Transitioning from Head Knowledge into Heart Knowledge

Someone once told me that I have a “gift” for memorizing scripture. I don’t know if that’s true, but it does come relatively easy to me. Most people will agree that it is easier to memorize scripture than it is to obey. Over the years this has led me to ask: why is it easier to be a “hearer” but not a “doer of the word”? There are several approaches to thinking about this question. I propose one in this article.

The Great Divergence

At a high level, our fallen nature (referred to in scripture as self or flesh) is the culprit. It does not and cannot submit to God’s law (Romans 8:7). It is utterly depraved and past any kind of reformation or improvement. Therefore, it must be done away with. The only remedy is provided through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Romans 6 among others). 

In Christ, all who believe, partake of His death and resurrection. We who believe are included in His death and resurrection, just like we were in Adam when he disobeyed. All the merits and rewards of the obedience of Christ are imputed to the believer (see Romans 5:12-20; 2 Corinthians 5:14,21). We are freed from the tyranny of sin, made blameless before God, and given a new life from the Spirit. All of this is from God through Jesus Christ.

Theologically, it is expressed as the redemptive work of God through Jesus Christ. It is a substitutionary act in which all that you deserve Jesus got, and all that He deserves you receive freely. This summary is called the gospel, or good news; good news because it is a proclamation of the finished work of Jesus. The gospel was first announced by the chief Apostle Jesus Christ, and then by His Apostles. Today, it continues to be propagated by His followers (Hebrews 2:3-4). 

In Christ, all who believe, partake of His death and resurrection. We who believe are included in His death and resurrection, just like we were in Adam when he disobeyed. All the merits and rewards of the obedience of Christ are imputed to the believer.

However, after a believer gets acquainted with this truth, some still find that what they know to be true in their heads does not translate into actions. For instance, they believe that Jesus is the LORD of all. However, He does not have a say in how they use their finances. What they profess in their preaching, confessions, and songs deviates from how they live their daily lives. They are fully aware of the scriptures that caution against anger, greed, envy, sexual immorality, etc. Yet, they often seem to forget their “strong” convictions when faced with life circumstances. It is as if in those moments, the truths they believe suddenly become abstract. 

What could be the issue here? Why this divergence between belief and action? I argue that the individual does not truly believe in the first place. Put another way, to that person the truth is still merely an abstract concept. It is not yet their reality relative to the circumstances they encounter. 

Seeing is Believing

In 2 Kings 6:8-17, we witness a gripping story. The Syrian king, frustrated by repeated defeats at the hands of Israel, suspects a mole and seeks the culprit. His advisors point the finger at Elisha, the prophet of God residing in Israel. Determined to silence him, a vast Syrian army surrounds the city of Dothan where Elisha resides.

Imagine the terror of Elisha’s servant waking up to find their city besieged. His panicked cry, “What shall we do?” reflects the human tendency to fear in the face of overwhelming odds. Yet, Elisha’s calm response, “Don’t be afraid,” transcends human understanding. He assures his servant, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Now the city of Dothan was located in a valley. The servant looks up at the mountains surrounding the city and sees a vast army with horses and chariots. In contrast, he looks down at their small band. He wants to believe Elisha, but what his eyes see is more real to him than the assurance of his mentor. 

Elisha knew that it was not enough to mentally know that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). God must do a work inside of the young man; the eyes of his heart must be opened so that the truth he knew mentally, would become real to him. So Elisha prayed and the result was remarkable:

“And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” - 2 Kings 6:17

Elisha, through prayer, grants his servant a glimpse of the unseen. The mountains surrounding Dothan, once seemingly empty, burst into view with a magnificent army surrounding Elisha. Imagine how he looked at Elisha afterward. Elisha was no longer just another prophet. He was a man surrounded by the host of heaven. I like to imagine him saying to himself “What manner of man is this?” He saw Elisha in a new light; his perspective shifted (2 Corinthians 5:16). Elisha’s prior words were no longer just words; they were now real. The truth of those words now pierced his heart. They evolved from being abstract and became concrete. They were now his reality. 

We can learn from this story. Ultimately, this story points us to One that is greater than Elisha, the LORD Jesus. He is Emmanuel, God with us. Through His costly sacrifice, He has brought the presence of God to dwell in us. He tells us “You are the temple of the Holy Spirit” and again “Christ” is “in you, the hope of glory”. The Shekinah Glory has made His dwelling among mortals. If we truly believed this truth, then our lives and communities would not remain the same. If we truly grasp how deeply the Father loves us, we can no longer persist in living for ourselves.

The story illustrates that knowing a truth mentally does not equal knowing it in the heart. We must engage with truth mentally. However, when it stops there it does not translate into actions. The servant heard what Elisha said, but that did not stop him from being frightened. Yet, when that truth became real to him, he rested. In the kingdom of God, we do not learn the truth by being told, we learn the truth by being shown.

