Building Bible Confidence: Part 5

Part 5: Faith is Reasonable

Introduction: Loving God with Our Mind

Loving God, according to Jesus, is a holistic endeavor. His followers are instructed to love God with our whole self, that is, our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). The Christian pursuit of loving God must go beyond emotionalism. Seeking God only through emotions leads one to many fanatical paths. But we must pursue God with more than emotions. We love Him with our heart, but also with our mind.

Loving God with Intellect and Reason

God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). To worship God in truth includes pursuing Him honestly and reasonably. The apostle Peter encouraged Christians this way:

...always be ready to give a defense [apologia] to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (1 Peter 3:15 [emphasis added]).

The English translation defense comes from the Greek term apologia. Apologia means a reasoned statement or verbal defense. It is a common New Testament concept (Philippians 1:7,17; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Timothy 4:16; Acts 22:1). Apologetics is the discipline of providing reasons, evidences, and defenses for the Christian faith. This practice can be pursued to strengthen faith in fellow believers as well as to convert the lost (Jude 1:3, 20; 2 Corinthians 5:11).

The Apostle Paul and Reason

The apostle Paul used apologia to prove his message. Once, he preached to non-believers in Athens, Greece who had no knowledge of the true God. Paul gave reasonable conclusions without quoting Bible verses. This example shows us that we can love God with our mind by pursuing reasonable conclusions and sharing them with others. Let’s consider how Paul used reason.

Paul reasonably concluded that the Athenians were interested in truth. He observed an altar devoted to the unknown god, and used this connection to help build a framework of God. Paul did not resort to name calling, rather, he showed honor to Athenian religious pursuit. The Bible records Paul like this:

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you,” (Acts 17:22-23).  

Paul reasonably concluded that God’s divine attributes are knowable. Paul differentiated between idols and the God of heaven. Wood and stone images needed man to be shaped. The true God shaped everything.

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things,” (Acts 17:24-25). 

Paul reasonably concluded that God is within reach. Paul referenced the internal drive to seek after God and even a secular poet that the Athenians knew. He understood other religions to better understand how to reach the lost.

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to “dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;  for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’  Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising,” (Acts 17:26-29).

Paul reasonably concluded that all mankind needs God’s salvation. Paul explained that God was patient about mankind’s ignorance but now commands repentance. He based this conclusion on powerful evidence:

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead,” (Acts 17:30-31).

Consider again that these people were hearing about God for the first time. Paul still used the resurrection of Jesus as proof. Why would Paul reference something like this? Is the resurrection even reasonable? Consider the next article in the series for the answers to these questions.

*This article was taken from The Bible Series, a twelve-part study written by Jonathan Edwards. This study is available for free PDF download at www.pureandsimplebible.com