Head knowledge vs heart knowledge

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
(Hosea 4:6)

Knowledge, the type of knowledge that God wants us to have is not just an academic knowledge of him. It is an experiential knowledge of Him. We are to walk with him and get to know him on an intimate level.

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:3

Think of it like this.

Your next door neighbor writes you a beautifully worded letter explaining who they are and how you can better know them as a neighbor. Just reading the letter is head knowledge. Going next door and spending time with them is when you begin to be filled with heart knowledge.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
Romans 10:2.

The Jews knew about God because of the scriptures. They even had great zeal for God. But it was lacking, why? Because they didn't know him!

3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:3–4.

In saying that they are “zealous for God” Paul is saying that they have great passion for God.
They are excited in their minds about Him. They are stoked, amped, pumped about God.

He then says that “their zeal is not based on knowledge.”
The Greek word Paul uses for knowledge here is “epignosis.” That word is translated “full knowledge.”
Some commentators say it is knowledge from the heart or digested knowledge.

“Gnosis” is head knowledge.
“Epignosis” is heart knowledge.

Paul is saying that the Jews know about God, but it is in their heads. They even have passion for Him, but it is from their minds. It has not made its way to their hearts.

Paul goes on to say that the Jews lack “heart knowledge” because they do not trust in the righteousness of God, but in their own righteousness. They try to do it on their own. (Taken from: 410 Bridge)

What is the fruit of head vs. heart knowledge?

Someone with only head knowledge of God, may outwardly appear very zealous. The Jews did. But you can always tell, if not by actions, then by their motivations. The Jews had a form of righteousness (Romans 10:3) but it was a righteousness established on their own works. So they may outwardly appear very righteous indeed, but they may worry about God's judgement for past sin, they may say they have to do good works to be acceptable, they may not be holy or righteous at all while excusing their sinfulness with God's grace (Romans 6:1-2)

Someone with heart knowledge of God will be at peace at all times. Their life will be one of righteousness and holiness. They will walk in love and be full of the Holy Spirit.

So how do we go from head knowledge to heart knowledge?

Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not the LORD.
Hosea 5:4

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

First off, we have to acknowledge our sins and repent of them!

For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live! Eze 18:32

Secondly, go to the source!

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Ephesians 1:17

6 “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:1–3.

Go to God with your request and be persistent!

Luke 18:1-8
1One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 6Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Jesus equates our persistence in prayer to the amount of faith we possess. It shows how much we desire what we are requesting, so stay persistent. Ask God to forgive you of your sins then turn away from them. Then ask him to give you wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him more! Ask Him to take your head knowledge and plant it into your heart so you may live for Him as He would desire!

frank sears said:

as some folks use this to mean, go by your feelings(heart), rather then by logical thinking. I hope you do not mean that?

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Not in the slightest, I don't even think I implied that.

The Bible clearly states there are multiple forms of knowledge. As laid out using Romans 10:2-4, there is a knowledge of God that results in zeal, but not righteousness, this is head knowledge, Romans 10:3-4. This type of knowledge does not result in eternal life, John 17:3.

Heart knowledge is based on faith (Romans 10:4). It's a knowledge that goes beyond just learning about God, and experiencing Him. It's not someone who is a hearer of the Word only, but a doer as well (James 1:22-25)

Someone living in sin is not able to know God (Hosea 5:4), but those who repent and go to Him will find Him and know Him (Hosea 6:1-3)

d taylor said:

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Heart and Mind, the Scriptures often use them interchangeably. Both refer to the inner self where one thinks and believes and feels.

Hebrews 8:10, “I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.”
Mind and hearts are used synonymously there.

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I’m not necessarily speaking of only “the mind” in the sense of our thought process. Scripture does clearly teach that we are to be mindful of things of the Spirit and such.

What I’m referencing is the type of knowledge that only enters a person’s head, but never their heart. An academic knowledge that has no power to change.

2 Timothy 3:7
who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Those type of people. This is what Paul is describing in Romans 10:2-4 as well. People whose knowledge of God led them to great zeal, but not to righteousness. For righteousness is of course, based off faith, not works.

That’s why in my OP I stated that the fruits of someone with only head knowledge may well look like they have great zeal, perhaps even righteousness, but they will not be motivated by faith or love.

IOW, head knowledge only affects the intellect while heart knowledge affects the whole being

Proverbs 4:23
Luke 6:45
Mark 7:20-23
Ezekiel 36:25-27

duplicate

tturt said:

reminds me of-
Jesus said "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Matt 15:8

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exactly it.

Isaiah 1:13-17 speaks of bringing vain offerings before the Lord. The people had knowledge of God, they know his law but they didn’t walk in it, because that is not the knowledge that God wants us to stop at.

Head knowledge of God is not wrong, but the knowledge God wants us to have goes beyond that into the heart.

Hosea 6:6 I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings, for my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)

It really does get down to sin.

