I've heard that some people say that other people have a mere head knowledge of Jesus, but have not been converted. I think what they mean by this is that some people are familiar with what the Bible teaches about Jesus, but they are not actually trusting in Jesus for salvation.
Mere Head Knowledge
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bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
Correctamundo.
johnny
Puritan Board Sophomore
Yes it is correct.
But how often do we receive antagonism from Christians who say that those who who study and read higher order literature are "dead" because they are in head knowledge. Is this not also ignorance?
(by higher order literature any decent puritan work or systematic theology)
Yes it is correct.
But how often do we receive antagonism from Christians who say that those who who study and read higher order literature are "dead" because they are in head knowledge. Is this not also ignorance?
(by higher order literature any decent puritan work or systematic theology)
Yes, that is also ignorance.
The higher order literature that you are talking about is very edifying and helpful to one's sanctification.
arapahoepark
Puritan Board Doctor
Reminds me of what Perry Noble said about those kind of people (i.e. us)....
Yes it is correct.
But how often do we receive antagonism from Christians who say that those who who study and read higher order literature are "dead" because they are in head knowledge. Is this not also ignorance?
(by higher order literature any decent puritan work or systematic theology)
I was listening to Joel Beeke lecture on the Puritans and how they could be summarized by a passion for a theology of the Head, the Heart, and the Hands. It caused me to reflect that this is the nature of the true Christian religion and that deformations of Christianity tend to focus on one out of the three and make it central. Some turn Christianity into a form of rationalism and reduce the Scripture to logical propositions. Some reduce Christianity to mysticism or to sentimentality. Some reduce Christianity to the ethical principles of how we are to live and imitate Christ. Each can find Scripture that support the need to think or the need to be intensely passionate or the need to be doers of the Law and, yet, you cannot separate the head from the heart and the hands (and vice versa). I think it's hard for most people to really get away with the idea that we're not supposed to be impassioned or be "doing something" for Jesus. What's disposable in our modern culture is the idea that religion or "spirituality" is intellectual and rigourous. The sentamentalism of Calvary Chapel, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen dominates the Christian expectation. Christianity is a "relationship" and people are encouraged to experience Christ.
There was a thread yesterday about Campbellite Churches and how they downplay doctrine. I met my wife at one of those Churches (came back to the Church after being absent for a number of years as a Roman Catholic). I think it was Derek Thomas that if you asked many Christians to *think* about Jesus for 5 minutes that they would have a hard time thinking much of anything about him. I say that because what struck me after visiting that Church after years of being fed in a solid Reformed Church is how repetitive the prayers were. They amounted to: "O God, we love you because You're so loving. And we just love that You love us and You're so loving and we just want to tell You how much we love You that You love us." One of their elders stood up and said once: "I didn't really prepare for what I'm about to say, which is better I think." Everyone nodded in agreement.
So...my experience is this: It is a real danger that a Christian can know a lot about the things of the Christian life and it do nothing to him with respect to his passion to fight indwelling sin and to live a life enflamed to obey the Law of God and seek piety. In other words, there are men and women who enjoy doctrine but are not regenerate. That said, it is my experience that the people who actually use the idea of "head knowledge" are generally extremely ignorant of the Christian faith and that Sentamentalism is not Christianity. I fear that a vast swath of Sentamentalists who say they have a "heart knowledge" of Jesus don't know Him at all.
There was a thread yesterday about Campbellite Churches and how they downplay doctrine. I met my wife at one of those Churches (came back to the Church after being absent for a number of years as a Roman Catholic). I think it was Derek Thomas that if you asked many Christians to *think* about Jesus for 5 minutes that they would have a hard time thinking much of anything about him. I say that because what struck me after visiting that Church after years of being fed in a solid Reformed Church is how repetitive the prayers were. They amounted to: "O God, we love you because You're so loving. And we just love that You love us and You're so loving and we just want to tell You how much we love You that You love us." One of their elders stood up and said once: "I didn't really prepare for what I'm about to say, which is better I think." Everyone nodded in agreement.
So...my experience is this: It is a real danger that a Christian can know a lot about the things of the Christian life and it do nothing to him with respect to his passion to fight indwelling sin and to live a life enflamed to obey the Law of God and seek piety. In other words, there are men and women who enjoy doctrine but are not regenerate. That said, it is my experience that the people who actually use the idea of "head knowledge" are generally extremely ignorant of the Christian faith and that Sentamentalism is not Christianity. I fear that a vast swath of Sentamentalists who say they have a "heart knowledge" of Jesus don't know Him at all.
Knowing about God is a necessary prerequisite of knowing God, but not all who know about God really know God or are regenerate. But if one doesn't know much or anything about God and only has 'a heart for Jesus', they probably don't know God either.
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Cymro
Puritan Board Junior
Peter wrote that Paul wrote some things hard to understand. Yet Paul delivering a cascade of theology to the Roman church,declared,"but God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin,but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto you." (Romans 6:17)Knowledge, doctrine given to the mind,and then it dropped 18 inches into the heart! Ignorant believing is presumption.
I've been really drawn to the prophets over the last few years. A lack of love for God among His visible people seems to be a constant drumbeat through all of them. "Do we love God above all else" is a question we should ask ourselves often with more than a little Godly fear.
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