Dr Norman Geisler says, “while God does want to reach our hearts, He does not bypass our minds in the process.”[1] According to the Bible, God says, “My son, give me your heart,” (Proverbs 23:6). But God also says, “Come let us reason together,” (Isaiah 1:18). Therefore, the view that Christians must have blind faith is unbiblical and false. Both unbelievers and especially believers must know that God wants us to worship and love Him with our hearts and minds (Matthew 22:37).
In fact, the apostle Peter encourages us to, “always give reasons for[our] hope,” (1 Peter 3:15). So when we talk of salvation, everlasting life, heaven, and the work of Jesus Christ, we must be ready and able to “knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We [must] destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God,” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
So as we conduct our daily affairs, as we live in constant worship and overcome temptations of all kinds, we must reason, think, and be busy developing and responding critically in our understanding. These intellectual activities empower us all. They provide us with the foundations upon which we need to ground our beliefs.
Scripture tells us, to “examine everything carefully and holdfast to the good,” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). This good is pure, permanent and the truth. These truths are the claims of Christianity. John says, “the truth sets us free,” (John 8:32). When we know the truth, we are no longer captives of sin and deceit. We gain clarity with truth and embrace knowledge with a clean conscience and confidence. There is no longer any doubt in us. This is the kind of heart God wants. But He challenges us to test everything, even spirits (1 John 4:1).
It is important to remember that from Genesis 2:7, God created man from dust and breathed into that dust so that man became a living soul. Thus man is not a dual being but became a “living soul.” This is a complete entity comprising mind, body and heart. So when Moses said: “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deuteronomy 10:12), Moses meant to love God with our hearts as well as our minds.
[1] Norman L. Geisler, Twelve Points That Show Christianity Is True, NGIM, Indian Trail, North Carolina, © 2016, pp. 2.