Connecting Minds and Hearts0

I’ve read Ephesians 2:1-11 many times, but I was challenged with a fresh perspective this weekend.  Commenting on Ephesians 2:3, Pastor JD explained that we know God is always watching… but the thought of what He thinks about our sin is not enough to make us turn away from sin.  We’ve “minimized God to the point that the thought of His presence doesn’t make you hesitate anymore about sin.”  For some of us, even our mothers have more influence over our behavior!  Ephesians 2 overwhelms us with the greatness of God’s grace and love, but many of us still struggle with habitual sin.  How can we read a passage of Scripture like this and not surrender our lives to Him completely?

I believe our primary issue is that our hearts are often disconnected from our minds.  Simply put: we might demonstrate an intellectual assent of the gospel, but we never allow the living and active Word of God to bring organic change to our hearts.

The prophet Jonah seemed to struggle with accepting the gospel at a heart level.  (Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods provides a fresh perspective on Jonah’s struggle with idolatry.)  Jonah obviously has some idols in his life, as evidenced by his rebellion to God’s call in 1:1-3.  Jonah quickly hits what should’ve have been rock bottom.  He acknowledges his sinful disobedience, and the sailors throw him overboard in the middle of a raging storm.  Expecting death, he finds himself in the bowels of a great fish, crying out to God with a heartfelt, gospel-centered prayer.  If Jonah can realize that God is the only hope of unconditional love and grace (2:8) and God alone holds salvation (2:9), why does he become embittered and angry at God when Assyria repents in chapter 3?  Jonah shows us that an intellectual understanding of the gospel (and even a verbal confession!) is not enough.  We desperately need to let the gravity of the gospel seep into our hearts, stirring our affections for Jesus and transforming our worship.

Dr. Mark Liederbach, an ethics professor at SEBTS, describes this process as:

Stated Belief + Actual Practice = Actual Belief

I find this model to be exceptionally helpful, because it highlights the difference between our words and our actions.  Think back to Jonah’s example.  Even though his words conveyed an understanding of the gospel, he expresses disappointment and bitterness that are uncharacteristic of a heart truly changed by the gospel.

If you’ve been challenged by this concept, take some time today to commune with God.  Cast yourself on the mercy and grace of God at a heart level.  Meditate on it.  The intellectual facets of the gospel might be clear for you, but let the truth of Ephesians 2:1-11 soak in to your heart.  We were dead in sin.  God gave us life.  We didn’t earn any of this, but we receive it because of God’s abundant grace and love.  Has that truth traveled from your head to your heart?  Has the wondrous truth of the gospel become more than just a cognitive understanding?  Has it transformed your worship?