Affairs of the Heart: Divine and Human
Introduction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaa-45bnidY&feature=youtu.be
As a very new Christian I was introduced to the thought of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), whose preaching ignited a revival with outstanding manifestations in colonial America. Edwards’ critics considered these to be no more than emotional excesses and advocated sober reasonable religion. In reply, Edwards published several books which defended the revival on theological and biblical grounds, these works are generally considered to be unsurpassed in depth and detail. Two features of his teaching have never left me.
1. Religious Affections
Reflecting on his revival experiences Edwards made a sharp distinction between holy affections and ordinary human emotions. The former are long-lasting, deep, consistent with beliefs, always result in action and integrate mind, will and feelings. Emotions however are more likely to be fleeting, superficial, overpowering, fail to produce action and are often disconnected from the mind and will.
He discerns between what he called the true and false use of the affections. Commencing with Peter’s intensely warm and personal statement, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Pet 1:8-9), Edwards argues that true affections reflect life as God intended. The Bible is full of strong language when it comes to the inner life of the people of God e.g. the lamentations of the psalmists. When we look at the Gospels we are struck with the joy, delight, amazement, awe, gratitude and love that greet the liberating acts of Jesus. In Acts there are occasions of “glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people… walking and praising God…the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul….and great fear came upon the whole church. ….they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name…there was much joy in that city’ etc. In the letters we encounter “hatred” of evil (Rom 12:9), “peace surpassing understanding” (Phil 4:7), “fervency in spirit” (Rom 12:11); “zeal” (Rom 12:8; Tit 2:14), “strong encouragement…sure and steadfast hope” (Heb 6:18-19) and above all deep “love” (Rom 13:8; 1 Cor 13; 1 Tim 1:5).
Whilst Edwards distinctions between affections, emotions and passions were applied to humans, it is legitimate to apply them to the divine life. For instance, God’s anger is a disposition to remove the damaging influences of evil, rather than a triggered emotional response. In dealing with the divine affections we are dealing with the depths of God. Consistent with Edwards approach to a genuine theology as one of lived experience was his theology of the heart.
2. A Theology of the Heart
A foundational text for Edwards was Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (KJV)/ “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (ESV). The knowledge of God is more than mental consent to a series of concepts. Edwards argued that a believer must see with the eyes of his/her own heart. Paul prays, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…” (Eph 1:17-18). This “seeing” gives the believer an unsurpassable level of certainty concerning God’s goodness, and the sweetness and beauty of his truth.
Edwards contended that in the Bible it was the human heart that gave rise to the distinct faculties of mind, will and emotions. (This is a position generally accepted by biblical scholars.) The heart is the source of the whole inner life, with its thinking, willing and feeling. The heart is like the trunk of a tree, with mind, will and emotion as branches coming out of it. In scripture the heart is the very centre of life (Prov 4:23). Thoughts proceed from the heart (Isa 10:7; Matt 9:4; Rom 1:21; James 1:26; Rev 2:23) and the word of God “discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
If this is true for humans made in the divine likeness, then it must first be true of God himself. The Lord has thoughts, makes decisions and has feelings because he has a heart. And the heart is the centre of his person. From the beginning the Lord has been looking for a place in which his heart can live (1 Ki 9:3). From the “plans of his heart” (Ps 33:11) the history of the universe unfolds. “Heart” in the Bible may not coincide with the way we use this word in English, but that God has a “heart” explains everything.
Untranslatable?
One of the critical problems in developing a consistent biblical understanding of the heart comes from the fact that the basic words in Hebrew and Greek for “heart” are not always rendered by the same English term. For example, where the ESV consistently reads Genesis 6:5-6, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.”, the NLT has, “he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” Solomon prays for a “discerning heart” (1 Ki 3:9 NIV etc.), rather than an “understanding mind” (ESV). The psalmist testifies, “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” (Ps 119:32 cf. 2 Cor 6:11, 13 ESV) rather than, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.” (NIV). “Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding” (Prov 14:33), rather than, “in the mind” (NRSV). Where most translations have God commenting about human sacrifice, “I did not command, nor did it come into my mind” (Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5; 32:35), the word is really “heart”. Or, where the NIV translates Lamentations 3:32-33 as, “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.”, the ESV consistently has, “For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.” Where Jeremiah 5:21 literally says, “you foolish and heartless people”, English versions have, “you foolish and senseless people”. Where the Hebrew text has, “speak to the heart” (Gen 34:3; 50:21; Judges 19:3; Isa 40:2; Hos 2:14), English versions generally have something like, “speak tenderly to”. where the text actually reads, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matt 9:4), the Good News Bible has, ““Why are you thinking such evil things?”. Where the text says, “some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts” (Mark 2:6), the NIV translates, “ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,” None of the above is wrong, or contradictory to a scriptural understanding of “the heart”, but it can be misleading.
How do we account for the avoidance of heart language in translations of scripture? Perhaps English translators avoid the word “heart” because in common use it is so tied to strong emotions e.g. “break someone’s heart”, “eat your heart out”, “follow your heart”, “good-hearted person”. How often have we been told that someone’s heart is in the right place, but then we hear of the same person falling into sin. In biblical language this is a sheer contradiction. Or it may be that contemporary translators think that “heart” language is rather outdated or perhaps may be confused with the physical bodily organ. I think however that darker forces are at work.
Idolatries of the Heart
In addressing fellow clergy, Puritan Richard Baxter remarked, “our hearts are not as orthodox as our heads”. If the heart is at our centre and if it is open to self-deception (1 Cor 3:18), then we will subtly avoid the sword of the Spirit and the revelatory power of the Word of God exposing our innermost thoughts and intentions (Heb 4:12). We will evade by any means the call of Christ to unconditional discipleship.
Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament to warn believers, “do not harden your hearts…go astray in their heart…evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb 3:8, 10, 12, 13). If God has our hearts, he will have the rest of us. If he has something less than out hearts, he does not have the whole of us. This is manifest in scripture in relation to conversion and sanctification.
Convicted by the word of the Lord through Nathan, a penitent David testifies “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17). Joel appeals, ““Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful,” (2:12-13). When the gospel was preached at Pentecost the hearers were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). In saving Lydia, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” (Acts 16:14). The state of the heart determines the response to God’s word “do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Rom 2:4-5 cf. 1 Ki 8:48; 2 Chron 6:37).
What might we be hiding in our hearts? The amount of secret sin (Ps 90:8; Acts 5:1-11) in the Church is known only to the Lord. Solomon was wise enough to say, “whatever prayer, whatever plea is made …each knowing the affliction of his own heart …39 then hear in heaven …and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind)” (1 Ki 8:38-39). The Israelites were “heartless” because in “serving foreign gods” they became like them, with “eyes but see not…ears but hear not” possessing a “stubborn and rebellious heart”, in their “hearts” they cannot confess the fear of the Lord (Jer 5:19-24). The power of idols to corrupt the human heart is spoken of throughout scripture (Pss 115:4-8; 135:15-18; Isa 6:9-10; Matthew 13:14–15; Acts 28:26–27; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:8). Wherever an idol is taken into the heart (Ezek 14:3-7) at that point, without a supernatural intervention of grace, spiritual blindness is complete. Insensitiveness to the heart and Spirit of God is the central sin of humanity.
Jesus is very clear concerning the relationship between the inner and outer person. “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matt 15:18-19). Over the decades I have learnt to listen with discernment to what people say, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” (Matt 12:34-35). What people are irresistibly drawn to speak about reveals what is important to their hearts i.e. their glories and their idols. Our approach to the things of God deeply reflects the state of our hearts. Bible-believing Christians are not an exception to this.
Head and Heart
The Bible describes a dynamic relationship between heart and mind/head. Whilst grammatically “repentance” involves a “change of mind” (Heb: shub Gk: metanoia), genuine repentance is far deeper than the merely mental. This is because the proper abode, or living of God’s Word is the heart. ““You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt 22:37). “But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” (Deut 30:14). Paul prays for the Ephesians, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph 3:17). When the heart is changed the mind will conform (Acts 8:22), “with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom 10:9). Real heart belief is necessarily followed by personal testimony in words and godliness.
Many of us have felt that if only we could move our head knowledge down to our hearts then we would be much better Christians. This unbiblical sort of thinking reflects cultural biases which distort our appreciation of the biblical teaching on the heart. Educated people suffer from an intellectualist bias and practical people suffer from a pragmatic bias i.e. “what works”. Neither of these dispositions reflect the relational outlook of scripture. The split between orthodox thought (orthodoxy) and orthodox action (orthopraxy) is inappropriate. When it comes to a biblical spirituality the Lord is looking for a true heart (orthokardia). This is why he said that the anointed king was, “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:14). An early Church Father correctly said that a theologian is someone whose prayer and heart are true (Evagrius Ponticus). With a biblical basis (Heb 10:22 cf. Isa 38:3), this can be any one of us, but it is not how we usually think or feel about “theologians”. Western spirituality suffers from a divided self which reflects foundational idolatries
The Lord says to rebellious Israel, “you thought that I was one like yourself” (Ps 50:21). The old joke, “God created man in his own image, and man returned the favour.”, contains a deep and terrible truthfulness. Part of the Church thinks of God as a great Mind, whilst another part revels in “his presence”, as if the Lord subsisted in a set of emotions. There is an idolatry of the mental or the experiential, a split between mind worshippers and lovers of feelings. Broadly speaking, we have conservative Christians on one side and charismatic-Pentecostal believers on the other. That there can be a real split between heart and head is a conviction stubbornly resistant to change. Christ did not see things in this way; “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:23). Heart and action are seen to be essentially one.
We need to recover the sentiment expressed by seventeenth century Puritan John Owen in his remarks about correct doctrine, “Will it be any advantage….unless we find the power of the truths abiding in our own hearts, and have a continual experience of their necessity and excellency in our standing before God and our communion with him.” I am convinced that to be in touch and to stay in touch with the heart of God we need to be filled with the Spirit, repeatedly. I hope to deal with this subject very soon.
Conclusion
The practical denial that God has a heart, or that his heart is impulsive and unreliable like ours, is pervasive, even in the Church. Let me give an embarrassing personal example. I used to quote Jeremiah 17:9 as if it applied to my own life. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” How was it possible for anyone who had received this promise, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek 36:26 cf. Jer 31:31-34), to think such things about himself? My heart was deceived by powers which no longer were a natural part of my life (cf. Rom 7:17, 20). At the level of experience we are in the time prophesied by Jesus when “the love of many will grow cold” (Matt 24:12) and I can sense that Keith Green’s song applies to me, “My eyes are dry My faith is old My heart is hard My prayers are cold”. Thankfully, “God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20). The biblical description of the Lord as “the One who knows the heart” (Acts 1:24; 15:8 cf. 1 Sam 16:7; 1 Chron 28:9; Prov 18:11; 17:3; Jer 11:20; 17:10; Luke 6:15; Rom 8:27; 1 Thess 2:4; Rev 2:23) would terrify us if we didn’t know the heart of God in Christ. Thankfully, we have a God whose heart recoils from judgement and is warm and tender towards us (Hos 11:8). His heart has taken away all our heartlessness by bearing it in the cross (Mark 15:34). Most of all, when the Father looks into our hearts, he beholds living in us the depth and riches of his own heart, he sees Jesus. Hallelujah, what a Saviour (Heb 13:9 cf. Luke 24:32).