315. New Heart and Spirit
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Here is the really Good News: the Lord will give us a new heart and He will put a new spirit within the people of God. This promise gives real present hope to the OT people of Israel, and the promise is fulfilled in the NT for believers in Christ. What Christ has done is to earn a place for the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers by faith. The dead spirit with which we were born is made alive in Christ. So every believer has a new heart and a new spirit.
The Holy Spirit, since Christ, lives in the human spirit making it alive and making us in a connected relationship with the Lord God, the Almighty Creator. Besides creating life inside, the Spirit within energizes and influences the soul to live according to God in Spirit and in Truth. He slowly and gradually, but steadily and surely, grows spiritual life and prompts us to do good works, sanctifying us to make us more holy and loving, and more like God. He will not finish the job until we die and are resurrected: then the perfected soul joins the resurrected body.
In effect, we are two people: saint and sinner, old man and new man, flesh and spirit, death and life, cursing and blessing, corrupt heart and clean heart. This duality results in constant spiritual warfare within. The result is both “works of the flesh” and “fruit of the Spirit,” both working side by side to gain the upper hand and exert control of bodily behavior. We are constantly engaged in this conflict. Is it any wonder our emotions are often in turmoil?
The Spirit applies the Word and Sacraments to change the inward man (which is eternal) and affect the outward man (which is perishing). The more the Law and the Gospel feed the soul the more difference it makes. The more the evil world and the selfish flesh feed the soul the more difference it makes. But we always have the promise: God gave a new heart and a new spirit. The stony heart is slowly being eroded to make a soft heart that can receive the impression of Christ, the image of God. Receive this promise with an honest and good and glad heart.