I have written a book on this and related issues, especially as addressed in Proverbs. If you want to see these thoughts further developed (which is new material based on my reflections on Proverbs), check out Solomon Says.
Is asking God for a new heart always right or sometimes slothful?
Experiential pietism takes it for granted that our hearts control us rather than the other way around. But in Proverbs 4:23, Solomon exhorts us each to guard our hearts. In Proverbs 3:1–3, he tells us to write his commandments, which embody “steadfast love and faithfulness,” on our hearts, “So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).
Does “Calvinism” or “evangelicalism” demand the “control center” heart?
Early in my adult Christian life, I realized that the Bible taught things about God’s comprehensive rule over history and the innate sinfulness of humans that really wasn’t compatible with what I formerly thought were common sense notions about human freedom. That’s a way of saying I stopped being an “Arminian” (though I don’t remember ever hearing the term before) and became a “Calvinist.”
That change of mind about reality is still with me to this day. That’s why I pursued membership and eventually ministerial office in a “Reformed” denomination and that is why I remain in one.
But I have noticed sometimes some people use language in certain ways that, while compatible with our Reformed or Calvinistic convictions, don’t necessarily follow from these convictions, and are in fact not the way or not always the way Scripture uses language and concepts.
When we read passages like Ezekiel 11:19–20 or 36:26–27 or Jeremiah 31:33, we fit those into this picture of God sovereignly changing a person who is hostile and distrustful of God into one who is reconciled and believes the Gospel:
- And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
- And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
- For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
So people talk this way, when they have been taught to do so, about their own personal conversions, particularly if they were raised as adult unbelievers who then were challenged by the Gospel, convicted of the truth, and repented. In the immediate context of a person’s life, that may be a legitimate way of describing the experience of being called by God through the Gospel.
But some derive a model of human behavior that assumes that each of our “hearts” are beyond our control. Our heart is the “thing” that controls our attitudes and emotions and that dictates all our actions. So if we have a sinful desire, even though we know we shouldn’t be passive about excising it, we assume God has to “remove” it from our hearts. By definition, some seem to think, if from our hearts flow “the springs of life” (also in Proverb 4:23), then anything we do depends on our heart. So to talk about changing one’s heart is nonsense. We are slaves to our strongest desire and “the heart wants what the heart wants.”
Then there’s a practical issue that seems to be related. We know Christians sin, but we also know that we are not supposed to sin. And when people start noticing that they repeatedly give in to the same temptation, they start wondering what they can do about it. But the model of the uncontrollable-but-controlling heart boxes them in. They think that, if they truly wanted not to fall into this sin, they wouldn’t. That must be true because it is a tautology.
So what do they do? Try to want to not sin harder when they are convicted about their behavior?
“Revivalism”
This kind of problem seems to be a feature of some traditions. I remember growing up in a denomination where ministry involved convincing children they weren’t really Christians because they weren’t “wholeheartedly” following Christ and then getting them to pray the sinner’s prayer. This was easy to do because the speaker would be some kind of ex-criminal or other notorious sinner who told them how his life was completely changed by the Gospel. Then all the adults would rejoice over the youths who had gotten “saved.” And that would hold for a while until the exuberance died down. Then the lack of exuberance would be fixed by another religious event that would lead the kids to do it all again.
Moving beyond the “heart model”
The good news is that the model doesn’t fit Scripture in many cases. It doesn’t fit Proverbs 4:23. Solomon writes that one should “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (ESV). The word “keep” there is probably better translated as “guard.” Guard your heart with all vigilance. Certain things can compromise your heart, and you need to be on the lookout against those things.
A little earlier in Proverbs, Solomon says that his sons should write his commandments on their hearts:
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 3:1–3).
So while God tells Jeremiah of a time when he will write his laws on the hearts of his people, Solomon instructs each of us to somehow write the commandments that embody steadfast love and faithfulness on each of our hearts.
So what do we do with this?
First of all, let me point out that it is hard to pin down in a “scientific” way what Proverbs or the Bible means by “heart.” In his commentary on this verse, Hebrew scholar Derek Kidner writes,
This word most commonly stands for “mind” (e.g. 3:3; 6:32a; 7:7b; etc.; cf. Hosea 7:11 [14]), but it can go beyond this to represent the emotions (15:15, 30), the will (11:20; 14:14) and the whole inner being (3:5).
