Q & A

QUESTION: Acts 16:14 reads, “And a certain woman named Lydia…whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul.” Doesn’t this mean that the Holy Spirit directly touched her heart thereby causing her to understand that what Paul had to say was from God and that she ought to listen and accept what he said?
ANSWER: While it does say that “God opened her heart,” it does not tell us how He opened her heart. Thus, to understand how God opened her heart, we must learn what God means with the word “heart.” When God speaks about the heart, He is speaking of that part of the man which: thinks (Mat. 9:4), understands (Isa. 32:4), knows (Prov. 14:10), can doubt (Mark 11:23), can purpose (2 Cor. 9:7), devises (Prov. 16:9), loves (Mat. 22:37), reasons (Mark 2:6,8) and can receive God’s laws (Heb. 8:10; 10:16). Thus, biblically, the heart is the rational thinking part of man.
How then, does God cause the human heart to open up and be receptive to him? He tells us: “the precepts of God gives understanding to the heart” (Psa. 119:104). Thus, God speaks to us through His Word, then our heart–the rational thinking part of man–reasons with it (Acts 17:2-3) either accepting it (Acts 17:4) or rejecting it (Acts 17:5). Those who accepted it were those whom the Lord opened their hearts–by His Word.
This is precisely what happened with Lydia. Notice, she first heard the Word of God, and then by that hearing the Lord opened her heart. Furthermore, in Acts 2:36-37, the Word of God (Peter’s preaching) pierced (opened) their hearts. Lydia’s case explains that God does open hearts; Peter’s case explains how He opens hearts.
In spite of the attempt of many to make it appear so, the Bible no where teaches that the Holy Spirit directly touches the heart causing people to feel or think certain things. Rather, it is all done through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Gary Henson