Part Two, of Eight Qualities of the Heart That Resists Error
If lights are out in the heart, then lights are out in the mind.
If we want to know the truth about the big questions of life, we must pay attention to the state of our soul, not just our worldview. Last week we began an examination of eight soul qualities that make us immune to false teaching. The first quality is Devotion to the True God. The second quality is purity of heart.
2. Purity of heart
Discerning truth and error can seem like the domain of rational thinking alone, but the mind usually follows the heart. Desire steers belief. Evil desires and feelings lead into darkness, and darkness makes reason unreliable. Therefore to recognize error, guard the purity of your heart.
A pure heart depends especially on the illumination of love. John wrote, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9–11).
John wrote these important words about love in a letter (1 John) devoted to the subject of distinguishing truth from error. This confirms again the connection between mind and heart. If lights are out in the heart, then lights are out in the mind. If our hearts are full of lingering bitterness, hatred, anger, and unforgiveness, we will have a hard time knowing the truth. We will be in darkness.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Guard your mind by regularly examining your heart, confessing sin, forgiving others, loving even your enemies, and sincerely repenting.
Next week, we come to the third quality of your soul that makes you immune to error.