Hosea 5:4 Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. The spirit of whoredom is within them and they know not the LORD.

Those with only head knowledge have not truly repented and turned to Him so He can heal them (Isaiah 59:2). If they would only be rid of those things, then God could give the spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could know Him (Ephesians 1:17). And that’s the answer right there.

To truly know God is to forsake all things of the world, all things and run to Him with our whole heart (Hosea 6:1-3).

d taylor said:

That simply is not true take a look at the church in Corinthians (1 and 2) they were anything but at peace.

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What kind of knowledge did the Corinthian church have? Was it head knowledge, an intellectual knowledge? Or was it heart knowledge, a transformational knowledge? Paul literally addresses this very issue in Chapters 2 and 3 of 1 Corinthians as he dives into the myriad of issues that church had.

Worldly people cannot accept truths of God's word that causes transformation because those truths are spiritual and only for those who are in the Spirit. And while the Corinthians were infants in the Spirit, they had not matured, YET. But they could. And it's not just enough to have the knowledge, we have to act on it. That's the point.

Someone with intellectual knowledge is not bad, they just don't have complete knowledge. Knowledge of God is not meant to make us merely wise, it's meant to change us. It clearly hadn't penetrated the Corinthian church yet, but that's why Paul wrote to them three times (at least). He was trying to form Christ in them and encouraging them by giving them spiritual truth so that it could transform them from babes in Christ to mature and spiritual believers (1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3)

They had knowledge of God, but it wasn't complete. Their fruit was worldly, as I said at the beginning. They had zeal and righteousness, but inwardly they still had room to grow. Clearly they had not yet had the full revelation of knowledge in Christ. The entire letter(s) is geared around this very principle. You are infants in Christ and not spiritual because you are in sin. Knock it off and let the knowledge you have transform you. What did I say in my first post?

The way to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge is to repent of sin and turn to God. What is basically all of 1 and 2 Corinthians if not a call from Paul for the Corinthians to repent of sin and turn to God.

d taylor said:

Well first i have to guess as to who this heart/head knowledge is addressing as you never identify whether it is believers or unbelievers you are addressing.

For example the part of your post i quoted states "Someone with heart knowledge of God will be at peace at all times".

So who is this someone, a believer if so, why not say a believer. If it is an unbeliever they do not have faith in God to begin with.

The Corinthian church Paul is addressing, is addressed to believers. Showing that believers are not always or as you state "will be at peace at all times".
Or take David or Saul, Sampson

So are you saying that if a person is not at peace at all times they do not have heart knowledge of God, they have just head knowledge and are not a believer.

Is that really what this thread is addressing, only people with heart knowledge of God, are as you would probably say believers.

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Jesus tells us to not sin, and the Bible says those who do sin are not children of God, but we know we all sin. Even the Apostles sinned, as listed in scripture. So were they not believers because they sinned? Saying "sin not" has a literal meaning, we are to not sin, but it doesn't mean sinning once means we are doomed. It's more about lifestyle right? Like, I'm going to sin, but it's not going to be the defining characteristic of my life.

That's what I meant by saying "peace at all times". Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians about how he was distressed beyond life itself, so clearly even the Apostle had times of uneasiness. But if you look at his response, it was to seek God. 2 Corinthians 1:8 So even when we are uneasy, it causes us to seek God, not trust in our own devices (Proverbs 3:5-6)

aiki said:

What is "heart knowledge," exactly? Not its effects on the believer's life, but that which produces those effects. How, precisely, is "heart knowledge" itself, apart from its effects, distinct from "head knowledge"? How are you defining "heart knowledge" itself?

Also, is it "heart knowledge" that is transformational? Or is the work of the Spirit what transforms the believer?

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James 4:6, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

I'd submit to you that heart knowledge = submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit cannot work on someone who is actively opposing Him, can He? Thus, knowledge that resides within the heart is the renunciation of all self and submission to God so He can work His will in us. Going back to Romans 10:2-4, the Jews had great knowledge of God, but it was lacking... why? They had all the zeal and righteousness, but not faith. And what is true faith? It's a submission basically to God. Abraham believed God... he submitted to Him. (Galatians 3:26-29; Romans 2:28-29) See the Jews thought (head knowledge) that because they had the law and the DNA of Abraham that they were acceptable to God as they were. What they didn't accept was this Jesus telling them that they still needed to repent and turn back to God. Thus the Spirit wasn't given to them to change them, but only to those who had the faith of Abraham. (Galatians 3:14)

So heart knowledge is the kind of knowledge that leads a person to completely deny themselves and submit to God. Head knowledge can give someone information about who God is and what he wants, but it doesn't give the power to do so (Romans 8:3a). When that knowledge penetrates the heart by faith, that when we can say that we truly know God (John 17:3; Romans 8:14, Ezekiel 36:25-27)