Topical Bible: The Law of God: Saints: Have, Written on Their Hearts

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The concept of God's law being written on the hearts of believers is a profound theme in Scripture, reflecting the intimate relationship between God and His people. This idea is rooted in the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, who inscribes God's statutes within the innermost being of the saints, enabling them to live in accordance with His will.

Biblical Foundation

The promise of God's law being written on the hearts of His people is most explicitly articulated in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament and finds its fulfillment in the New Testament. In Jeremiah 31:33, the Lord declares, "But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." This new covenant promise signifies a shift from external adherence to the law to an internalized, heartfelt obedience.

The Apostle Paul echoes this theme in the New Testament, particularly in his letter to the Romans. In Romans 2:15, he writes about the Gentiles who "show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them." This passage highlights the universal aspect of God's moral law, which transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries, being accessible to all through the inner witness of the conscience.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is central to the writing of God's law on the hearts of believers. In 2 Corinthians 3:3, Paul describes the Corinthian believers as "a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." The Spirit's work is transformative, enabling believers to live out the righteous requirements of the law not through their own strength but through divine empowerment.

The New Covenant

The new covenant, inaugurated by Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of the promise that God's law would be internalized. Hebrews 8:10 reiterates the prophecy from Jeremiah, affirming, "This is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." This covenantal relationship is characterized by an intimate knowledge of God and a heartfelt obedience to His commands.

Practical Implications for Believers

For the saints, having God's law written on their hearts means living a life that reflects God's character and values. It involves a transformation of desires and motivations, aligning them with God's will. This internalization of the law results in a genuine love for God and neighbor, as Jesus summarized the law in Matthew 22:37-40: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

The internalized law also provides believers with a moral compass, guiding their decisions and actions. It serves as a source of conviction and comfort, reminding them of their identity as God's children and their calling to live holy lives. Through the Spirit's ongoing work, believers are continually conformed to the image of Christ, growing in righteousness and holiness.

Conclusion

The writing of God's law on the hearts of the saints is a testament to the transformative power of the new covenant. It signifies a deep, personal relationship with God, characterized by an internalized obedience that flows from a heart renewed by the Holy Spirit. This divine inscription empowers believers to live in accordance with God's will, reflecting His love and righteousness in their daily lives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 31:33
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said 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.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, said 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:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Image of God is not Wholly Blotted Out in These Unbelievers ...
... spoken with sufficient fulness already) "do by nature the things contained in the
law," [958] of ... But inasmuch as in the kingdom of God the saints differ in ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 48 the image of god.htm

The Ministry of the New Covenant
... Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin ... is power and blessing in his ministry,
have reason to ... His power dwelling and ruling in the lives of God's saints. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/murray/the two covenants/chapter xvi the ministry of.htm

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
... ch.31, 33), "I will put my law in their ... monks and priests have daily produced new
saints, pilgrimages, special ... Christ, but rather such as defy God and Christ. ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twelfth sunday after trinity gospel.htm

Introduction
... The Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints are both saved in ... way, and
that is, by the grace of God through Jesus ... The law was written on their hearts ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the law and the saint/introduction.htm

Article iii: of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law.
... account of our works and fulfilment of the Law, but from ... Here he clearly shows that
all the saints, all the ... of God, who have the Holy Ghost, if God would not ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 6 article iii of.htm

The Confession of the Society of Friends, Commonly Called Quakers. ...
... so they testify that the Spirit is that guide by which the saints are led ... but to
be free from actual sinning and transgressing of the law of God, and in ...
/.../the confession of the society.htm

Walking with God
... Give thyself to reading', (says Paul to Timothy); And this book of the law, (says
God to Joshua) shall not go out of ... And such honor have all God's saints. ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/walking with god.htm

Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall.
... a mystical signification, and truly account it that spiritual communion and fellowship,
which the saints obtain with God ... Now I hope the law of God is among ...
/.../proposition iv concerning the condition.htm

Article I: of God.
... mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin ... murmur against the doing and
will of God, when He ... this world, as David and all the saints have complained ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 1 article i of.htm

Sacrifice to Caesar or to God
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons. ... voices and a thousand pens""Right is not the eternal
law of God ... we must believe, we should please God; for if God be indeed ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xli sacrifice to caesar.htm