When confronted with those who sought to (out of respect) test his orthodoxy as a first-century Jew, Jesus faced a jugular question: “What is the greatest commandment?” 

His answer wasn’t revolutionary. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). 

That was the orthodox answer for any God-fearing Jew, and no one expected to hear differently. For Jesus, and those who would later call themselves followers of Jesus (i.e., “Christians”), their entire worldview was shaped by the deep conviction that “what mattered most” could be distilled into a few words:

Love God:  Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength.

Basic stuff right? This is one of the lessons we learned early on if we grew up in the church, or surely learned within weeks of becoming a new believer in Christ. It’s recognized by every Christian tradition as the foundational command for Christian life and practice.

However, my engagement with this command of Jesus recently has deepened. My undergraduate training at Redeemer University College in psychology prepared me to mull over this command from a perspective of “types.” Typologies (classifying people based on patterns) are common within psychology, and I began to wonder if contained within this simple command were four ways—four typologies—that could deepen my own vocation to love God more fully.

Of course Jesus didn’t think in “types,” nor did he intend to highlight four “parts” of us and encourage their development.  Jesus was a Jew situated in a non-Western cultural setting 2,000 years removed from ours. His worldview, including his anthropology, was thoroughly holistic and unified. His command was not designed to challenge us to bring the “parts” together in order to form a whole, but was designed to emphasize the overriding passion that must bleed through our entire lives must be the passion to love, honor, and worship God through all we do and all we are.

To that end, the reflections that follow are not based on an exegetical (or even strictly theological) analysis of the Mark 12 text. I am coming at the passage from a decidedly psychological point of view. That shouldn’t automatically invalidate any ideas or applications arising from this exploration, but neither should the reader assume I am forwarding ideas Jesus intended to teach through these words.

That means this article isn’t biblical in the strictest sense of the word. Being biblical would imply this article conveys a direct teaching of Scripture. However, ideas that are not biblical are not automatically unbiblical either. Unbiblical would imply the ideas and applications that are offered cannot be reconciled to Scriptural themes, values, principles, teachings, etc., which I do not believe to be the case regarding my ruminations on Jesus’ words in Mark 12.

I wish to provide a psychologically rooted exploration of Jesus’ words, with applications to spiritual formation. Yes, these are ideas that Scripture does not teach (e.g. a typology is not a biblical concept), but they are ideas that do not defy a Christ-centered faith (in fact, I hope they encourage it!). 

By looking at Jesus’ words through a “psychological window,” I am convinced one can use Jesus’ “principal command” as a guide to greater self-knowledge, and in turn, a guide to a more holistic experience of God. In this way I’ve been following the prayer of St. Augustine: “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.”

Through this perspective, I’ve taken time to think through how “heart, soul, mind, and strength” represent four “root loves.” That is, while each of us is capable of expressing all of these loves (as described below), one of the four serves as foundational for our experience of God and expression of our love for Him.

Type One: The Heart Root. To love God with all of our heart is to find ourselves and our faith energized as we stay connected to our emotions and passions, fully experiencing the highs and lows of everyday life. Those who fall within this type have a “root” experience and appreciation of God that is linked directly to their emotions, and because of this, often strike others as “too” sensitive, empathetic, enthusiastic, and/or compassionate. “Heart” types are connected to their “guts” and live and love out of their own heightened sensitivity as well as to the moods and emotions of others. They are quick to involve themselves in activities they perceive to hold the promise of a substantial emotional or relational outcome.

“Heart Christians” look to Scripture primarily for personal inspiration; for the kick-start through which they can face the challenges that life brings. Jesus’ words: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10), is an example of the kind of Scripture that serves as foundational to those with this root love language. “Heart” types experience the highs and lows of life deeply, can connect strongly with the emotions and experiences of others, and gravitate to metaphors of their faith that strike a more intense, relational chord (i.e., “my personal relationship with Jesus,” “the church is my family,” etc.).  They are often vulnerable and sensitive—especially in relational contexts—and this makes them valuable members to churches, where they are often appreciated for their relational gifts.

The Heart type experiences God most strongly during times of community and togetherness. From church socials to coffee conversations after church, “Hearts” tends to find Sunday morning factors like the message or music far secondary to whether they feel connected to others during their time together. People and relationships make the difference for this root type, and many “Heart Christians” will stay at churches through all kinds of leadership or congregational dysfunction. The relationships that they have established are extremely valuable to them, and in a way the other types cannot fully comprehend, supersede whatever “issues” may be surfacing within their church context.

Type Two: The Soul Root. To love God with all of one’s soul is to experience our love for God and others expanding through times of reflection, meditation, solitude, and contemplation. At their best, these individuals are perceived as deep, grounded, centered, reflective, and wise. At their worst, descriptors like aloof, disconnected, and passionless can emerge. In general they seem to live within the rhythms of the moment and are better than other types at neither obsessing over the past or the future. They are present-minded and experience God through this present-oriented mindset. The Scripture that best expresses the natural state of this type is Psalms 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” For those with a “Soul root,” the past is formative and the future is possibility, but the present is the arena of transformation.  Therefore, “Soul Christians” have a much easier time than the other types recognizing God’s power and presence through the everyday moments that make up their lives: changing diapers, drinking tea, driving to work, reading a book, conversations with a friend, etc.

