Tripartite Man: Definition

Man’s heart, as revealed throughout Scripture, is a composition of all the parts of the soul as well as of the primary part of the spirit, namely the conscience. It may strike the reader as odd to hear that the heart is not a separate and distinct component of man, but rather a composition of several other parts. Nevertheless, the Bible clearly indicates, as outlined below, that all three components of the soul–the mind, will, and emotion–also comprise the heart, together with the leading part of the spirit–the conscience.

In order to see that the mind is a part of the heart, we must read Genesis 6:5: “And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Furthermore, as Matthew 9:4 reports, “Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?” Both “thoughts” and “thinking” relate to the mind, evidence that the mind, as a part of the soul, is simultaneously a part of the heart.

To identify the will as pertaining to the heart, we must consult Acts 11:23: “Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.”

In addition, the second half of Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the Word’s ability to discern, “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Both “purpose” and “intentions” are functions of the will, indicating that the will, likewise, is part of the heart.

Several other portions of the Word prove that the emotion is part of the heart. In John 16:6, the Lord tells His disciples, “But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.” Later in that same chapter, the Lord continues, “Therefore you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” Since sorrow and rejoicing, human emotions, are so evidently linked here to the heart, we can say that man’s emotional faculty is also part of the heart. The scriptural references cited in the above three paragraphs clearly demonstrate that the soul with its three parts (mind, will, and emotion) is a key component of the heart.

Finally, the Word makes it clear that the leading part of the spirit (the conscience) is also integrally related to the heart. Hebrews 10:22 strongly links these two: “Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” Additionally, 1 John 3:20 warns, “Because if our heart blames us, it is because God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” Blame and condemnation are the primary functions of the conscience, further proof that our conscience is part of our heart. In summary, it is the conscience, along with the three parts of the soul, that compose man’s heart (Witness Lee, Economy 59-61).

The Human Spirit | The Soul | The Body | The Heart

The Definition of the
Three Parts of Man:

The Heart–A Composition of the Soul and the Conscience (The Leading Part of the Spirit)

The Definition of the Three Parts of Man:

The Heart–A Composition of the Soul and the Conscience (The Leading Part of the Spirit)

The Definition of the
Three Parts of Man: