We all know that dirty hearts lead to unhealthy bodies. Did you know that a healthy body has a clean heart? Do you realize that one’s spiritual health is related to one’s heart?
The proper function of the human heart is to bring in dirty blood from the body, clean the blood and pump it back out for service in the rest of the body. The blood that travels throughout the body comes into the heart dirty and full of impurities. In the heart, the blood gets cleaned when it receives much-needed oxygen. Once the blood is restored to its original form, it then goes back out to do the task for which it was created — to give life and power to the body.
In much the same way, the proper function of the evangelical Christian church is to bring in dirty hearts, clean them, restore them and then send them back out to do the work for which they were created. Dirty hearts are full of impurities that hinder the heart’s ability to know and love God. When our hearts are focused on self or money or power or prestige, they cannot be focused on God. Simply stated, any heart not focused on Jesus Christ is impure, and impure hearts need cleaning.
How does a heart get clean? A heart is clean when it is pure, and spiritual purity of heart only comes through a spiritual heart transplant. As Christians, we use many phrases to mean the same thing: “born again,” “saved,” “new life in Christ.” Each of these phrases describes a spiritual heart transplant, when one’s sinful heart is replaced with a heart cleansed by faith in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
These verses explain to each of us two important truths. First, we all need a new spiritual heart because we are all naturally sinners. The sin in our lives, demonstrated by selfishness, pride, anger and similar behavior, dooms us to living with an eternally dirty heart in an eternally dirty place. Second, the only mechanism for gaining this new, clean heart is to “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.” The Bible does not teach that Jesus is a good way to a clean heart, or even the best way. Instead, God’s Word teaches that faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the only way to a clean heart and a secure eternity in heaven.
Once you and I receive this spiritual heart transplant by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are called to share this life-giving news with other people. In fact, the word “Gospel” means “Good News,” the supernaturally Good News that Jesus loves us and stands ready to give us new hearts, if only we will surrender our lives to Him.
If your church or my church is waiting for a flock of clean hearts to appear at the front door, we may be waiting for a long time. Because so many of our neighbors and friends are following after other gods, be they religious or secular, we need to become proactive spiritual cardiologists, looking for unclean hearts to bring to the Great Physician. Since I have been given a new heart, now I need to find someone else who needs the same gift.
Is your heart clean today? Is your neighbor’s? Let’s pledge to have clean hearts and share clean hearts. In fact, let’s all go see the heavenly heart doctor this Sunday and bring someone who just might need a heart transplant. See you in church.
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Trey Graham is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Melissa, Texas.
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[Original illustration here was a duplicate in HolwickID 25837-26027]