Does God Change Our Hearts or Do We Change Ourselves?
In this article, you will learn how Deuteronomy 6:6 contradicts Ezekiel 11:19, Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 8:3-4, Galatians 3:24-25 and Romans 7:6. Find the translations at the bottom of the page..
The question of whether the responsibility of living a righteous life falls on us or is the result of divine intervention is an intriguing debate in the Bible. At the heart of this discussion is Deuteronomy 6:6, where Moses emphasizes the importance of remembering God's commandments and keeping them in our hearts. This suggests a personal responsibility—a call for us to actively engage with God's rules daily, ensuring we internalize them to guide our actions.
However, as we explore other biblical texts, we encounter verses that appear to offer a different perspective. For instance, Ezekiel 11:19 presents the idea that God will provide a new heart and spirit to His people, implying that internal transformation is initiated by God Himself. This stance is supported by Jeremiah 31:33, which speaks of God's law being written on our hearts, again suggesting that it is God who enables this change.
Further complicating the picture, Romans 8:3-4 and Romans 7:6 suggest that the law is fulfilled in believers through the Spirit, and we are delivered from the law to serve in newness of spirit. This implies that the Spirit plays a critical role in guiding our lives, not necessarily our adherence to the law as highlighted in Deuteronomy 6:6.
Galatians 3:24-25 offers yet another perspective. It points to the law as a guide leading to Christ, suggesting that once faith is attained, the law's role diminishes. This raises an interesting contradiction: Should the commandments continuously be at the forefront of our hearts, or is there a transition to a spirit-led life?
These varying interpretations raise an important question: Is it our active engagement with God's rules that ensures our righteousness, or does God step in to change our hearts, writing His law upon them? The analogy of a teacher and a student comes to mind—is it the student's lifelong commitment to study, or the transformative power of the teacher that results in true learning? The Bible presents both views, leaving believers to ponder their role in this divine-human relationship.
| # | Verse | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Deuteronomy 6:6 | And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: |
| 2. | 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: |
| 3. | 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. |
| 4. | Romans 8:3-4 | For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [for sin: or, by a sacrifice for sin] |
| 5. | Galatians 3:24-25 | Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. |
| 6. | Romans 7:6 | But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter. [that being...: or, being dead to that] |