In his recent book One Thing, Dr. Sam Storms quoted from Soren Kierkegaard’s Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. I haven’t read it (Kierkegaard’s), but from the passage quoted in the front of Dr. Storms’ book, I’m pretty sure that I disagree with his main idea.
I do so because no one wills one thing. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” [Gal. 5:17] Every one wills more than one thing (even God), but everyone also wills one thing most. God is not willing that any man should perish, yet many will–because God has a higher will that trumps the will that none should perish. (This is true for the Arminian or the Calvinist.) Surely God is the model example of purity of heart?
I think it ought to be obvious that purity of heart is not to will one thing, but to will the correct thing, most. Kierkegaard was no doubt a smart and devout man–smarter and more devout that I am–but I don’t think he got this right. I think Romans 7 makes this case.
So, I think purity of heart is to will the correct thing most; perhaps that’s what Soren meant.
just a thought.
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