Understanding the Distinctions Between Heart Mind and Soul

The Bible’s call to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) has always struck me as both beautiful and challenging. Jesus called this the “greatest commandment,” a summons to pour every part of ourselves into loving God. But as I’ve wrestled with these words, I’ve often wondered, “What’s the real difference between the heart and the mind?” And why do we sometimes get hung up thinking the “heart” is just that organ pumping away in our chest?

Parsing the Terms: Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

This commandment isn’t about separating ourselves into neat little boxes. He does not intend for us to view ourselves through a mechanistic or reductionistic perspective.  It’s about total devotion, giving God every ounce of who we are.

Heart (Hebrew: lēv/levav; Greek: kardia): I used to picture the heart as that physical organ pumping blood, probably because that’s how we often hear it in traditional sermons. But in biblical language, the heart is so much more. It’s the core of your inner self, your thoughts, your will, your emotions, and your intentions. Proverbs 4:23 calls it the “wellspring of life,” and Jesus points out that our deepest motives come from the heart (Mark 7:21). To love God with your heart is to direct your desires, choices, and loyalties fully toward Him.

Soul (Hebrew: nephesh; Greek: psyche): This is your essence, your “you-ness,” the life-breath God gave you (Genesis 2:7). Loving God with your soul means offering your very existence, choosing Him even when it costs you, like laying down your life for His sake (Matthew 16:25–26). It seems the martyrs of the early church figured this out long before we have.

Mind (Greek: dianoia): Your mind is your understanding, reasoning, and imagination. It’s how you think, discern, and process truth. Loving God with your mind means engaging your intellect. We accomplish this by studying Scripture, peeling back the layers of his word through prayer and meditation, seeking that daily bread that Jesus told us to pray for (Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:3).

Strength (Hebrew: me’od; Greek: ischys): This is your energy, resources, and abilities. It’s your time, money, skills, and physical capacity. Loving God with your strength means using everything you have to serve Him and others (James 2:14–17). (More to come on this topic later.)

Together, these terms call us to love God with what we want, who we are, how we think, and what we do. But that word “heart” can trip us up if we’re not careful.

The Heart: More Than a Pump

Growing up, I often heard preachers talk about the heart as if it were the organ in our chest, the one that beats faster when we’re nervous or in love. I have used it as such myself in the past. It’s easy to picture it that way, especially when we feel emotions like love or surprise as a warmth or tightness in our chest. But is that really what the Bible means by “heart”? I’ve wrestled with this, especially when I learned about ancient cultures like the Egyptians.

Archaeologists tell us that the Egyptians, the first known embalmers, placed huge importance on the physical heart. When they mummified someone, they carefully preserved the heart in canopic jars, believing it was essential for the afterlife. The brain, on the other hand? They scooped it out and tossed it in the trash with the body’s other “waste.” We might shake our heads at their “ignorance”, thinking, “How could they get it so wrong?” But we’re not so different, I think. Many of us still imagine the biblical “heart” as that physical organ, as if loving God with all our heart means feeling warm fuzzies in our chest. (I hope to write about our emotions versus our cognitions.)

Reality teaches us (if we will listen) that a heart transplant doesn’t change who a person is. An individual’s personality, memories, and thought processes stay intact, even with a new heart pumping away in their bosom. Without a doubt, the Bible’s “heart” isn’t about the physical organ. It’s about the inner you, the seat of your thoughts, will, and emotions. This makes the commandment even richer! Loving God with your heart means giving Him your deepest desires and decisions, not just a fleeting feeling. No wonder James said, “Blessed is the man (person) that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him” (1:12). If we love Him, we will stand against the drawing of the temptation set before us. That becomes God’s proof of our love for Him.

Why We Feel Love in Our Chest

Still, I can’t help but wonder why we feel love so strongly in our chest. I remember being asked many years ago why we feel things so strongly in our heart area. I offered an answer based on my knowledge at that time. I believed it was because of the heavy volume of blood moving through the heart. I reasoned that because there was more blood there, there were more neurotransmitters there, like serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, among others. Thankfully, we can see more deeply now because of what others within the field of biology have uncovered.

There’s a fascinating scientific explanation for why our feelings seem to be centered in our chest. It’s called the polyvagal theory. This theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, explains how the vagus nerve, a major nerve connecting your brain to your body, plays a major role in how we experience emotions. The vagus nerve has branches that originate in the brain and  influence the heart and chest area, which is why deep emotions like love, gratitude, or even heartbreak often feel like a physical sensation there. When you’re moved during a worship service or feel a surge of devotion or love toward your partner or child, that warmth in your chest is your body’s way of reflecting what’s happening in your “heart”, your inner self. It’s like God wired us so our bodies echo our deep, committed love for Him and others. The writer of Psalms generally knew this long before we did when he said, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and my soul knoweth right well” (139:14).  

The Heart vs. the Mind: Where’s the Line?

So, if the heart is the seat of thoughts and emotions, how is it different from the mind? This question has nagged at me for years. Is scripture simply being repetitive? I think not. For Jesus gave His stamp of approval on every word found in the holy writ. He said, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17). In the Bible, the heart (lēv or kardia) covers your inner control center, your affections, intentions, and choices. The mind (dianoia), as Jesus uses it, zeroes in on your reasoning and understanding, the way you process truth and make sense of the world. They overlap, sure, but the heart is more about what you love and choose, while the mind is about how you think and discern. Together, they call us to love God with both passion and intellect. No part of us is left out.

A Call to Wholehearted Love

The greatest commandment isn’t about checking off boxes, much as did the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). It must go far beyond that. It’s an invitation to a life of wholehearted devotion. It’s about loving God with your deepest desires (heart), your very existence (soul), your sharpest thoughts (mind), and your available resources (strength). That warmth in your chest when you pray or worship? It’s a beautiful reminder that God created us, body and soul, to love Him completely. To put Him first, in all things. And when we get confused about what “heart” means, remember it’s not just a physical organ but the core of who we are, called to be totally His.

Drop your thoughts or stories in the comments. I’d love to hear them!