If the truth you know mentally does not enter your heart, Jesus may be just a concept to you. Your theology no matter how accurate, will almost be useless to you and those in your life. You will find such a divergence in what you believe and how you live. Your words will not align with your heart. True faith must produce works. Is Jesus just a concept to you or is He your reality?

In the kingdom of God, we do not learn the truth by being told, we learn the truth by being shown.

A Fresh Motivation For Prayer

This story underscores the important role prayer plays in guiding our hearts into truth. “And Elisha prayed…” appears small but it is significant. We can infer from the story that the servant would remain unbelieving, despite his “knowledge” of the truth, had Elisha not prayed. We, therefore, must combine the teaching and learning of truth with prayer. This may sound obvious to some. However, its true practice might be lacking. When we see that God’s true priority for our welfare is the state of our inner life, the spirit of our prayers will begin to resemble Elisha’s prayer. Knowing this will shape our prayers so that they focus significantly less on externals and turn fiercely towards our inner life.

In Ephesians 3:14-19, we see another relationship where this pattern is observed. Paul had just expounded the gospel to the believers in the church at Ephesus. He uses chapters 1, 2, and the first 13 verses of chapter 3 to present to them what God had accomplished through the redemptive work of Jesus. Following this extensive teaching, verse 14 reads “For this reason I kneel before the Father”. Paul understands that the learning of truth must be combined with focused prayer.

The Apostle has told them all this truth and, therefore, he prays. He teaches this church about the death and decay that sin brings and the life that we now have in Christ Jesus; that all believers, even the best of us, were driven by our selfish desires and “were by nature deserving of wrath.” Paul announced that they were only saved by grace and not by their works. He declared God’s “great love for us” which drove Him to receive the full punishment for their sins. Paul taught them that though forgiveness was free to them, it was costly to God; the offenders were forgiven freely while the offended absorbed the steep cost.

These chapters are loaded with so many incredible truths; truths I sometimes call “too good to be true.” In summary, Paul declares that all mankind (yourself included) are “more sinful than we ever dared to believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared to hope.”¹

Knowledge that Surpasses Knowledge

The Bible does show us exactly what Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers.

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." - Ephesians 3:16-17

Why is Paul praying for God to do an inner work by the Holy Spirit so that Christ dwells in their hearts? He has stated elsewhere that Christ dwells in the believer. So why this conflict? I believe that Paul knew that the truth of the indwelling Christ for the believer could just be something they know only mentally. In other words, the indwelling Christ is merely a concept in their minds. His power, presence, and person are abstract; His presence has no impact on their day to day. He is removed from their lives and so does not influence them. They turn to Him only in times of crisis or when among other believers.

The prayer is for the Christ they know in their heads to become real in their hearts. Paul asks God for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives to produce fruit. The prayer is for the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus and make Him central in their hearts. The heart is the core of who we are; from it comes our words and deeds (see Matthew 12:34-35; 15:18-19). So, Paul is praying that his teachings would transition from a concept to the reality of their hearts.

"being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge..." - Ephesians 3:17-19

“to grasp…” suggests to take hold of. For many, God’s love remains abstract; something that cannot be grasped. Yes, they may get emotional when they sing a well-written song about His love. They might “feel” His love when a prayer gets answered or they experience the hand of God. But Paul is praying for something beyond this. He is praying for knowledge that “surpasses knowledge.” This is heart knowledge, which is very different from head knowledge. It is the knowledge that allows you to grasp previously abstract truth. Mental knowledge puffs up the mind, but heart knowledge (of the same truth) builds up.

This knowledge takes hold of the truth that Christ dwells in you and, like a nail, drives it into the heart. It imposes a great awareness of the dimensions of God’s love (its width, length, height, and depth) on the heart. It transforms the self-centered heart into one that does life “together with all the LORD’s holy people.” Oh, may the LORD strengthen us with power by His Spirit in our inner being.

Mental knowledge puffs up the mind, but heart knowledge (of the same truth) builds up.

Closing the Divide

The life of obedience that we have been called into is impossible without the working of the Holy Spirit. We will continue to find ourselves in a dichotomy; drawing near with our mouths but with hearts that are far from a life of complete surrender. We must, therefore, engage God through prayer so that we experience this work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. As the eyes of our hearts open, the seemingly empty mountains of Dothan burst into view with a glorious sight. The gospel brings to light God’s mercy and grace, which when we behold, are compelled to lay down our lives as living sacrifices. The Holy Spirit helps us to truly believe and, therefore, we rest from our works.

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God. - Psalm 43:3-4 NKJV

The gospel brings to light God’s mercy and grace, which when we behold compels us to lay down our lives as living sacrifices.

It is not enough to know the truth in your head; the truth must transition to your heart. Then, you “will go to the altar of God” and present yourself as a living sacrifice. That is, you will have faith with works; a living faith. God will cease to be a mere concept. Instead, He will become the center and reality of your heart (i.e., your exceeding joy).

1. Timothy Keller would often quote this in his sermons, books, and articles. It was his way of summarizing succinctly the message of the gospel. ↩︎