Heart

EXTERNAL vs INTERNAL 
CIRCUMCISION

INDEX:

Commitment is a word we hear frequently in our modern culture (see graph of frequency of use since 1800). Commitment is the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose. It is the act of binding oneself to a course of action.

Heart (2588) (kardia) does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the heart turns to God.

Heart (03820) (leb - note that this discussion also includes the closely related noun lebab -03824) sometimes refers to a literal heart (Ex 28:29, 1Sa 25:37, 2Ki 9:24), but most often is used figurative to refer to what I term the "control center" of our being.

Integrity (from "integer" = the whole of anything, a whole number not a fraction - think "whole character" not a fraction of one!) speaks of the unimpaired state of one's mind and heart, of moral soundness and purity, of incorruptness, of uprightness, of honesty. Just as we would talk about a whole number, so also we can talk about a whole person who is undivided. A person of integrity is living rightly, not divided, nor being a different person in different circumstances. A person of integrity is the same person in private that he or she is in public.