Q. “What is the difference between believing with the head or with the heart?”
A. The term itself, “believing with the head,” is thought by some, an objectionable one — one that partakes more of a human distinction, than of the truth of God. That which may only be the result of education, or tradition, they think not entitled to the term “believing.” Nevertheless, it is of great practical importance; and surely we find, in scripture, that which is usually intended to be conveyed by the expression. In the second chapter of the gospel by John, for example, our blessed Lord in the most solemn way, exposes what may be called, mere head belief.
“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man.” Here it is plainly said, that “many believed in his name;” and yet, we know from the Lord’s own words concerning them, that their hearts were untouched, and their consciences unreached. There was no sense of sin — no concern about their souls, and no turning of the heart to Christ.
The mind, or natural understanding, was convinced that He who wrought such miracles, must be God, or, as Nicodemus expresses it, “must have God with Him.” In this, of course, they were quite correct, and their faith, so far as it went, was quite sincere. But though the understanding was thus convinced, and on the ground of these natural convictions, “many believed in his name,” there was no subjection of heart to God, and no confidence in Christ Himself. Their confidence was in their own minds. There was no going out of self, and from self to Christ, in whom alone blessing is to be found. They could appreciate the miracles which He did, and imagine that they were honoring Him who wrought them. This is a fearful and subtle snare, and alas, most successful with many. Satan knows how to minister to the pride and flatter the reasoning powers of the natural man. But He who knew “what was in man” could not accredit such a profession of faith, however fair in appearance. It might have passed as genuine in the estimation of man, but God looks on the heart, and must have truth in the inward parts. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.”
It is truly awful to contemplate, that under so fair an outward profession, there should be no divine reality. There was no change whatever as to their state, or nature. Their condition, as lost sinners, was unthought of, and untouched. Their belief was a mere human persuasion, founded, as our Lord hints, on what was in man. Whereas, the faith that connects the soul with Christ, is founded on the testimony of God to Him. This makes all the difference, and a most serious difference it is, in all respects.
But there is one thing which marks this merely human faith, and by which we may be able to distinguish it from divine, or living faith—it produces no movement in the soul towards God — it is inoperative. There was no question on the part of these Jews as to man’s sinful state, or of judging sin in themselves. They had no exercise of conscience as to pardon and eternal life. They saw nothing of God’s love in Christ to poor perishing sinners, and did not feel their need of it. It was a dead faith. They never got away from themselves, and understood not that salvation was to be found in another.
If we now turn for a moment to the case of Nicodemus, in the third chapter, we shall see the perfect contrast to all this mere surface work. And a more feeble case, to be genuine, we could scarcely suppose. But this makes the contrast all the more clear and interesting. The essential difference, as to results, between Nicodemus and the Jews in the second chapter is — that he came to Christ under a sense of need. He saw the miracles as they did, but, as in the case of Sergius Paulus, (Acts 13) a desire was awakened in his mind to know God’s mind on these matters; hence he came to Christ. This, we believe, is a sure sign of genuine faith, however feeble. It leads the man outside of himself. He has learned, in some measure, that there is nothing good in himself, and that blessing is to be found alone in Jesus. In all such cases, there can be no question that God is at work in the soul.
When truth acts on the heart in the power of the Spirit, it creates a want. We see this exemplified in the case of the Prodigal Son, though mixed with great ignorance of his father’s love. And here, Nicodemus evidently felt a lack — a void, which nothing in himself, or in his own religion, could ever meet. He had been a high religionist— no ordinary man; and he may have been so for many years, with the entire approval of his fellow-religionists, and without fear on his own part that all was not right with his soul. Such is the awfully deceiving nature of mere formality and self-satisfaction. He may have been well acquainted with the doctrines and forms of his religion in theory, and a zealous maintainer of them all; but, until his conscience was reached by the blessed Jesus, he was a stranger to regeneration himself, and to the need of it in others. A new desire was now awakened in his heart; perhaps he could not have explained what the need was, but he felt there was something wanting —something wrong — and he was uneasy. To rest contented in this state was impossible. The conviction, no doubt, gained ground in his mind, that the One whom he had seen do such wonderful works, and speak such wonderful words, was the right person to come to in his perplexity.
“The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him.” This is the effect of truth, not in the head merely, but also in the heart. So long as it is only in the head, we continue careless about divine things. But when it enters the heart and conscience, we shall manifest real concern for these things. In some it is more manifest than in others, but real in all. Caring, and not caring, marks the difference between the head and the heart. There can be no evidence of a work of grace in the soul more unfailing than that of the heart turning to Christ, and caring really for Him. There may be great feebleness and great slowness in being decided, and most unworthy fear of others; but when there is a true sense of sin in the soul, and Christ Himself the object of its sincere and earnest desires, the full expression of faith will come, and, it may he, great boldness for the name of Jesus.
