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NASB | Luke 8:15 "But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 8:15 "But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience. |
Bible Question: How would one reconcile this verse that speaks of an honest and good heart, (similar to Acts 17:11),with the general Bible teaching that the heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)? |
Bible Answer: 2 Chronicles 16:9 the NAS translates the critical phrase which relates to your question "those whose heart is completely His." The Hebrew literally reads, "their heart *complete* to him..." The Theological Wordbook of the OT states the Hebrew world "shalom" (NAS "complete") can mean, "Completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfilment, are closer to the meaning. Implicit in sh¹lôm is the idea of unimpaired relationships with others and fulfilment in one's undertakings." It is not that our hearts are innately honest and good. It is that we can allow them to be, as TWOT understands, unimpaired by relationships that could distract from our primary relationship to the Lord. An honest and good heart is not sinless, it is in a general state of undistracted commitment to its overriding relationship: the Lord. |