In this episode of Anchored by the Word, Pastor Justin is joined by his wife, Diana Likens for an engaging and a deeply biblical discussion about the human heart and the necessity of spiritual transformation. They challenge the common belief that people are fundamentally good, asserting that the Bible teaches humanity is born with a nature "dead in trespasses and sins." Drawing on scriptures like Romans 3:10-12, they emphasize the urgent need for a "spiritual heart transplant"—the complete, HGTV-style renovation the Holy Spirit performs upon conversion, making a believer a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The purpose of this new heart is to fully transform believers to think, speak, and act like Jesus, as the heart is the "epicenter of a person," encompassing the mind, emotions, will, and desires (Proverbs 4:23).

They clarify that apart from Christ, the heart is spiritually evil and dead, citing Ephesians 2:1 and Luke 6:45. This understanding is crucial because it highlights that all are not God's children by default, but become adopted through repentance and faith in the gospel. This new covenant promise, foretold in Ezekiel 36:26, is the replacement of a "heart of stone" with a "heart of flesh," directly contradicting the idea that a fundamentally good person would require a new heart. However, they address the war between the new heart and the remaining sin nature, using Romans 7 to describe the internal conflict of wanting to obey God but struggling with temptation.

Finally, the discussion provides essential encouragement for Christians, emphasizing that the gospel not only saves but also breaks the power of sin, giving believers the tools to resist temptation (1 Corinthians 10). Their concluding advice is to preach the gospel to oneself daily: to confess sin while running to God, not from Him, trusting in the assurance of full forgiveness and the security of their adoption, thereby establishing their hearts as they await Christ’s return (James 5:8).