Jeremiah 17:9, the "Heart", and the Testimony of the Book of Mormon
For us Latter-day Saints, ang testimony of the Book of Mormon is the key to be sure that the church is true, and the Gospel is true. Without the Book of Mormon, there will be no restoration. Moroni promised na if one prays for the Book of Mormon, God Himself through the Holy Spirit will testify to the individual on whether the book is true or not (Moro. 10:4-5). Ang mga critics will attack this, but some who done it cannot deny it. Critics will want to go around sa promise na ito by proof-texting one passage from the Old Testament that reads:
“The heart [הַלֵּב] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
They will then conclude therefore that the promise is deceitful, and therefore cannot be used to prove that the Book of Mormon is true. Not only ang statement na ito ay blasphemous, but this relies on jumping on conclusions; without any logical and exegetical foundations. Sa Bible, ang "heart" ay ginagamit bilang isang counterpart sa buong being ng isang tao, mind and soul.
The Hebrew word being used sa Jeremiah 17:9 is הַלֵּב (haleb), and what this primarily means in this context of Scripture ay hindi nagrerefer sa "heart" as an organ itself but understood as the whole being of an individual (see. William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [W.B Eerdmans, 1971]). It recalls Deuteronomy 29:18-19 and Deuteronomy 30:17 at ang pagtu-turn away ng mga “hearts” (הַלֵּב) ng Israel mula sa Panginoon. Verse 5 also says that “. . .Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” (KJV); showing the "heart" departing from the Lord. We can see the same this use of the word even sa Greek Septuagint (LXX) and its counterpart Greek word καρδιά (kardia). The argument na ang Jeremiah 17:9 talks about the spiritual impurity of an individual can be seen if Jeremiah is read up to verse 1 down to verse 10 where in context it reads:
“Thus saith the LORD: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but its foliage shall be luxuriant; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceeding weak--who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer. 17:1-10, JPS Tanakh 1995)
Jeremiah here ay simply nagcocomplain sa kasamaan ng mga tao, as in considering ang backround in light of the times ni Jeremiah where people are desperately rejecting God and didn't place their trust on him. The problem with how anti-mormons use this passage ay na ang testimony of the Book of Mormon is where God himself testifies to the heart of the individual and not the individual's heart alone for itself decide on whether the Book is true or not. In other context, הַלֵּב (haleb) and καρδιά (kardia) are used in a positive sense rather than negative ones. This argument will be ang isang favorite by those who hold a Calvinistic view of Soteriology, na kung saan sila ay naniniwala sa tinatawag natin na Total Depravity, i.e that human beings ay inherently evil and cannot do any good. It is false and is incorrect in many levels, in light of Scripture and divine revelation.
In the Scriptures, we can see that in some moments ay ginamit also ang "heart" (הַלֵּב/καρδιά) when God wants to tell a person something or as an instrument within sa being ng individual, to discern whether something ay good or bad; right or wrong. As in one time sa New Testament when Peter and John ay on their road to Emmaus; they knew that it was Christ whom they are walking with dahil ang kanilang hearts "burned" as the Savior spoke and opened the Scriptures to them (Lk. 24:32). If one uses ang standard ng mga critics on Jeremiah 17:9, I think they should also use it for this. If they do think na ang text na ito is relevant to a claim that the Holy Spirit through one's heart will testify of the truth ng Book of Mormon, why can't they use it against these examples? Would they or clearly may bias lang sila?
We also see that salvation involves repentance, and ang repentance involves a change of heart. Ang person is changed when God opens the heart of someone and changes the heart of someone, and we can see this being true with the biblical text. Throughout the Scriptures, it is seen na ang heart ay ginagamit ng Diyos for his salvific work. Si Lydia ay na-convert dahil binuksan ng Diyos ang kaniyang puso (Acts 16:14-15); sa araw na nag-preach si Apostle Peter sa mga Judio sa Jerusalem, ang kanilang mga puso ay ” … nasaktan” (κατενύγησαν, katenygēsan, Acts 2:37, Ang Biblia 2001), na kung saan ay ipinapakita ang intervention ng Espiritu Santo upang mabuksan ang kanilang mga puso sa Ebanghelyo at hinihikayat sila na sumunod sa Ebanghelyo. Ang salita ng Diyos sa kaniyang heart ay parang ” … nagaalab na apoy” (Jer. 20:9), na nagsasabi sa kaniya na huwag tumigil sa pagpre-preach.
Sa mga New Testament letters ay ipinapakita ang instrumentality ng puso ng tao sa pagtatanggap ng inspiration mula sa Diyos. Sinabi ni Apostle Paul that ” … because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal. 4:6), giving assurance tungkol sa Espiritu Santo bilang isang intercessor sa Ama sa Langit. Paul also speaks sa necessity natin na manalangin, pagsasaliksik, and God ” … shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-8) Sinabi din ni Apostle Peter na heeding to the “more sure word of prophecy,” will cause ” … “day star to arise in our hearts.” (2Pet. 1:19-21)
All of the people whom God opened their hearts ay hindi nagrely sa kanilang knowledge at selfish nature, kundi sa pamamagitan ng presensiya ng Espiritu Santo sa kanilang puso. The same occurs sa sinuman na pinagpra-pray ang Book of Mormon na may pananampalataya kay Jesucristo. If anyone wants to know if the Book of Mormon is true, as one who testifies that it is true, I will invite you to pray about it. It is God alone who will testify to you if the Book is true, and if the Gospel is true.
Do what Moroni invites you, with “real intent”. God testifies of the truthfulness of the Gospel through the Holy Ghost, and I testify of it as well. It is the very reason why I still am inside the church. Do it, and I promise you you will receive.
