 Nephi 33:1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

3 Nephi 11:3 And notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

Stony Heart verses a Heart of Flesh

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Satan Has Hold on the Hearts of Men

Helaman 6:30 And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness … from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

Helaman 6:17 For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches; yea, they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another; therefore they began to commit secret murders, and to rob and to plunder, that they might get gain.

1 Nephi 22:26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.

Mosiah 26:3 And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

Other Phrases

·         A Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit

·         A mighty change of heart

·         Yielding our Hearts

·         Full Purpose of Heart

·         Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

·         My heart pondereth

·         Prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord

·         A forgiving heart

·         Trust in the Lord with all your heart…

A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit

3 Nephi 9:19-20 – “And ye shall offer up onto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign, May 2004, 11

Let me mention one other thing. In ancient times when people wanted to worship the

Lord and seek His blessings, they often brought a gift. For example, when they went to the temple, they brought a sacrifice to place on the altar. After His Atonement and Resurrection, the Savior said He would no longer accept burnt offerings of animals. The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” As you seek the blessing of conversion, you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming.

Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord. Sometimes this is hard to do, but would your gifts of repentance and obedience be worthy gifts if they cost you nothing? Don’t be afraid of the effort required. And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Jesus Christ will help you make of yourself a worthy gift. His grace will make you clean, even holy. Eventually, you will become like Him, “perfect in Christ.”

President Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989

Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore.

This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” (See 3 Ne. 9:20; Moro. 6:2; D&C 20:37; 59:8; Ps. 34:18; Ps. 51:17; Isa. 57:15.) Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance.

Conversion: The Healing Power of Conversion and the Heart

THE HEALING POWER OF CONVERSION

·         Elder Marion G. Romney, “Conversion,”  Conference Report, October 1963

It is about conversion and the healing which attends it that I wish to speak. Conversion is effected by divine forgiveness, which remits sins. The sequence is something like this. An honest seeker hears the message. He asks the Lord in prayer if it is true. The Holy Spirit gives him a witness. This is a testimony. If one's testimony is strong enough, he repents and obeys the commandments. By such obedience he receives divine forgiveness which remits sin. Thus he is converted to a newness of life. His spirit is healed.

Always the remittance of sins which attends divine forgiveness heals the spirit. This accounts for the fact that in the scriptures conversion and healing are repeatedly associated.

For example, in 1837 the Lord said, “I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them." (D&C 112:12-13)

Getting people's spirits healed through conversion is the only way they can be healed.

Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus Christ—the Master Healer,” Ensign, Nov 2005, 85”

 “Afflictions can come from spiritual as well as physical causes. We can more fully repent! We can become more fully converted! Then the “Son of Righteousness” can more fully bless us by His healing hand.

Early in His mortal ministry, Jesus announced that He had been sent “to heal the brokenhearted.”  Wherever He taught them, His pattern was consistent. As I quote His words spoken at four different times and locations, note the pattern.

• To people of the Holy Land, the Lord said that His people “should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” 15

• To people of ancient America, the resurrected Lord extended this invitation: “Return unto me, … repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you.” 3 Ne. 9:13

• To leaders of His Church, He taught, “Continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them.” 3 Ne. 18:32

• Later, the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding the pioneers, “After their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” D&C 112:13

The sequence of His pattern is significant. Faith, repentance, baptism, a testimony, and enduring conversion lead to the healing power of the Lord. Baptism is a covenant act—a sign of a commitment and a promise. Testimony develops when the Holy Ghost gives conviction to the earnest seeker of the truth. True testimony fosters faith; it promotes repentance and obedience to God’s commandments. Testimony engenders enthusiasm to serve God and fellow human beings.  Conversion means “to turn with.”  Conversion is a turning from the ways of the world to, and staying with, the ways of the Lord. Conversion includes repentance and obedience. Conversion brings a mighty change of heart. Thus, a true convert is “born again,” walking with a newness of life.

Scriptural Theme:  The Heart

Ezekial 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Jeremiah 31:33  “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 97–99

Since 1967, over 75,000 heart transplants have been performed worldwide.  In each heart transplant recipient, the patient’s own body recognizes the new heart as “foreign” and begins to attack it.

Medicines can suppress this natural response, but the medications must be taken daily and with exactness. Occasional heart biopsies are performed wherein small pieces of heart tissue are removed and then examined under a microscope [for signs of rejection].

Surprisingly, some patients become casual with their transplanted hearts. They skip their medicines here and there and obtain the needed follow-up less frequently than they should. They think that because they feel good, all is well.

The Lord explained the operation that we all need: [In Ezekiel 36:26 He says], “A new heart also will I give you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Enduring to the end can be challenging because the tendency of the natural man is to reject the spiritually changed heart and allow it to harden. We need to frequently biopsy our mightily changed hearts and reverse any signs of early rejection.