Kidner takes one unclear expression (“heart”) and defines it with another at least as vague term (“whole inner being”), which shows you how vague this all is.
Since we all agree that the Bible isn’t talking about a literal internal organ, we should realize there’s some variance in the way that metaphor is used in every culture and language, including in the Bible. Many times, the Bible does not portray the heart as outside a person’s control. It does not teach us to think of our hearts as something we are unable to affect like the weather.
To mention some Biblical data outside of Proverbs, when Peter warns his readers about some false teachers, he tells them, “They have hearts trained in greed” (2 Peter 2:14). The word he uses for “training” is the same word that Paul uses in his first letter to Timothy when he writes,
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (4:7–8).
So what does that mean? Paul is telling Timothy to improve in Godliness through practice and review, like someone learning to throw or kick a ball or improve his running speed. That can involve both repetition and rehearsal or hearing and memorizing verbal instruction as well as getting feedback. In English, the word “gymnasium” is derived from the Greek word Paul uses here for training. (That kind of observation can be fallacious, but I think it provides some confirmation that this training is a matter of physical practice.)
By using the same word “training,” Peter is telling us that there are people who train themselves in ungodliness! He doesn’t say they simply give in to the greed in their hearts. He says that they have trained themselves to be greedy—“hearts trained in greed.”
So it’s not just that they are naturally and innately greedy. Yes, they were born sinful. But they further developed this sin. They practiced at it. They honed it. They ignored warnings and admonitions against it. They made friends of other greedy false teachers and reinforced one another in this attitude and behavior.
They formed an athletic team of false prophets. They trained their hearts.
But when we preach (correctly) that no one can be entirely free from sin, we sometimes give the impression that unbelievers struggle with this issue. They strive to be perfect but fail to do so. That may be someone’s experience as they struggle with the Gospel or, under the influence of the Gospel, struggle to conform to related ethical ideals. But that is not how the Bible tends to describe unbelievers. Consider Ephesians 4:17–19:
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
That is a pretty typical description of unbelief in the Epistles. Those unbelievers are not struggling with anything except how to sin more. They have given themselves up to it. They are greedy for it. You will notice the mention of “their hardness of heart.” That involves their innate depravity, but it possibly also refers to the same ongoing process Peter writes of when he describes people who have “hearts trained in greed.” A person hardens their heart as they spurn opportunities to learn a better way: “Blessed is the one who fears YHWH always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14).
So human society often serves to worsen human sinfulness over time. Instead of operating like the Church is supposed to and encouraging sanctification, unbelievers encourage each other to go from bad to worse. Remember Paul’s description of expected Church behavior in Romans 12:10. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Unbelievers in many cases boast against one another when they succeed in outdoing one another in vice.
Proverbs
So, with that in mind, let’s look back on Proverbs: “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…” (Proverbs 2:1–2).
Notice that the expression, “inclining your heart,” is similar to commands elsewhere in Proverbs that refers to the ears of a person. Thus:
- My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings (Proverbs 4:20).
- My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding (Proverbs 5:1).
- I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors (Proverbs 5:13).
- Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge (Proverbs 22:17)
So “inclining your ears” and “inclining your heart” are virtually equivalent expressions in some contexts. And it fits with our passage (Proverbs 4:20–23):
My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
The heart may be mysterious, but its desires are not completely inexplicable. The heart is largely what you pay attention to. Being attentive to wise words by listening to wise sayings and staying focused on them will result in a different mind or heart than if you do the opposite. Those are all ways you “keep your heart with all vigilance.” 4:21 refers to the heart as well as 4:23: “keep them within your heart.” Keep the wise words and wise sayings within your heart. Memorize them. Repeat them. Solomon probably is simply repeating what he learned from Psalm 119, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
And how that is done is mentioned in verse 15: “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Again, Proverbs 4:20 is saying the same thing: “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight.”
God tells us to guard our hearts by focusing on the things that will cause our hearts to flow with blessings.
The practical value
If we think that the heart is simply the source of desires without any input that we are responsible for, then we are limited. A sinful desire that is stronger than a righteous desire always wins. All you can do is pray for God to strengthen your righteous desires and weaken your sinful desires.
