Head or Heart?

Last week I was challenged to evaluate my faith between two extremes. At one end of the scale is legalism or living by rules and regulations, all head and no heart. At the other end is living by experiences, what feels right or seems the best thing, all heart and no head. Both extremes are dangerous because both can keep me from hearing what God says, either in my conscience or in His Word, and both can keep me from simply trusting Him.

Legalism says you have to keep certain rules, and do or don’t do certain things. The list usually includes more don’ts such as movies, dancing, drinking and so on. Some mock legalism with, “I don’t smoke; I don’t chew, and I don’t run with the girls who do” but this is not funny. If I go to this extreme, I miss hearing God. For instance, He might counter a legalistic idea and tell me to “eat and drink with sinners” like Jesus did.

The person who relies on their experiences and emotions falls into a different trap. This one is all about emotional perception. For instance, if I perceive that God is only love and sentiment without judgment, I could be tolerant of sin when I should cry out against it. Or if I think that hugs are all a person needs, I might neglect to give them some information that would help them solve their problem.

The early church had to balance things too. Many of these new Christians came from a background of idolatry. In that former life, they offered meat to idols, then cooked and served it at their table. For some, this meat was unclean and eating it was a terrible sin. For others, they knew the meat was nothing and the idols were nothing, because the Bible says so. While they also knew the evil power of demons behind idolatry, for them, eating the meat had nothing to do with demons so ate freely. To these extremes, Paul wrote the following:

I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. (Romans 14:14-23)

As I read this, I’m hearing God say that legalism and the other extreme of living by the heart’s perception are not a matter of either/or but both/and. Sometimes a person’s conscience will condemn something that the Word of God does not condemn. Even though the Bible says it is okay to do it, this person does not feel that freedom, yet if they ignore their feelings and go ahead and do it, they have sinned. How can that be?

On the other hand, a person who has no sense of it being wrong (and the Bible agrees with their assessment), can do the same thing (in this case, eating the meat offered to idols) and does not sin. What is this? Is it situational ethics? What is the issue? Does God’s Word contradict His Spirit by saying one thing to the eyes that read and another to the heart that feels?

I remember hearing of a man whose idol was baseball. He loved it, indulged in it, went to all the games, spent a lot of money, ignored his family, etc. for this idol. Then he became a Christian and deeply aware that he had wrong priorities. He dropped this idol and began giving more attention to his family and making wiser use of his money. Then two men from his church invited him to a baseball game without knowing his prior problem. He was deeply offended. This story explains to me why God is so careful to allow those weak in faith to pay attention to their conscience. For that man, baseball was a sin even though for the other two it was not.

However, it doesn’t work the other way. That is, if I feel something is right and the Bible says it is not, no matter how I rationalize, the Word of God is my guide. I cannot break a clear command from God just because I feel like it or it seems okay, or my heart has no sense of wrongdoing.

I also cannot flaunt any freedom that I do have. The Bible does not condemn many things that Christians often do condemn. If I’m free to watch a television program, but someone else is drawn into sin by that program, then God wants me to turn off the TV. It is about loving others and not putting a stumbling block in their path.

The last line, “whatever is not from faith is sin” is the test. This is not about extremes but about the basis for my actions. God wants me to do things (or not) because I read His Word and hear His voice. From Him I might get a written ‘rule’ or He may offer a principle that puts in my heart a deep sense of what is right or wrong. Either way, to keep from sin I need to trust Him (not ‘rules’ or my fickle heart) and do what He says.