Is it Possible To Be Too Heavenly Minded?

So many times I have heard this popular phrase from well-meaning people seeking to encourage believers to ‘have some balance’ in their worldview. 

 

The phrase I am referring to is this: ‘Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good’. I hear this statement and I understand its implications, but is it something Jesus would say? Let’s start by doing a quick search to see if we can discover the origins of this popular catchphrase.

 

Origins of the Catchphrase 

Doing a quick search brings up a popular writer and doctor by the name of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. After doing some digging, I discovered that he may have been a Christian. I deduce this because he wrote a few church hymnals which can be found located here. 

 

There aren't any specific discourses of writing from him that I see that contain this popular Christian saying, but I will assume it was written somewhere important because it has traveled from the 1800s to the present day. Mr. Holmes is also credited with founding The Atlantic, an established publication that is still in circulation to this day. 

 

Johnny Cash, a popular country singer, is also attributed as coining this well-known phrase in a song. It appears that he may have been raised in a Christian home, but had some battles with substance abuse until he made the decision to commit himself to Jesus in his latter years. Here are the lyrics from his song titled ‘No Earthly Good’.

 

[Verse 1]

Come hear me good brothers, come here one and all

Don't brag about standing or you'll surely fall

 

[Chorus]

You're shining your light, yes and shine if you should

You're so heavenly minded and you're no earthly good

No earthly good, you are no earthly good

You're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good

You're shining your light, yes and shine if you should

You're so heavenly minded and you're no earthly good

 

[Verse 2]

Come here me good sisters, you're salt of the earth

If your salt isn't salted, then what is it worth

 

[Chorus]

 

[Verse 3]

If you're holding heaven, then spread it around

There are hungry hands reaching up here from the ground

 

[Chorus]

 

Gifted Minds

I realize that while both of these gentlemen have had some impact in their respective areas of influence, I am at this point unable to draw a clear purpose or intent for the popular catchphrase. While they are both gifted minds, I can’t see this catchphrase lining up with the teachings of Jesus. 

 

The Salt Error

Many coiners of this phrase attribute it to mean that a person is ‘simply too spiritually minded’ to impact the people around them. In other words, when a person is too ‘heavenly minded’, it means they are simply ‘too deep’ and they are of no effect to the very people who need a ‘touch of heaven’. 

 

They will argue that people who are too heavenly-minded have ‘lost their saltiness’, or the ability to ‘make the kingdom of God a desirable pursuit’. Their central focus is on salt being a seasoning, rather than a preservative.

 

In the statement that Jesus made about salt in Matthew 5, He is referring to salt as being a preservative. Salt was used for sacrificial offerings in the Old Testament as well as for covenants between friends. Salt was known for its preserving power and was seen as a ‘purifier’ of agreements, friendships and offerings. 

 

So here you can see that Jesus is referring to His disciples being the salt, or the ‘purifying agents’ in the earth. Jesus is instructing His followers to remain clean so that they will in turn be able to help others get clean. If the followers of Christ are in worse condition than the ones they are ministering to, how can their ministry be of impact? The short answer is it won’t be. His followers must live what they teach and live in a way that is worthy of replication. This is the proper interpretation of the ‘salt’ statement. Now let’s deal with the light error.

 

Shining Too Brightly?

Coiners of this phrase will say that a person can ‘shine their light too brightly’. I can partially relate to this portion and have personally seen the effects of me trying to ‘share too much truth too quickly’. 

 

I have seen others become turned off to talks about the kingdom of God due to not building a relationship with the person first. God is the ultimate Gentleman taking care to love people before He seeks to change them. Many people are unaware that they are living in darkness.

 

It is a fact: if you are sound asleep in a dark room and someone suddenly wakes you up by shining a flashlight in your face, you will be startled! In addition, because the light is in focus, you may not be able to see the person standing behind the flashlight. Too much light, too soon, startles and interrupts.Too much unexpected light can actually be offensive. (See Proverbs 27:14)

 

However, if that same person yielding the flashlight came into that dark room, gently tapped the person on the shoulder allowing them some time to come to their senses, and then brought the flashlight out and pointed it towards the things ‘hidden in darkness’ rather than the person’s face directly, they may be able to receive from them. So I do agree with the fact that light, truth and power must be handled with care. However, there are times when the ‘flashlight in your face’ approach must be implemented- however that discussion is is for another time. That approach just can’t always be the default. Love and compassion must undergird the sharing of truth and power.

 

Would Jesus say this?

I can't see Jesus saying such a phrase because it would be contradictory to many of His commands and teachings. One of His teachings was to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, allowing everything else to be added to you. Another teaching was that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. And yet another teaching was that his disciples should not lay up their treasures on earth where they could be tainted by scavengers and decay, but to store them in heaven. Jesus was always encouraging His disciples to use their spiritual eyes. So I will conclude by saying that I can not see Jesus saying such a thing.

 

You Can't Balance Flesh

There are many other scriptures I could present and other points that I could elaborate on, but my intent is to share the fact that it is not possible to love this world and love God. You can(and should) love people and what God is doing in their lives, but you should not love this world. The scriptures say that if you love this world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 

 

You can have an appreciation for God's creation, but that appreciation must be tempered by the fact that He is the source of life for all. If (and when) He withdraws His hand and creative power, there will be little to appreciate. Also, we it is impossible to ‘balance the flesh’. Let me elaborate on this in closing.

 

I can remember this battle I had for while in my Christian journey when I was trying not to be ‘too spiritual’ while also not being ‘too carnal’. I was unknowingly lukewarm in my faith. I kept trying to find a way to be accepted by people while also displaying a ‘good Christian attitude’. ‘Being super nice’ and accepting people’s weaknesses was more important to me than occasionally sharing the truth with them. I didn't want to come off as ‘too deep’ because I dealt with rejection in the past for talking about spiritual things. 

 

This rejection affected the boldness of my witness because it made we worry more about ‘being accepted and received’ more than having care for the soul of the person I was ministering to. 

 

I listened to a message one day that touched me and encouraged me to really commit to a life of devotion to the Lord. I consciously made the decision to consciously deny my flesh as often as possible and really see what type of lifestyle Jesus wanted for all of His followers. With God's help, I decided that going forward I would be all in for the kingdom of God. I'm no longer interested in ‘balancing the flesh’. I just want Jesus and His kingdom- so yes, I admit that I’m no earthly good. 

 

Amen.

 

Scripture:

 

Colossians 3:2 (ESV) Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

 

Mark 9:50 (ESV) Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

 

Matthew 5:13 (ESV) “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

 

Leviticus 2:13 (ESV)

13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

 

Colossians 4:6 (ESV)

6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

 

Mark 9:49,50 (ESV)

49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

 

Proverbs 27:14 (ESV) Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.

 

John 15:18-20 (ESV) 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.