But that’s not how the Bible expects us to deal with ourselves or our hearts. Whether a desire is strong or weak is dependent on our environment and other factors. Many people have to resist temptations when they are alone and bored that only make them cringe when they consider those temptations while in church. When you sleepwalk through your life, not thinking of consequences and implications, all sorts of desires can seem enticing. And the Bible continually advises us to stay focused on God’s words and to do so by establishing times and places to remind ourselves of God’s reality.
Remember how Moses encouraged Israel to remain faithful:
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:6–9).
Now if that is how parents are supposed to immerse their children in the reminders of God’s presence, isn’t that also what they are supposed to do for themselves? Consider what Paul wrote to the Philippians:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).
Or to the Colossians:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1–2).
It would be a mistake to think that these kinds of exhortations are for you to somehow always have certain thoughts. Rather, it is commanding you to fill your life with frequent reminders. Just like in Deuteronomy 6, parents are supposed to review God’s word with their children frequently; Paul wants us to set our minds on things above at recurring times. “When you get up” and “when you go to bed” are explicitly mentioned in Deuteronomy 6. These are ways you guard and guide your heart.
Intensity v. consistency
Proverbs seems less concerned about the intensity of the desires of the heart and more about extending those desires over time.
Consider romantic love. It is not uncommon for a man and woman to begin a relationship passionately in love with each other. But in our culture, it is not uncommon for such relationships to end in a breakup because one or both doesn’t feel as strongly after a while. We all know the cliche: “The feeling is gone, and I just can’t get it back.” Christians who know enough to get married in order to bind that romantic love within God’s law can find that happens to them. The powerful feelings they had when they were married won’t maintain themselves automatically to preserve a marriage. No intensity of desire can do that over the decades.
But if you remind yourself that it is a blessing to be married, if you remind yourself that God gave you the other person for you good, if you set apart time to be devoted to one another in the midst of the various elements of chaos that every family experiences—then you can guard your heart with all diligence.
People who tackle marriage this way are basically aiming at growth and maturation. You only get to be a young person in love for a very limited time. The intensity of the desire is not that relevant. You need to figure out what attitudes and actions will help you successfully become an older husband in love with an older wife or an older wife in love with an older husband. We need to guard our hearts with all diligence.
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, the serpent did not tempt them when God was with them. If the serpent had spoken to them with God there, I doubt anything the serpent said could have sounded plausible. But God was not there; he was temporarily absent. He went away for a while and expected them to remain faithful during His absence.
But they didn’t guard their hearts. They didn’t remind themselves of who God was, how he had blessed them, or that he would come again to see how they had acted while he was gone. They let themselves drift into desires and rationalizations that couldn’t possibly lead anywhere good—Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you (Prov 4:25)—but the let their eyes wonder and gaze at the forbidden fruit—Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure (4:26). They didn’t watch where they were going—Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil (4:27). They ended up stepping into the path of evil.
How they felt and behaved in God’s presence could have continued while God was absent, but it would have required them to guard their hearts.
Trading Sloth for Strategy & Diligence
Wars involve amazing victories, sometimes humiliating defeats, and often long arduous slogs. Instead of looking at the heart as a mysterious force that we hope to see instantly changed (as has happened in the past due to God’s grace in many cases), maybe we would be better off seeing it as territory that God has set before us to conquer. We need to manage ration supply lines and troop morale in order to win battles rather than getting a quick, once-and-for-all, triumph.
I was reminded recently about the difference between the conquest of Jericho and the conquest of the city of Ai in the book of Joshua. The people didn’t have to do a thing to break through the walls of Jericho except participate in worship. But to take Ai later, after they dealt with some internal problems, God told them to follow a military strategy involving faking a retreat and setting up an ambush.
God wanted them as always to trust him for victory. Thus, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult YHWH!” (Isaiah 31:1).
But God also wants us to actually learn the skill of winning victories: “Blessed be YHWH, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me” (Psalm 144:1–2).
Treating the heart as uncontrollable is akin to demanding God fight your battles by miraculous intervention rather than allowing him to teach you the art of war. We need to guard our hearts.
Mark Horne is a member of the Civitas group, and holds an M.Div from Covenant Theological Seminary. He is assistant pastor at Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, and is the executive director of Logo Sapiens Communications. He writes at www.SolomonSays.net, and is the author, most recently, of “Solomon Says: Directives for Young Men” from Athanasius Press.