Mind of a Christian

Hey Ethan: It's not all about head-stuff

Author's note: I know that I said I'll be doing a chapter on influential Christian Wattpadders and worthy reads on Christianity, but I feel like I should get this chapter out.

For quite some time, I emphasized the importance of the relationship between Christianity and reasoning. I like how Scripture makes sense, and how I can draw lines connecting one bit to another, and how archaeology corroborates the New Testament, and how there are thousands upon thousands of New Testament manuscripts written in the early history of Christianity,

And so on.

Knowing all these - sure, it can be good. And yes, I can still use it to glorify God. I'm not downplaying how much a person can take pleasure in God through historic studies. But I feel like I myself have overemphasized it.

A man can gain all the knowledge in the world. He can even know the important truths - namely, that there is only one God and He alone is our Savior (and maybe have even memorized Isaiah 43). Yes, this man can know all these things, but if he doesn't open up his heart to embrace these truths, what does it benefit him?

A Pharisee could probably recite the entire Old Testament forwards and back, without much effort - yet we see how their hearts were hardened even when witnessing Jesus' miracles. It's one thing to know of certain truths, and even certain important eternal-weighing truths, but it's an entirely different thing to realize them.

I've been doing more of the former than the latter.

But it's a good thing that God has opened my eyes to this. He is helping me grow, and not only know, but truly understand.

I knew that the parable of the prodigal son showed the Father's exceeding love for us through the father's love for his younger son. But it wasn't until I've sinned gravely and was at odds with myself and my thoughts on God's forgiveness did this change. God made me realize and fully embrace what His love really meant, and how I can see His love when I have sinned against Him.

And looking back at my past, it was how much my church has softened my heart that played a crucial role in helping me come to Christ. Yeah sure, I learned about how much God existed through various truths and evidences found in the Bible, and I don't want to discount the importance of that. But what impressed upon me as a more personally tangible evidence of God was the love, patience, and acceptance that the people at my church had for me.

Keep in mind, I was still a rather outspoken atheist when my girlfriend invited me to her church, and I had a lot of qualms against Christians. Yet, against my expectations, they treated me as family.

For me, the head-stuff must be cemented by the heart-stuff. One doesn't flourish without the other.

God is good.