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Head vs. Heart
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Ask John Piper: Is it more important to have a mind for God or a heart for God?
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Less is more
I agree with Piper’s basic answer, even though it’s a non-anwser. The Lord wants us to have a heart after him, but since he is Truth, he does not want us to check our brains (which he gave us) at the door either.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. In other words, it’s not even a “balance”… it’s everything! I should be growing in *all* these areas, neglecting none.
Piper’s right given the question, but the question itself is poorly phrased. I suggest amending it to something like: “Is it more important to focus on having a mind for God or a heart for God?” This has the advantage of moving beyond *what* one should be valuing to consider *how* one should be going about doing so.
I personally feel it’s easier to know the right stuff and harder to do the right stuff. But like Piper said, doing the right stuff is easier when I know the right stuff.
Agree, Jane H. However,is simply knowing the right stuff the same as having a mind for God?
The heart is most important. The intellect is still important, but less intelligent people with their hearts aligned correctly do much more good (and less harm) than smart people with mallignant or misaligned hearts.
The question is representative of the Greek (Western) way of looking at faith - analyzing something by breaking it down into parts. This doesn’t work so well with certain subjects like faith. So there are a number of loaded words in the question like “important.” This is how we “know” in the West. But, I’m not so sure that this approach captures the human perspective with which God created us.
Nevertheless it is important to ask the question since it has proven “one” way to know. I think of Edith Hamilton’s work on “The Greek Way” vs. “The Hebrew Way.” If we could get a handle on this I think we would be more successful in sharing the Gospel with the Muslim culture.
Why is this one in the “Most Active Posts” category with only six, now seven, comments?
I waited a long time for that link to come up and not get an answer.
I don’t see how you can separate them, which I think is what Piper tried to say. In answer to the Pharisees (Matt. 22:35, Jesus said the greatest commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God , with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
So, if a person has a soul/mind/heart for the Lord, the rest will follow.
But KRM makes a good point. I have known “not smart” people do good things.
Given how much some very smart people here intellectualize their faith with elaborate arguments for intelligent design and the correct interpretation of Scripture and the correct values and dogma and ritual, I wonder (as a sarcastic atheistic person) how will a not very smart person (fair enough to call me such) get saved?
On the other hand, there are some really dumb people here (besides me) and I wonder about them as well. I am sure both groups will speak up with enthusiasm and certainty. God loved all kinds, they will say, so he made plenty and let them have at it.
RN, you have opened (Probebly unintentionally)a big issue. And one I would like to deal with extensively, but I have to leave shortly. Let me say, briefly if I can, that faith is Christ is not intellectually derived. ( I can hear Ed, Luke, qwerty, et. al. saying “Yeah! Right On!, a bunch of idiots. I’ve been saying that all the time.”) But I mean to say that to the lower IQ, or the brilliant, this is a revealed truth. Jesus, (Matt 16:17) said to Peter: Blessed are you … because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in heaven.” This is very difficult for me because I reject predestination. (I realise this is essentially a Calvanist site.) However, I have to admit that a person’s decision to trust Jesus the Christ for his salvation is not entirely an intellectual exercise.
Gotta go. I may come back to it if it’s still active when I return.