The Heart
of Man
Weakness of God is stronger than men (I Cor. 1:25).
Those
words of Paul came to mind recently when The Washington Post published a
story about a controversy involving the brains of terrorists. When four members
of the Red Army Faction killed themselves in the 1970s, German officials
ordered their brains removed and studied to determine what short circuit of the
mind might have led the terrorists to kill more than 30 people in shootings,
bombings and kidnappings.
The
story made me think about Paul’s teaching on wisdom because the idea that
terrorism or any other sin has its genesis in the brain is the wisdom of men. The
“foolishness of God” as revealed in the Bible, on the other hand, makes it
quite clear that the corruption or the purity of a man is evident not in his
head but in his heart, which is a metaphor for the soul.
That
truth is evident as early as the story of the flood. God destroyed man because
He saw the great wickedness and continual evil in “every intent of the thoughts
of his heart” (Gen. 6:5). After the flood, furthermore, God promised never
again to “curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is
evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21).
The
anointing both of Saul and David as kings of Israel show that purity also
begins in the heart. God sent the Spirit of the Lord to change Saul’s heart
upon his anointing (I Sam. 10:6, 9). And when Samuel suggested that David’s
eldest brother, Eliab, was a more fitting king than David, God told Samuel: “Do
not look at his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have
rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Sam. 16:7).
Many
other stories convey the same ideas. Esau vowed “in his heart” that he would
kill his brother, Jacob, for cheating him out of his birthright (Gen. 27:41).
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart to accomplish His will for Israel (Ex. 4:21). And
Abijam stumbled as king of Judah because “his heart was not wholly devoted to
the Lord” (I Kings 15:3).
Solomon
made the point best in one of his proverbs: “As in the water face reflects
face, so the heart of man reflects man” (Prov. 27:19). And in New Testament
times, James added that temptation is the result of our own heartfelt lusts.
“Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is
accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
The
brain does play an important role in spiritual development: It helps us attain
the purity of heart we need to stay faithful. Paul emphasized that point when
he told the Philippians to think on the things that are true, honorable,
right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy in order to
find the peace of God that guards hearts and minds (Philip. 4:7-9).
Yet
while scientists have learned much about man by studying the brain, and may
learn even more, their quest to find the trigger to terrorism and other heinous
crimes is misguided. The cure for sin cannot be found in our bodies; it can be
found only in Christ, for “in Him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished
upon us” (Eph. 1:7-8).