Should Christians Follow Their Heart or God’s Word?
I recently heard that as Christians we are not to follow our heart. Is it true that as believers, we are not to follow our hearts? We often hear people give this advice.
First, we look to God’s word. We look to God’s word fundamentally for the measure of truth and of what’s right, such as in the example of sexual morality. I don’t first look to my heart. I first look to what God’s word says. When it comes to honest business dealings, or how I should act in the culture and the society around me, or how I should treat my fellow man, I don’t first look to my heart. I look first to God’s Word.
Now, there may be places where we look for guidance in topics God’s word doesn’t address. In those cases, if we are born again by God’s Spirit, and we’re seeking the Lord in our daily life, we can believe that God will guide us in and through the desires or inclinations of our heart, although not infallibly. Sometimes we’ll get it wrong. But in cases where God’s word is not prescriptive, following common sense along with what we desire is not a bad way to go.
“Follow your heart” is terrible advice if you’re putting the desires of your heart before what God has told us in His word. But if we’re talking about something that isn’t spoken about in the word of God, and is maybe simply a matter of individual leaning, or it just isn’t addressed by the Bible, then “follow your heart” can be good advice. Not always, and it’s not going to be infallible, but we can trust that God will often work in us and guide us through the inclinations of our heart.