Loving God With Our Minds

A Mindless Christianity

I have spent my whole life immersed in the church. Because of God’s grace, I’ve known and believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ since I was a young child. Despite my consistent presence in the church as a youth, I did not realize the important connection between the mind and heart in loving God. The women’s Bible studies I attended well into my twenties subtly affirmed that intensive thinking about God’s Word was to be left to “professional” Christians. A few fill-in-the-blank points about the Bible story were briefly scattered throughout entertaining rather than theological workbooks (an unfortunate plague of many women’s Bible study curriculums). I didn’t spend a lot of time personally studying the Bible. And when I did open it, I read carelessly, flipping to random sections in the middle of a book or chapter. I treated Scripture as though it was written just for me—to give an encouraging word when I was down or to help make a major decision in my life.

To me, love for God was simply a matter of the heart—based on emotions. I thought it was something that happened to me, something I “fell” into, like falling in love. As a result, I found sustaining loving feelings for God to be exceedingly difficult. Lacking any real study of the Godhead, I based my love for Him on my fluctuating emotions. Whenever I couldn’t cue up affection for God, anxiety crippled me and I began to question my faith. Much of my love for God was based on chasing a feeling, an experience, a fleeting emotion. I lived a mindless Christianity.

In his article, “Loving God with our Minds,” R.C. Sproul states:

“Nothing can be in the heart that is not first in the mind. And if we want to have an experience of God directly where we bypass the mind, we’re on a fool’s errand. It can’t happen. We might increase emotion, entertainment, or excitement, but we’re not going to increase the love of God because we can’t love what we don’t know. A mindless Christianity is no Christianity at all.”

I was a lazy Christian, neglecting my mind, and in serious danger of loving a god of my imagination, rather than God as He has revealed Himself through the Bible. Without any real direction on Bible study, I continued this mindless path until I came to the Village Community Church (VCC). At VCC, I have found that knowing God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture is the fuel of my affection for Him.

Before delving into specific pitfalls of a mindless Christianity, let me clarify a few important points. We are justified by faith, apart from works (Romans 3:28). Until justification occurs, we are God’s enemies. Our initial faith in God does happen to us while we are actively rebelling against Him (Romans 5:10). No amount of thinking or reason on its own can bring us to love God. He must first reconcile us to Himself, removing our heart of stone towards Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

“Knowing God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture is the fuel of my affection for Him”

Pitfalls of a Mindless Christianity

1. Neglecting our minds in loving God is unbiblical.

In Matthew 22:34-37, Jesus clarifies the greatest commandment:

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (emphasis added)

This command is “the big one.” Surprisingly, loving God with our heart and soul is not enough! Jesus says that the mind must also be involved in loving God. If we fail to obey part of the commandment, then we break His law (James 2:10). Note also, the use of the word “all.” We don’t just love God with part of our heart, soul, and mind. This command requires complete devotion of our entire beings to loving God.

We are also commanded to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In Romans 12:2, Paul states:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The Scripture clearly states that our minds must be renewed in order for us to live transformed lives. To initially have faith, we must first understand the Gospel. To be image bearers of God, we must first understand the character of the One we are to reflect. To obey Him as Scripture commands, we must first understand His law. If the mind does not understand, we cannot expect transformation to follow.

2. God is not honored or glorified by mindless worship.

John Piper states in his sermon “The Life of the Mind and the Love of God,” that:

“God is not honored when people get excited about how little they know of Him. Ignorance of God has never been the ground of true worship. While we don’t know all, and never will know all, we know something, because God has chosen to reveal himself. And he is honored when our worship is based on what he has revealed, not on what he hasn’t.”

Love between people grows through knowledge of one another. My love for my husband has grown exponentially since we were dating and first married because my knowledge of him has grown exponentially. Compared to our initial days of dating, I know much more now, 6 years later, of what delights him, what ticks him off, the nuances of his personality and his true character. If I had told my husband I loved him the first day I met him (and I assure you, I did not!), that would have been foolish of me and meaningless to him. But now, when I tell him I love him, I have reasons for that love and it means something to him. It is much the same with God. He is honored when we love Him because we have taken the time to get to know Him and can recount the reasons for our love.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 states that the only thing we should be proud of in our lives is knowing and understanding God for who He really is:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’” (emphasis added)

3. Our hearts are easily deceived.

Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that the heart is deceitful and desperately sick. This is especially true for the unbeliever, yet even as Christians, our hearts can deceive us. We still struggle against the flesh in this life (Romans 7:18-25). When we are naive of God’s Word, we can easily let our hearts lead us to do what feels good in the moment, and what is contrary to God’s commands.

In Romans 16:17-19, Paul warns against naivety:

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” (emphasis added)

“Loving God with our minds involves understanding what the Bible says about who He is and what He commands.”

