The Stability of the Heart

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” –Proverbs 4

Although we are all conscious of that part in us which chooses, the spirit, we may not be as certain as to its nature. It is non-physical, a “breath” that is received directly from God. And in any given choice, we are likely to find that the choice itself feels very free.

And clearly there is significant freedom of the will. This is simply a fact of common human experience. The biblical and classical traditions both affirm it as well. But there is also a sense in which the will is not entirely free.

I am not talking primarily about the influence of other parts of the person on the will. Of course the mind, body, soul, and social relationships can “drag” the will into doing things which, on its own, it might not have chosen. But even in the moments in which we act the most freely, the will is “set” in a certain mixture of something between spirit and thought and feeling. This is what is meant by character. It is the natural inclination of the will. Perhaps the best way to describe this is to say that the will itself has a substance distinct from its specific acts.

This fact is widely misunderstood. Our choices do not have only external effects, but rather they determine the “bent” or inclination of the will for future choices. It is also why we cannot ultimately change our life merely by will-power. In the background at any given time is what we might call our baseline character; and choice alone cannot completely restructure it.

And it is this fact that makes salvation and damnation possible, and necessary one way or another. When we reach maturity in our lives, the evil from around us has “sunk” into our will to such a degree that consistent love is not possible. There seem to be only a handful of exceptions to this in human history, and what makes them possible should be clear from what follows. This evil foundation of our spirit will continuously fester throughout our whole lives, if something is not done to change it.

Because we are faced with the problem of evil in our wills, our very cores, the most desperate human need is for something positive to be done to change it. There have been many attempts at this throughout history, with varying degrees of success. And it is here that the superiority of the Christian revelation is perhaps most clear.

It is tempting to say that it is only a lack of knowledge that makes this happen, and with certain qualifications and from a certain perspective that statement could be true. But what I am referring to is the dark presence which infects the will and makes it sick. This evil is a positive reality, not merely an absence of good.

Hell is the ultimate destination for a sick will. The evil in the will, if unchecked, will more or less completely set the spirit against God and His Kingdom. This may take many years. Damnation consists of the act of God that gives the will of an evil individual final, immovable character.

The two greatest attempts at changing the will have been through knowledge and spirit, the classical and the biblical traditions, respectively. The biblical tradition involves knowledge of course, and the classical tradition involves spirit, so we should think of the distinction as one of emphasis.

As a human being comes to know what is good and right and the nature of ultimate reality, he or she has a basis upon which to make good choices. This can bring powerful healing to the entire soul, although it is usually unable to root out the evil at the deepest level. This is why the classical attempts at redemption usually failed, especially for those who were far along in their personal corruption.

The way that God has made possible through his hosen people, and Jesus above all, is redemption by the Spirit. God’s will has a power which includes but is deeper than both thought and feeling. As the Spirit moves upon the human will, the evil is disrupted. This generally happens rather slowly, because the operation requires gentleness so that the human will is healed and brought back to life. God alone can initiate this process, usually through speaking to the soul directly or through his servants.

As the will heals it has more and more strength to offer itself to God, and to receive of His Spirit. As soon as the will first comes to life, it is able to receive what it needs from the Word of God, and the Spirit working with and through that Word.

Hence reading and meditating on Scripture are fundamental to redemption. As the word warms our heart, the callouses, bruises, and puss that penetrate it can be washed off and and the spirit can be restored to life. Disciplines for the spiritual life, such as fasting and solitude, open the mind so that the God’s speaking and Spirit can work on us at the level of our heart.

We all find ourself at some place in this process. If we are literally dead to God, our will not functioning at all within His life, we must do what we can to think about God and to hear his word, in the hope that He will enliven it by His grace or action. If we find that our will is alive (and there is significant difference in our experience once the will comes to life) we can and should take the steps to receive more grace. We must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

With those who have a redeemed will, a positive process occurs. Goodness and truth progressively seep into the deepest part of the will, making it less likely that we will do evil. The stability of the heart becomes an advantage, and at Judgment the good bent of the will is forever confirmed.