The Anatomy of The Heart

Our cultural ideal that the natural heart is the center of our being aligns with biblical reference to the spiritual heart. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the most frequently used words for heart in the Bible are the Hebrew word leb and the Greek word kardia. Both have about the same meaning: the inner person or “self,” the seat of thought and emotion, conscience, mind, and understanding. Strong’s adds this commentary to the definition of kardia. “The heart was thought to be … composed of life, soul, mind, and spirit. Heart is similar in meaning to ‘soul,’ but often the heart has a focus on thinking and understanding.” By this definition, our soul, spirit, and minds are mysteriously tangled up into what the Scriptures call the heart. While the natural heart primarily drives physiologic function, the spiritual heart is central to both nonphysical and physical workings of man. The book of Proverbs illustrates this point well: “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Essentially, life issues forth, out of your heart. Which heart: the physical or the spiritual? Both. The arteries issue life-sustaining blood to all the parts of the physical body, while our words (good and evil), thoughts (corrupt and pure), and deeds (responsible, calculated, haphazard, or hasty) also originate and spring forth from our spiritual heart. If we are to protect our natural heart from damage and disease, then it is doubly important, according to Proverbs 4:23, to guard the spiritual heart, for it is the wellspring. To appreciate the truth of this verse, let’s take a closer look at some of that stuff.

Conscience

Physical signs and symptoms make it easy to gauge the condition of our natural heart, but getting to the condition of our spiritual heart might be more complicated. Our conscience—our ability to discern whether our actions are right or wrong—might be the best measure. According to Proverbs 23:7, our motives and convictions reside in the heart, regardless of whatever actions we ultimately may or may not take: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Luke 6 points out that what we say originates in the heart:

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bring forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

—Luke 6:45

When first responders arrive on the scene of accidents or disasters that involve human injury, before doing anything else, the medic assesses the general strength and function of the heart. If you love to watch television medical dramas (like me) or any of the cop shows, you’ve seen this play out a thousand times: The first thing responders do is check for a pulse. Two fingertips expertly palpate the jugular of the patient, victim, or bad guy. Is he alive? How alive? How strong is the heartbeat?

The injury itself is always secondary. Seek medical attention for something as minor as a hangnail and you will likely be outfitted with a blood pressure cuff before anyone so much as glances at your finger. Anything that can or cannot be done about your hangnail will be determined first by what’s going on with your heart. Whether in times of trouble or peace, in the midst of a crisis or simply in the steady state of day-to-day living, the stuff of life cannot be attended to unless the condition of the spiritual heart is evaluated.

Test this theory by seeking spiritual counsel for help with any of life’s problems. The overarching matter will always be the condition of your heart. Are you in financial straits? Well, do you tithe? To tithe or not to tithe is a heart issue. Are you struggling to get along with your spouse’s mother? You said you’ve forgiven her for that comment she made last Thanksgiving, but what might the pulse of your spiritual heart reveal? Forgiveness is a function of the heart. It’s pointless to examine your bank statements or your mother-in-law without first examining the condition of your heart.