Loving God with our minds involves understanding what the Bible says about who He is and what He commands. This helps us to obey God because we know what pleases and displeases Him as revealed in His Word. We seek to obey Him out of our love for Him. We desire to avoid displeasing Him because of that love—much like we wish to avoid doing the things we know annoy or hurt a spouse or friend. Yet, if we are ignorant of what the Bible says, we set ourselves up to displease God by falling into sin.

The Solution: Receive God’s Word and Call Out For Understanding

Assuming we wish to avoid these pitfalls of a mindless Christianity, where should we begin?

Proverbs 2:1-6 instructs us well:

“My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding”
(emphasis added)

Proverbs 2 depicts someone whose mind is engaged and who treasures understanding God and His commands. Remembering that love of God comes through knowledge of Him, below are some practical takeaways for loving God with our minds.

1. Prioritize reading God’s Word. (verse 1)

It seems almost too simple. To receive God’s words, as verse 1 directs, we must read the Bible. God has chosen to reveal Himself through the written word. We must take great care to read His Word and think on what it means. While reading books about the Bible can be helpful, we must remember Jesus’ command to love God with our own minds (not R.C. Sproul or John Piper’s minds!). This means that thinking and study should primarily be from reading the Bible itself, studying it, and prayerfully working out its meaning in our own minds before reading trusted commentaries about the text we are studying.

2. Treasure & desire to understand God’s Word. (verses 1-2)

When we study and come up against difficult commands, we may sense our hearts rebelling (remember Jeremiah 17:9). Or we may become impatient because we don’t understand the text’s meaning yet and want to give up or skip over a confusing passage. 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that,

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”

Our resistance or confusion about God’s Word is an indication we are in need of these things. Pray for a heart that is willing to be taught, reproofed, corrected, and trained by the full counsel of Scripture. Psalm 1:1-2 reminds us that those who delight in the law of God and meditate on it day and night are blessed by God.

3. Pray for understanding. (verse 3)

Our study of God’s Word must be covered in prayer from start to finish. True understanding is a gift from God. Proverbs 2 says to raise our voices and call out for insight and understanding. The work of the Holy Spirit brings understanding to our mind’s efforts. Let us not get puffed up with knowledge (1 Corinthians 8:1), boasting of all the insights in Scripture we’ve gained. Seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake is sinful. Seek knowledge of God in order to love God.

In 2 Timothy 2:7, Paul instructs Timothy:

“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

We must think and study prayerfully, bringing forth our best efforts while waiting on God to grant us understanding of His Word so that we may love and treasure Him more.

4. Search God’s Word as hidden treasure. (verse 4)

Studying God’s Word is a challenge. It takes consistent effort, discipline, prayer and patience. Proverbs 2:4 calls us to mine the Word like we are seeking silver or gold, treasuring each insight that is revealed. But how and where do we begin? Below I’ve pulled together helpful study questions and tools from Jen Wilkin’s book Women of the Word. This list is not exhaustive, but a good place to start. Though written to and for women, the study methods in this book are indispensable for male and female believers as we seek to understand God’s Word.

1. Begin with purpose

Where does this book fit into the “big story” of the Bible?
What part does it play in telling the story of creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
How does it point to the reign and rule of God?

2. Get perspective on the book you will be studying

Consult the introductory material of a study Bible or a trusted commentary and answer the following questions to get perspective on the text:
- Who wrote the book?
- When was it written?
- To whom was it written?
- In what style was it written (e.g. historical narrative, prophesy, gospel, wisdom literature, law, poetry, parables)?
- Why was it written? What was the original author’s purpose in writing it?

3. Begin the process of Comprehension-Interpretation-Application

Comprehension: What does it say (especially to its original audience)?
- Read through the book from start to finish.
- Read it more than once.
- Note repeated words, phrases, and ideas.
- Read the footnotes.
- Read the text in other translations.
- Form a rough outline of the text.
- Look up unknown words in a dictionary.
Interpretation: What does it mean?
- Read cross-references.
- Paraphrase the text.
- Read trusted commentaries to help further understanding.
- Ask your pastor for good resources on how to study the Bible well.
Application: How should it change me?
- What does this passage teach me about God? (This question is always first!)
- How does this aspect of God’s character change my view of self?
- What should I do in response?

For a more on this approach to studying the Bible, use this guide adapted from Jen Wilkin:

View Guide

How then, shall we live?

In summary, honor God by loving Him not only with your heart and soul, but also your mind. Knowledge of God begets love of God. He gave us minds so that we could know Him, find joy in knowing Him, and thus bring Him glory. Think, read the Bible, seek understanding God’s Word like your life depends on it, and pray that God will grant you understanding and true knowledge of Himself. Knowing the Creator of the universe is the highest endeavor set before man, so joyfully obey God by using your mind to know Him.