When we think of the heart, Valentine’s Day and love come to mind. We often contrast the mind and heart as the mind is for thinking and the heart is for feeling. Songs of the heart are those that move us emotionally. Poetry is written to touch our minds but even more so our hearts. Those who are more cerebral or objective tend to value thinking and reasoning while dismissing as superfluous the emotions we associate with the heart. The result is to polarize the mind and heart and thus create tension as to which is more relevant.
The term heart is used in three primary ways: the physical organ, the core of something (e.g., the heart of the matter), and the inner part of our personhood.1 The word appears in the Bible text over 700 times compared to 140 times for the word mind, indicating it is a fairly prominent theme.
The first time the word heart occurs in the Bible is in Genesis. “So the LORD was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (Genesis 6:6). This initial heart statement tells us that God’s nature includes emotions or heart. It is safe to conclude then that, since we are created in God’s image, we, too, have this intangible part of our nature called the heart and emotions. But is that all there is to the heart? A quick flyover of how the Bible describes the heart will reveal that it is an essential part of who we are but more complex than just emotion.
When Scripture refers to the heart, it acknowledges that it is the core of our inner person. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). When the Bible uses the term heart, it can refer to our thoughts, emotions, and will, or all three.
- Thinking
- As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 KJ).
- I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders (Psalm 77:6).
- Feeling
- My heart is in anguish within me (Psalm 55:4).
- Even in laughter the heart may be in pain (Proverbs 14:13).
- Acting:
- Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction (Proverbs 22:17 NLT).
- With all my heart I will observe Your precepts (Psalm 119:69).
The Bible makes a distinction between the body, soul, and spirit. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). And from the book of Hebrews, we get a distinction between the soul, the spirit, and the heart. “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
If we let the soul refer to our inner person (different than the spirit) then our heart could be called the seat of the soul. The following illustration is one way to express the concept of the heart and how it relates to our journey of discipleship and disciplemaking. If we let the composite of our mind, emotions, and will represent our soul, then the heart could represent the core of our soul. The above verse in Hebrews says that the Word is able to not only penetrate the inner person of the soul, but also our heart. I will let the soul refer to the composite inner person of the mind, emotions, and will, and the heart refer to the composite deeper level of the soul.
An oversimplified (but hopefully helpful) way to express these ideas is to let the outer circle represent the soul with its three components of mind, emotion, and will. The heart, then, is the deepest expression of our soul (mind, emotions, and will). At the surface level, we have knowledge, feelings, and behavior. But at the heart level, we have convictions, passions, and resolve.
At the surface level, the mind operates with thoughts, knowledge, and information. Beliefs at this level are constantly changing as new information is acquired.
Convictions, however, reside at the heart level of the mind. They are beliefs that are rigidly held (whether they are true or not.) Often there is a discrepancy between what we say we believe (knowledge level) and what we deeply believe (conviction level.) It has been said, “Beliefs are what we fight for, convictions are what we die for.” At the heart level, knowledge becomes conviction.
Discipleship is the process of developing biblical convictions, not just gaining knowledge so we can parrot the correct answers. Two factors are vital to this process. First, the Spirit is committed to using the Scripture for life change (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and, therefore, the question should always be, “What does the Scripture say?” Buying a book on the subject to see what others are saying is easier, but it does not build the conviction that first-hand exploration of Scripture does.
Second, as educators have known for a long time, adults learn best by self-discovery rather than listening to lectures. Biblical convictions come as a person participates in the learning process and experiences the concepts through practical application.
Of course, it would be ineffective if we had to learn everything simply by self-discovery, so guided self-discovery becomes a valuable method for building convictions. As we disciple others, we need to equip people to personally study, meditate, and make application of Scripture. These skill sets will give them tools for a lifetime of developing convictions.
In the same way, our emotions operate both as surface feelings and heart passions. The feeling level is fairly fluid and changing. Feelings are temporary whereas passions are steady and consistent. Developed over time, passions can withstand adversity and not diminish whereas feelings are easily swayed by current circumstances.
Helping people move from feelings to passions in their discipleship journey involves personal exposure and first-hand experience. Early in my discipleship journey, I knew that I should have a heart (passion) for world missions. I read missionary biographies, went to mission conferences, and attended all-night prayer meetings for missions. They all were helpful but nothing compared to a trip to Africa where I spent a summer living with Kenyans.
The will is our complex decisionmaker, our control/action center. The will can respond to knowledge and feelings or to convictions and resolve. At the resolve level of the will, we demonstrate actions that are consistent over time, expressed by our character and values.
The Old Testament prophet Ezra is an example of resolve. The key to his success is given in Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” It was the set of his heart (resolve) that allowed God to bless him. The Gospels record a similar resolve when they say that Jesus “set his face” towards Jerusalem as he resolved to do the Father’s will on Calvary.
We all know of stories of men and women who had a deep resolve to accomplish something even though it was not easy, fun, or convenient. Their resolve helped them stay the course regardless of the distractions or costs.
A discipling coach (mentor) needs to help people align their will with Scripture at the heart level (resolve). A coach not only explains what to do, and models how to do it, but helps people put desired behavior into practice over time. However, accountability must be voluntary. Forced accountability usually results in compliance but not resolution. When there is resolve, God-honoring behavior moves from a duty to a delight.
The heart is a deep, yet a critical mystery. ‘Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). We are also told that we do not know another person’s heart, but God does and that the Scripture is a discerner of our hearts “… able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Although we cannot directly affect another person’s heart, we can cooperate with God in the process of heart transformation through the power of prayer, Scripture and effective equipping.
Let’s not be satisfied with surface levels of conformity but aim for heart-level formation, (convictions, passion, and resolve) in ourselves and in those we are mentoring.
Questions for reflection
1. Identify a truth that went from information to conviction in your discipleship journey
2. What are some of your passions?