Christianity, the Heart-Religion
Over the years, we have heard many clichés, and one such example is: “Christianity is not a religion but a relationship.” Some will argue that it’s both a religion and a relationship, but I personally have never heard it say that “Christianity is a Heart-Religion.” By framing it that way, people will pay more attention to the heart and what the Bible has to say about it. It forces us to look at our own heart—the inside of the cup so to speak—and not just the outward appearances of the cup. This is because God looks at the heart, and a new heart is needed to worship God in spirit and in truth. Christianity is a religion of the heart.
The thought of Christianity being a “Heart-Religion” first crossed my mind when I read through Matthew 5:21-24. In that passage, Jesus is zeroing in on the heart when He says,
“if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
To state it plainly: The whole cup is important. Not just the outward but inward as well. King David said to Solomon,
“know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)
Serve God with a loyal heart (NKJV), a perfect heart (KJV) or whole heart (MEV, LSB, LEB, ESV). Why? God searches all hearts and knows them completely. We can’t deceive Him by being outwardly religious. Under God’s discipline, King David came to learn about Heart-Religion when he said,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God…” (Psalms 51:10).
David later prayed for Solomon,
“give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments…” (1 Chronicles 29:19).
Anytime the heart is involved, the argument that the text was written to the Jews and not Gentiles falls apart, because human nature is the same under both the Old and New Testaments. Everyone, without exception, is to have a heart-circumcision because it’s a heart-religion.
Old Testament: Get Yourself a New Heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 18:31)
New Testament: You must be born again (John 3:7)
Given that Christianity is a heart-religion, we are to judge righteously, and this calls for great discernment and the testing of the spirits because things are not what they appear.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector…” (Luke 18:9-14)