Head Knowledge vs Heart Knowledge

[popsthebuilder]

On 5/5/2019 at 5:07 PM, angels4u said:

Head Knowledge vs Heart Knowledge

by Mike Mobley

 

“Self-salvation through good works may produce a great deal of moral behaviour in your life, but inside you are miserable. You are always comparing yourself to other people, and you are never sure you are being good enough. You cannot therefore, deal with your hideousness and self-absorption through the moral law, by trying to be a good person through an act of the will. You need a complete transformation of the very motives of your heart.” – Tim Keller, The Reason for God

When you hear about Jesus, what comes to mind? Who is Jesus to you? Depending on where you live, chances are you might have heard the Gospel before. Even now as you read this you might be saying to yourself “bla bla bla, yes I know the Gospel…move on to the next topic.” When it comes to Jesus, do you know Him in your head or in your heart?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Would you say you know Jesus in your head or in your heart?

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We can fill up our heads with knowledge all day long. From reading the internet, studying books, watching TV, listening to music, and having conversations with others, it’s amazing to think how much goes into our heads each day. What would it mean though for us to apply these things to our hearts? When we apply something to our heart, it becomes very real for us at that point. It drives our minds, emotions, and affections towards whatever that thing or someone is.

Heart Knowledge

Jonathan Edwards from his sermon Divine and Supernatural Light has a great illustration to make this point using honey. He says, “your mind can know honey is sweet, people can tell you it’s sweet, you’ve read books about it, etc. but if you haven’t actually tasted it, you know with your head, but not with your heart. When you actually taste it, you experience it for yourself, you know it in a full way, and you can know it in your heart.”

Knowing with your heart however, is not to be confused by being led with your emotions. That is not what I’m talking about here. You obviously still learn things with your head. For example, we can definitely have head knowledge, and not have the heart knowledge to go along with it. However, it’s impossible to know things in our hearts, but not in our heads. When it comes to the Gospel, yes, we need to learn in our heads what Jesus has done for us, but more importantly, we need to learn this in our hearts. It needs to become real to us, personally. That’s exactly what happened to me when I realized that Jesus died for me.

A good way to think about this for yourself is when you read the Bible, pray, or when you’re involved in the local body (the Church), are you doing all of this out of an obligation to God to pay Him back for something or to earn your way? Or, instead, are you doing all these things because of an overflow of gratitude of what He has done for you? Are you loving Jesus with your heart or head?

Head Knowledge

When we say things like “I know God loves me, but I hate myself” or “I know God wants me to be generous, but I just can’t do it,” we are stating truths about God from our head and using that knowledge, but there is a lack of understanding in our heart. If we knew God truly loved us, we wouldn’t hate ourselves. God’s love would be so real to us that we would see ourselves the way He sees us, through His son, as an adopted child. If we knew God truly wanted us to be generous, we would joyfully give our money, time, and possessions back to Him and anyone in need. Especially because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

So where are you in this? If you haven’t been using heart knowledge, there is no need be feel guilty or condemned (Romans 8:1). Pray to God, ask Him to search your heart, test your thoughts, guide you into understanding that what Jesus has done for you is very real and personal. Make a decision to become a follower of Christ today and to realize that you are forgiven by God through Christ.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” – Psalm 139:23-24

Question: When it comes to Jesus, do you know Him personally, in your head or in your heart?

https://www.beforethecross.com/devotionals/head-knowledge-vs-heart-knowledge/

I found the opener interesting, but am found wondering why it must be either "head" OR "heart". Is not the GOD given body that which works best as a unit? How is it head or heart when the heart supplies the blood for the head to function and the object of ones heart will be what their feet will walk towards and their hands long for?

Hope I'm not too far off topic.

peace

[timf]

Paul told the Romans that some of his fellow Jews had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. He also says that this was why many stumbled at Christ.

Zeal is not bad except when it is not a result but sought for or put first. In a way it is like alcoholism. A person that seeks feeling good directly can end up in all sorts of trouble.

How we feel should be the result of what we do, how we live, what we say, and the love of God demonstrated in our life. If we try to go directly and get the good feelings, we can blind ourselves to truth and actually harm our relationship with God.

[shodan]

Most American Christians have a hard time grasping "heart" in Scripture. https://textsincontext.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/the-great-commandment-heart-and-mind/

[tim_from_pa]

On 9/11/2021 at 11:08 PM, shodan said:

Most American Christians have a hard time grasping "heart" in Scripture. https://textsincontext.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/the-great-commandment-heart-and-mind/

Excellent article.  For many years I have been disturbed by the idea what is considered the heart, when indeed more than the feelings are involved. The problem with feelings is they can be messed up. So there is the preacher telling people to repent and tears of conviction but joy come from people supposedly converted, only to find that they are not obeying the WILL of God. And indeed, I've been equally upset by the reputation of the mind being merely cold and calculating when the mind is the means we learn about God.  Or to put it another way, I always said that the apostle Paul, very intellectual, was the Albert Einstein of the Christian theological world.  The Lord used his mind and wisdom to make flawless arguments.  I take great love in the world around me, mathematics, science (especially astronomy), and the like.  When confronted with those who would claim this is too intellectual when I see the meanings of numbers in the bible for example and should deal more with my heart, I replied, "You don't understand.  When the Lord has my mind, He has my heart, too. " And to leave this last thought, I bring up the "Wizard of Oz" story.  Who did Dorthy love the most and loved her the most? The one she'd miss the most, and that was the scarecrow, the one who wanted (and had) the brains.  People who truly understand things feel deeper and bend their will more than others realize.

[Guest]

(Proverbs 4:21)  Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
(Proverbs 4:22)  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
(Proverbs 4:23)  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
(Proverbs 4:24)  Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
(Proverbs 4:25)  Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
(Proverbs 4:26)  Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
(Proverbs 4:27)  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.  [ESV]

[Daniel Marsh]

good topic

[Blue Lulu]

One way to get heart knowledge is to study the word of God.  Therefor you can get head knowledge first that becomes heart knowledge.  You may get a revelation from the Holy Spirit that becomes heart knowledge before head knowledge.

John 6: 68-69

Lord, to whom shall we go?  Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.