“Soul Christians” are often more interested in loving God through hearing God and “steeping” in His presence, which lends itself to an attraction to contemplative practices ranging from Lectio Divina to silence retreats. While contemplative practices are much more difficult for the other three types, for this type these practices are a natural spiritual stimulant and foundation for transformation.

An interesting sidebar regarding this type is they often go unnoticed or unappreciated within churches. This is because they don’t show up on leadership’s radar as “movers and shakers” and make few demands on the community. They are often the antithesis of the classic Type A personality, so they find themselves drawn to churches that give them space to live out their quiet (but not “simple”) faith in ways that allow them a certain level of anonymity. This often means many “Soul Christians” eventually will be drawn out of evangelical churches, because these churches tend to emphasize a Christian spirituality that is grounded in one of the other three types, but rarely this one.

Type Three: The Mind Root. To love God with one’s mind is to find one’s love and appreciation for life and God energized as one grows in Biblical knowledge, insight, wisdom, and truth. “Mind Christians” are drawn to activities that help increase biblical knowledge and integrate this knowledge within a cohesive biblical worldview. Their experience and engagement within churches is almost completely tied to the teaching/preaching ministries within the church, and those with a Mind root love language and tend to gauge their experience of church through questions like, “What did I learn today? What new insights was I given? Do I feel my biblical knowledge has deepened?” 

Perhaps the most common stereotype for this group is they are idealistic and impractical— “too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” While this criticism may be overstated, “Mind Christians” probably do validate this statement more than the other types. It is easy for these Christians to become absorbed with issues related to theology while inadvertently ignoring the practical demands of their daily responsibilities.

Regularly possessing a ferocious appetite for learning, those who love God through their minds often find themselves in multiple Bible studies or discussion groups. They listen to radio teachers whenever possible and never seem to tire of a self-imposed study plan that would leave the other types exhausted. 

Those who fall within this type are more aware than the other types that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).  It is very hard for this type to go more than a day or two without some form of mental stimulation and challenge, which can be a burden to those around them as the expression of such intellectual intensity can be seem demanding, critical, and argumentative to others.

Type Four: The Strength Root. To love God with all of one’s strength is to find one’s faith energized as one uses their physical energy to serve and bless others in practical ways. “Strength Christians” focus on pragmatic acts of generosity and kindness and find these especially rewarding and invigorating. Those with a root love language of Strength are those who have a genuine understanding that the movement from being a “hearer” to “doer” (James 1:22) is critical for faith, and often model to the other types what “doing” looks like in concrete ways. It can be easy for the other types to caricature those within this type as “do-gooders,” but those who excel in loving God with their Strength usually posses a rich wisdom that only comes from loving and serving others in meaningful, sacrificial ways.

Many type fours have difficulty getting anything out of Scripture unless it is tied directly to a practical application. While other types (especially the Mind type) are absorbed in the question of “What does Scripture teach us?” those with a root love language of Strength always are following up this question with, “So what? What’s the point? What should we do about it?” From ideas to concrete action is always the pressing concern for this type.

In many ways this type contrasts heavily with “Mind Christians.” “Strength Christians” do not dismiss the importance of orthodoxy, but they believe orthopraxis must be the “bookends” that properly frame and hold all theological reflections. For those with a Strength root, living rightly prepares one to think/theologize rightly.

Within their churches “Strength Christians” are often well known and deeply appreciated. They are the “doers” of the church: the 20% who seem to accomplish 80% of the work. They are passionate servers who rarely seek recognition. They live to serve and are often the unsung heroes within their churches and extended communities.

It would be a mistake to attempt to construct a hierarchy, elevating one type above another. Jesus told us to love God through all of these ways! No type is better or worse than any other. Each has their own strengths and potential pitfalls. Using this typology, spiritual growth means I:

a. become aware of my “root love language”;

b. cultivate and nourish this root expression; and

c. incorporate the other three into my life (however uncomfortable and difficult this may be).

It is a difficult for a “Heart Christian” to conduct a systematic study of the Bible, but at some point this type needs to be pushed into this uncomfortable space if their goal is to learn to love God with their Mind along with their Heart.

Likewise, it is not easy for a “Strength Christian” to participate in contemplative practices that are designed to stop them from doing what comes so easily to them—doing! However, discipleship demands that such a challenge be attempted. After all, a root is supposed to nurture something greater than itself and be the foundation for something that expands and enlarges.

Working under the assumption that Jesus lived out of a balanced expression of these four loves, I’ve been challenged to explore the unique possibilities that come from stretching myself to move beyond loving God through my mind (my own root love language) and learn from those for whom the heart, soul, or strength dominates. This heightens the need for Christian community in my life and reminds me my love language is only one of four, not number one of four, creating an appreciation for those who express their love for God in ways that may seem foreign or uncomfortable to me.

As Christians, we all live out of one of the four “root loves” that Jesus identified. His command, however, pushes us beyond those borders: Love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.

I see these words as an invitation, command, and challenge, and they are much more demanding than I’d originally assumed. To become like Jesus, to become like one who has perfected all the four loves and serves as a model for them, I must cultivate and nourish all of these expressions, beginning with my God-given “root.” In time, as even moderate attempts toward this end are made, we will find our experience of, and love for, Jesus will grow in unexpected and transformative ways.