In Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 we have the plural word laws, although the law of life is singular not plural. Why then in these two verses does it say laws? Why has the law become plural? The reason is that the life which we have received through regeneration has only one law. This is the law of life itself. But this law has more than one function in us. God’s life in each of our inner parts has its function. In the spirit it has its function; in the mind it has its function; in the will it also has its function, as well as in the emotion. In all the inward parts it has its function. When Jeremiah says that “I will put my law into their inward parts,” it means that the law of God’s life in each of the inward parts has its function.
Therefore, as far as the law itself is concerned, it is singular; but concerning the function of this law in our being, it is plural. It is just like running water; the source is one, but the pipes are many. Life has only one law in us, but this law has spread to our inward parts. We have this law in our spirit, in our mind, in our will, and also in our emotions. As far as life itself is concerned there is one law, but as far as the function of its operation is concerned there are many laws. The law spreads into the different parts and becomes several laws, but the source is one.
Although the spirit is the highest part of man, what represents man’s self is not the spirit but the heart. It is the heart which represents man. Psalm 4:4 speaks of communing with your own heart. This indicates that the heart is man’s true self. Our heart is the most important part of our being.
The heart is between the spirit and the soul. Therefore all that enters into the spirit must pass through the heart, and all that comes forth from the spirit must also pass through the heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” This means that the heart is the exit through which the life flows out. In other words, the fruit which man produces outwardly comes out of his heart, and for this reason the heart is the most important thing. The heart is the necessary path through which the life moves. Therefore, before God’s life enters into us, what must be touched first is our heart. If our heart has not become sorrowful and has not yet repented, God’s life cannot enter. Whether God causes us to feel the sufferings of sin, the sweetness of His love, or the preciousness of Christ, He always does it by touching our heart, causing us to feel sorrowful and bringing us to repentance. The sorrowfulness of the heart is the specific function of the conscience, and being repentant is the turning of the mind. When our heart is thus touched, our will decides and our heart believes. By this receiving of Christ, the life of God enters into us and is planted within us (1 Pet. 1:23).
A grain of wheat planted into the earth will begin to grow and continue to grow. However, its growth does require certain conditions. For instance, if the seed is planted but is never watered, its growth will be hindered. We see this same principle not only in life, but also in physics. Electricity is powerful, but when the little switch is turned off, the flow of electricity is stopped. It is true that life is powerful and spontaneous, but if there is something hindering its development or if the conditions for its development are absent, it will not grow. It will appear as if the growth has stopped.
How then can this life develop within us? We must remember that the receiving of life begins with our heart and that the growth of this life also begins with our heart. Whether the life within us can grow depends upon whether our heart is open toward God. If our heart is open toward God, the life in us will grow and spread; but if our heart is closed toward God, the life in us will not be able to develop and spread out. Therefore, the growth and development of life in us is entirely a matter of the heart. We must not ignore this matter.
We must realize that the heart has desires and inclinations, while the spirit enables us to have fellowship and communion with God. Therefore, to desire God and love God is not a matter of the spirit, but a matter of the heart; whereas, to worship and serve God is not a matter of the heart, but a matter of the spirit. The heart can love God, but it cannot touch God. The heart can incline to God, but cannot have fellowship with God. Only the spirit can touch God and have fellowship with God.
Some would say that if we wish to touch the things of God we need to use our mind, just as when we hear sounds we need to use our mind. While it is true that to hear sounds we must use our mind, it is also true that to hear sounds we must use our ears. If someone is speaking yet you do not have ears, your mind cannot understand what is being said. The same is true with seeing; if there are red, white, yellow, and blue colors present and you do not have eyes to see, you will not be able to understand what is red, white, yellow, or blue. If you wish to see, you must use your eyes. The sounds are transmitted to your mind through your ears, and the colors are transmitted to your mind through the eyes. Likewise, spiritual things need to be touched by the spirit.
If God wants to have fellowship and communion with us, yet we do not have a heart, it is impossible for Him to do so. Our heart is like the electric switch; when it is turned on, the light goes on. When it is shut off, the light goes out. If our heart is open to God, it is easy for God to have fellowship with us, but if our heart is closed to God, it is difficult for Him to have fellowship with us. It is true that God’s life is in us, but the heart is the switch of this life. Whether God’s life can pass through our spirit to the conscience, whether His life can reach our mind through the spirit, whether His life can reach our will through the spirit or touch our emotion through the spirit, is a matter of the heart. If the heart is open, God’s life has a way; if the heart is closed, God’s life has no way.