This was the case with Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night; he was afraid of the world, and of his fellow professors. He knew that all would be against him if he followed Christ; therefore he came at first by night: still, this showed his earnestness, and the power of grace in his heart. Nothing could keep him from the despised Jesus of Nazareth, feeble and fearful though he was. This is the grand distinguishing characteristic between the faith that is merely educational, or traditional, and that which is of the operation of God’s Holy Spirit by the word. There was a divine energy in his soul which nothing on earth, or in hell, could ever extinguish. True, he was the very type of feebleness, and slow heartedness, but the vital germ was there, and though surrounded with dangers like a spark of fire in the midst of the ocean, it increased in power, and in time manifested its divine origin. In the seventh chapter, we find him standing up for Christ before the council; and in the nineteenth he is bold enough to face the world for the rejected and crucified Jesus. Such is the difference— the infinite difference, between that kind of belief which rests on the mind of man, and the faith which is grounded on the truth of God. The one gives way under adverse circumstances, the other is deepened by them.
It is perfectly plain from the word of God, that all outward expressions of faith are utterly worthless, unless they flow from an inward work of grace in the heart. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom. 10:9, 109That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9‑10).) The term “heart,” in this passage, may embrace the entire inner man, as contrasted with the confession of the mouth, or outward expression. When the work is of God’s Spirit, by the word, the mind is not only instructed, but the heart is touched, especially in its desires and affections; and the conscience is reached. The work, we believe, is never thorough, until the word of God enters the conscience. It is by the conscience that the light comes in and reveals the sad state of the soul. This makes a man serious. Mere head belief never makes any one serious; he may be sincere, but when we have to do with God about our own sins, we are both serious and earnest. And if there be a deep work of conscience before the gospel is known, there may be great distress of mind. And how can it be otherwise in such a state? It is no light matter to face God about sin.
But when the soul is awakened under the preaching of a clear, full gospel, and attracted by the love and grace of Jesus, it may be brought to rest on Him, without much exercise about sin at the time. Such seems to have been the case with the Ethiopian eunuch. Without any exercise of soul about sin, so far as we are told, he at once confesses faith in Christ, is straightway baptized, and goes on his way rejoicing. Still there is ground to believe, from his reading so earnestly the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, that he may have learned something of sin and its fearful consequences.
But in speaking of what may be called, “conversion through the affections,” it may be well to observe, that the feelings of the heart in some cases, may be greatly moved under the preaching of the gospel, when there is no real work in the heart itself. The stony ground hearers, we are told, received the word with joy; that is — they received the word for the joy that it gave, but when the same word brings trial and persecution they give it up; or, there may be quite an outburst of sympathy and compassion for Christ, under certain presentations of His sufferings, such as we see in the daughters of Jerusalem, and in the men who smote their breasts. (Luke 23) But Christ could not accredit the mere feelings of the heart, any more than the mere belief of the head.
What we have to look for, under all appearances, and all confessions, is some movement in the heart Christ-ward —some sense of sin, and of the holiness of God; and some desire after Christ. It may be feeble at first, and scarcely discernible; but we must not be satisfied as to the reality of the work without it. There may be divine life in a soul when no human eye can discover any evidence of its existence; but when there is the smallest hope, those who have a godly care for souls, will quietly wait for its expression. Even where the scriptures may have been known from childhood, as in the case of Timothy, and their truth and authority never questioned, we have to watch and wait for the operations of God’s Spirit in the heart, and the wholesome exercise of conscience. God will have it. He will have us to have the same mind about sin, holiness, and salvation, as Himself. We must be brought to see and own the sin-fullness of our hearts and ways — that we are utterly lost under sin, and that for such Jesus died. When faith takes this place before God, self is condemned, God is justified as the judge of sin, and the soul finds all in Christ. We are thus led to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and ourselves in His sight. How could there be fellowship with the Father and the Son without this knowledge? We must know redemption, before we can know relationship with God.
Unspeakable indeed are the advantages of an education like Timothy’s; and there is every encouragement in his case, for parents to persevere, and trust God for His blessing; but the grace of God was as needful for the conversion of Timothy, as for the Philippian jailor. To know the scriptures from childhood, and to be saved “through faith in Christ Jesus,” were different periods in the history of Timothy.
But as the Spirit of God works very differently with different individuals, it becomes us, wherever we see the least sign of a divine work, to be full of hope and slow in judging. How few of us enter into the spirit of Heaven’s joy over a repenting soul! (Luke 15) While angels are celebrating the new birth to the joy of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we may be looking on the first throbbings of the new life with unbelieving suspicion! And in place of fanning the feeble flame with love, care, and encouragement, we may check it, and all but extinguish it, by our coldness. The soul at such a time is apt to think bitter things of itself, and the more real the work is, the more will this be the case. How sweetening and strengthening to the heart at such a moment are the sympathies of the spirit of Christ! He gathers the lambs with His arm, and carries them in His bosom. Should we not seek to follow His example? What should we say of a shepherd, who left the tender lambs in the open field, while the well-fleeced flock was under shelter?
To the self-righteous Pharisees, the words of the Lord Jesus were of the most withering kind; but, to the soul that had fled to Him in a time of need, His heart overflowed with tenderness. Oh! that every soul who hears of His love would come in faith to Himself! Salvation is found there, and only there. Weary and heavy-laden sinner, “only believe,” and come to Himself. Beware, oh, beware, of stopping short of this! God has put away sin and brought in righteousness by the cross, and now “grace reigns, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus died for sinners — He died for the ungodly! All blessing is founded on the death of Christ! Oh, think of His love — His dying love! Only believe God’s testimony to the Person and work of His beloved Son, and thou art saved forever. “Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” Psalm 2:1212Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:12).