To be sure, we have a great focus today on the first two parts of the passage. Many churches are packed with believers who follow God completely with all their hearts and their souls, but the command doesn't stop there. In this post, I would like to address the notion of loving God with your mind, not just your heart. Not only is this important for us on a personal level, but if we as a Church turn our back on this, the consequences become quite serious. Unfortunately, there seems to be a real lack of emphasis within the Christian community on the development of our intellectual lives, an emphasis which the Bible, however, sometimes goes out of it's way to stress throughout it's entirety. Although I could never address such an important and widespread issue in a single post like this, I hope to at least whet your appetite for the great amounts of material finding it's way back into the Christian community. My goal is to get us all seeking to rekindle the life of the mind and once again establish Christianity as the unique body of thinkers that it has had the privilege of being throughout most of history.
Why is it Important?
As I already stated, there are many consequences to forgetting what God has asked of us. Whenever we neglect such a straightforward command from God, we go against His natural order. That kind of confrontation always has consequences (think of trying to push your hand through a strong current). Intuitively, by refocusing on Him, we begin to flow with creation and your whole life becomes more in sync which benefits not only you, but others around you. To make my point, here are two just two of the many areas that focusing on the mind can make a huge difference in.
The Gospel
"I can tell from from experience that when people learn what they believe and why, they become bold in their witness and attractive in the way they engage others in debate or dialogue. 1 " What I'm about to say may seem like common sense, but I'm going to say it anyway. You can't tell people about what you don't know. A deep, thoughtful study of Church doctrine and theology may not seem like an appealing notion to many people, but it is foundational to getting the gospel to everyone who needs it. After all, Jesus told us that the only way to come to God is through him and him alone. John 14:6 The most important question in the gospel then becomes "Who is Jesus?" When we fervently spread the word to as many people as we can without explaining this core concept (or even understanding it ourselves), we run the risk of exciting people and getting them "fired up" only to have them run in all wrong directions, starting forest fires in their wake. How many religious sects and cults have sprung up over the years because of our emphasis of quantity over quality. Alternatively, the more we understand of our faith, the better equipped we are to present it clearly, simply and to great effect. For this reason, it's vital that we have a solid understanding of Christianity's core concepts before we try and inform others.
Our Own Relationship
Throughout the scriptures, there's an impressive repetition of the idea that we should be cultivating our minds. We are constantly told to renew our minds daily Rom 12:2, seek wisdom and understanding Prov 3 and to teach others properly so the Word may be defended accurately Titus 1:9 . This command however is not simply a pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake (there are several verses warning against just that 1 Cor 8:1 Eccl 1:17), but has a purpose in mind, mainly that of building relationships with God and others. In John 10:27 Jesus tells us that by heeding his words, we can know Him. The greek word used for know in this passage is ginõskõ and carries with it a relational aspect 2 . It is same word often translated in the phrase "knew his wife" to denote an intimate understanding of someone. That's the same level of knowledge and understanding that God is calling us to pursue Him with. This actually makes perfect sense when you think about the nature of God, being that of wisdom and truth (so much so that he is called the only wise God Rom 16:27). In light of this, seeking true knowledge and understanding is a process of sanctifying our lives to the Imagio Dei and drawing closer to Him. In other words “Ignorance is not a Christian virtue if those virtues mirror the perfections of God's own character. 3 ”
What Does This Mean For You?
For the Christian, this means that there is in fact a high calling on all of us to cultivate our minds and really understand God's word. He has not allowed us the option of following Him with just our hearts or our souls. The scriptures are clear that we are called to love Him with our minds as well. For the non-Christian, what this means is that despite the prevailing notion, Christianity is a religion that has a special place for the intellect and is not simply an abandonment of reason in pursuit of good feelings. There are in fact many good reasons why Science and Logic find their home in the Christian worldview far more comfortably than anywhere else (which I plan to address later).
Because of this, I would encourage everyone to start thinking about a deeper pursuit of your knowledge and wisdom and to not be afraid to cultivate a Christian intellect. We have everything to gain by doing so: a stronger witness, a deeper relationship and a world set apart for Christ. So go ahead and feel free to turn up your mind a little bit and increase God's brightness in you just a little. The more you do, you more you set yourself apart and become the light that people see. If however we forget God's command and let our impact in the world grow dim, Christianity will just fade into the large crowd of other religions making claims on people's hearts. Mat 5:13
1 - Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland : Page 31
2 - Strong's Greek Lexicon: Number G1097
3 - Love Your God With All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland : Page 45
Today's Recommendations
I cannot recommend this book enough. It has truly changed my entire outlook on the christian life of the mind and I doubt I could ever be as close to God as I am today without it's influence. Check it out for a much more in-depth look at this topic.
Recommended Website - marc5solas Blog - Top 10 Reasons Kids Leave the Church
Great blog on why it's important we re-evaluate what are currently doing with our youth groups and a few great things to say about the importance of sound teaching and Apologetics.
Recommended Listening - Four Reasons Christianity is Reasonable - Straight Thinking Podcast - Reasons to Believe
Today's Challenge
Stretch yourself to learn something new. Whether it's picking up a book that's slightly above your level or searching for articles on questions you've always had but never looked for the answer. If you're not sure where to start, just check out one of the resources above. Don't feel like your not an intelligent person or that study is only for pastors and teachers. Remember, God commanded us all to love Him with our hearts, souls and minds.
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