Head Knowledge vs Heart Knowledge

Most people associate the head with logic and the heart with emotion.  However, the biblical definitions are different.

Head learning is the education or doctrine of self. It is like a computer with a database of learned facts, where calculated actions can occur in situations.

If asked to multiply 9 and 7, I can deduce that the answer is 63.  If I am in a job interview and I keep reminding myself to be on my best behavior, there is a good chance that I will remember my manners and any interviewing coaching I have learned.   If I wake up to a fire, I might remember the plan to grab the family photo album (do people still have those?) and my wallet on the way out the door (perhaps I should add pants to that plan).   If I play trivial pursuit, I will probably remember the speed of light.

Heart Knowledge is the inner self. It is the wisdom center, where core beliefs are held and defended, and the reactionary center. When something surprises you, whether in a good or a bad way, your response will almost always be a heart response.

When aligned with the Holy Spirit and biblical truths, heart knowledge is the fence that keeps irrational or unhelpful thoughts from trespassing.  Heart knowledge tells me my wife loves me, and I do not need to think twice about her meals with male co-workers.  It is how I respond or act when I think no one is watching or I am caught completely off-guard.  It is my “default” settings, not my override.

While the title of this article includes “vs.” You will hopefully see that my purpose here is not to dismiss the role of head learning but to show you that it is not the endgame.

How do I know whether I am operating from head knowledge vs heart knowledge?

One easy way to tell which you are using more is whether or not you feel your energy circling a drain. It is exhausting to do the “right” thing for long periods through calculated responses. This is not the "you" who you are when you are casual and effortless. Instead, you are being uptight.  Have you ever seen someone who cusses fluently, trying to “behave” in church?  They have to preplan everything they say and censor themselves.  If they are not careful, they will start to say something and then try to pivot.  “Shi…er…Ships are fun activities.  After a couple of hours of this, they are ready for any excuse to get out of the church and get home for a nap.

Another way is the release valve effect.  If you asked many seasoned restaurant workers what their least favorite time to serve is, you might be surprised that it is after church lets out.  All that time trying to be a “good” Christian isn’t taming the tongue (James 3:8-10); it is placing it in a paper cage.  When it escapes, it is going to be mad.  If you find yourself in a bad mood, on edge, low in patience after “being good” for a time.  You are operating from the head, and you are being fake.

Becoming Authentic

Becoming authentic is dealing with a heart problem.  You need what you have learned in your head to be written in your heart.  If you want some nice big words, this is orthodoxy becoming orthokardia.  The middle part of Hebrews 8:10 says that  God will put His laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. James 1:22 says not to be just a hearer of the word but a doer.

We want Jesus to take what we have learned (orthodoxy) and write it on our hearts (orthokardia) so that we can be more authentically like Him. This is what I like to refer to as a before-and-after moment.  While we are being sanctified, we will have many of them. 

But sometimes there is a snag.  The space He needs to write currently has something else written there.

Time for an Eraser

The close companion to sanctification is repentance.

To repent of something, I need to know I have been wrong and what the truth is.  This means that initially, I am obtaining head knowledge.  Let’s say I just heard a sermon about lying, and my eyes are opened to how this sin affects me and those around me.  When I repent, I decide that I want to be truthful and hate dishonesty. 

However, I can’t stop there.  Remember that the prodigal son in Luke 15 also gave up control and returned to his father.  I have to understand that not only do I hate lying, but I can’t overcome my situation on my own.  If repentance were as easy as changing my mind about how I lived, what do I need God for?

I need the Holy Spirit to erase what I have learned.  Some of the things my heart may have written on it about lying might be:

• I get away with it most of the time.

• I can use it to protect my pride.

• It is sometimes an easy shortcut to get what I want.

• It is okay to lie if I don’t overdo it.

Even if I am diligent, lies will sneak out of me as long as those entries are there. 

Like the prodigal son, make a decision and then start walking.  Take steps away from any situation that encourages you to lie.  Start making an effort to stop lying.  You can’t do it alone, but you are trying to follow Christ and become more like Him.  This says to God, “I choose you over me and what this world has taught me.” When God sees that you are truly repentant, He will perform surgery on your heart, but you will get more than honesty. Trust me, it is a party when you become more like Christ.

I am releasing a companion entry to this: “The 7 Rs of Repentance,” a simple acrostic with the steps of repentance.

Scripture used, considered, or referenced in the making of this blog article:  Matthew 12:34, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Exodus 31:18, 2 Kings 23:21-23, Proverbs 16:23, James 1:22-25, 1 Samuel 16, 1 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 3:7, Hebrews 8:10, Luke 15:11-32, Jeremiah 17:9, 2 Corinthians 8-10, 1 John 2:15-6

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