How is the law written on everyone's heart?

Keeping the law (or trying to) started with circumcision of the flesh in the Old Testament. It is now kept by circumcision of the heart. Just as the sign of the covenant was "written" on the flesh in the Old Testament, now it is written on our hearts.

God said that He would write the law on the hearts of the people He will make a new covenant with.

Jeremiah 31:33 KJV
33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Then Paul seems to be saying that the law is also written on the hearts of unregenerate Gentiles who don't have a covenant with God, but I can't find a verse to back up what Paul said about the Gentiles too.

Romans 2:14,15
14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Thank you!

God said that He would write the law on the hearts of the people He will make a new covenant with.

Jeremiah 31:33 KJV
33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Then Paul seems to be saying that the law is also written on the hearts of unregenerate Gentiles who don't have a covenant with God, but I can't find a verse to back up what Paul said about the Gentiles too.

Romans 2:14,15
14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Thank you!

Thanks Runningman. The 'house of Israel' mentioned in the Jeremiah verse is talking about all believers who are saved. It is the same Israel mentioned in Romans 11: "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" This is describing how all believers will be saved since the deliverer (Jesus) comes from heaven and turns ungodliness from Jacob (again, a picture of all believers). That was when Jesus came to the cross and got resurrected to give the spirit in people's hearts.

We read that: "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD" . So God lights a believer's spirit, so to speak.

The Bible uses parable language to describe God being in peoples' hearts. If we read "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" Obviously, if the physical sun was placed in a person's heart it would be a physical impossibility. However, the day star is Christ who arises in the inner person by the spirit. The law was simply written words whereas they point to God connecting with persons by his spirit.

Probably you know all this already, but it is a good subject you mention.

My understanding is that I speak the word and it will go from my head to my heart.
"8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. "
- Romans 10: 8-10
Speaking the word to get it in my heart will get me to where I speak it because I believe it in my heart. Singing scripture is an excellent way to do this.

My understanding of this is that it is not related to what the OP is about, the law being written in the heart of the house of Israel per Jeremiah 31:33.

No such promises were apparently made to the Gentiles as far as I can tell. There are no other verses about the law being written in the hearts of unbelievers so I guess we should be careful trying to make a doctrine about it that applies to unbelievers.

Romans 2:14,15
14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

No such promises were apparently made to the Gentiles as far as I can tell.

There are no other verses about the law being written in the hearts of unbelievers so I guess we should be careful trying to make a doctrine about it that applies to unbelievers.

Jeremiah 31:33 KJV
33 I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Romans 2:14,15
14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15Which shew ~the work of the law~ written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.

.
• Rom 2:14-16 . . For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature
do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts
accusing or else excusing them

In the beginning, humanity was created with a divine sense of right and
wrong, i.e. good and evil.

• Gen 1:26-27 . . And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.

* The divine quality of humanity's sense of right and wrong was lost due
to the forbidden fruit incident; but that's another discussion.

So then, even before the laws of God were officially codified, people knew
what they were; for example Cain (Gen 4:6-7) Abraham (Gen 26:5) Sodom
and Gomorrah (Gen 18:20-33) Er (Gen 38:7) Onan (Gen 38:8-10) and
Joseph (Gen 39:9)

NOTE: I forget where I read this; but when European missionaries came to
the new world, they thought to enlighten the natives with Christian
principles and moral values; and were astounded to discover that the people
had been aware of many of those same principles and values for centuries.
_

I think this is "natural law" that all people have, not the law of the old testament covenant.

There is not one universal application of the word "law" in scripture.

Hello again Runningman, what appears to be a subtle difference between Jeremiah and Romans is actually anything but (especially when the full context of each is considered).

In the former Text, the Law itself is written by God on the hearts of His people/believers, while in the latter, it is "the work of the law" that is seen/written there, the proof of which is in the pudding (so to speak). As one of my commentaries on the Book of Romans puts it,


The former, and passages like it, speak of our possessing a fullness of knowledge/of an immediate and "specific" revelation ~from~ God that He writes in the hearts of those who are and who will be (and who will continue to be) His people.

On the other hand the latter Text/Romans 2:12-16 (see again below), speaks only of a partial knowledge (or sense) of the truth, an immediate, "general" revelation ~of~ God, that ends (as we see) in the judgment & condemnation of the people who possess it, and it alone (see v16). IOW, "the work of the law written on the hearts" of unbelievers proves their guilt, because by it they demonstrate that they know right from wrong (at least basically/inherently), and that this, if nothing else, will be the basis upon which they will be judged by God.

There is much more to discuss about this very interesting topic, but I'll stop here for now.

God bless you!!

~Deuteronomy

I disagree. Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 10 have an interesting connection which demonstrates that the promise for a new covenant was "for all" inclusive of both Jews and Gentiles. The passages form part of the basis for the case that the Church is Spiritual Israel through Christ.

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." - Hebrews 10:10-17 KJV

Christians are never referred to as just “Gentiles” in the Bible so I’m inclined to believe Paul is referring to non-believers in Romans 2:14,15. So while the House of Israel could feasibly be a reference to the church, who have the law written in their hearts, it doesn’t make sense that the covenant promise made to the house of Israel would apply to non-believers.