Wednesday: Human Reasoning Apart From Scripture
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 17th of April 2024
The Holy Spirit works through our minds. He invites us to explore the mysteries of the universe. As someone has aptly stated: “As Christians, we do not check our brains at the door of the church.” Nevertheless, the brilliance of human reasoning alone is incapable of discovering the divine truths of Scripture. Truth is not a matter of human opinion. It is a matter of divine revelation.
Read Proverbs 16:25, Judges 21:25, and Isaiah 53:6. What do these texts reveal about Satan’s strategy of deception?
One of the devil’s most effective deceptions is to lead us to believe that human reasoning, unaided by the Holy Spirit and uninformed by the Word of God, is sufficient to understand God’s will. There may be a way that seems right to us, or even to entire cultures, but it may be totally wrong in the eyes of God.
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
A few years ago, my wife and I decided to do some hiking in the forest near the hotel we were staying at for the night. Typically, I am fairly good at directions, and after hiking for about an hour or so taking various trails, I was quite confident that I could find our way back with little difficulty. But soon we found ourselves hopelessly lost in the forest. The sun was going down, and I feared the worst. Thankfully, we met some other hikers who knew the way. We had been at least five miles off course but near a main road. Since their car was parked nearby, they offered us a ride back to our hotel. Discovering someone who knew the way and someone who had the ability to get us back to our destination made all the difference for us.
God has not left us alone on our journey from earth to heaven. The Holy Spirit points us to the sacred Scriptures that lead us homeward. Truth and error, right and wrong, good and evil—these can be correctly understood only in light of God’s Word. That which contradicts God and His Word is error, and error is always dangerous; that which is in harmony with God is truth and goodness. How important that we make God’s Word our final arbiter of truth and morality.
Why is the human mind without the aid of the Holy Spirit incapable of discovering divine truth? Discuss the relationship between human reason and divine revelation. How does reason actually help us understand divine revelation? For example, look at Daniel 2:1-49, a prophecy that covers world history from the time of Babylon to the Second Coming. How does a prophecy like this powerfully appeal to human reason?
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YouTube is a great source of information these days. You can even see some bird photography on it if you look up a certain Sabbath School Net commenter's name on it. But I digress. Just about every person who thinks they are filled with the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel has their channel and group of followers. Some of them are so "wacky" you wonder how they have the gall to even publish it. Then there are the attackers who take Christianity to bits, piece by piece.
There are independent ministry Seventh-day Adventist YouTubers too. Some of them are very good and others - well you wish they would not even mention their association with the Church. Then there are those who you know are Adventists but don't say it because they have some "special" message for us and want to talk about apostasy or conspiracy within the church.
I once went to a conference on electronic delivery systems for educational institutions. In one of the sessions the speaker told us about how much great material was available free on the internet for university courses. This speaker maintained that we did not have to reinvent the wheel in our teaching; we could just use what was readily available. I was sitting next to a friend of mine who was a senior lecturer at Monash University. He asked the speaker, "If all this information is so readily available, what role do you think the universities have in education?" The speaker was so bound up in his topic that he gave a fairly inane answer. I leaned over to my friend and said, "Universities have to teach the students how to detect crap!" (Please excuse my Australian expression here.) My friend laughed and agreed with me.
In the modern world where there is so much data flying around, we need some guidelines on how to sort out the rubbish (OK - I am limiting myself to one Australianism) from the reality. Here are a couple of ideas that help me.
The Holy Spirit can and does work in the minds of people without the aid of Adventist Universities. He does it with me via prayer, personal bible study, and imitating Jesus via His Golden Rule in blessing others along the way each and every day.
For the record Pete, the conversation I mentioned above was at a secular conference with a lecturer from one of the state universities in Australia. It had nothing to do with education and the Holy Spirit. It was an illustration from my own experience that I applied to the lesson.
The work of the Holy Spirit is not limited to education, social status, gender, race of even church creed.
OK, Maurice Ashton, thank you for clarifying. I guess I somehow misunderstood what you meant by "Crap." I thought that you were indicating "Crap," as referring to none-Adventist or even "None Christian," or "None Godly," content. Sorry.
That’s ok Pete. Aussie language is a bit hard to understand at times. 😀
Very good Maurice, I appreciate your illistration and do's and don'ts but there is one more thing to do and not to do.
Do take the Holy Spirt with you as you read the Bible.
Don't leave the Holy Spirit behind when sowing of the gospel seeds.
Human reasoning alone operates within the framework of making sense. That is, 'tangible proof' validates beliefs. 'Tangible proof' alone results in atheism in all its forms, which is a religion.
Christ experienced people who sought Him for free food only. To them, Christ satisfied their reasoning and they did not seek more. That's the weakness of human reasoning. When it's scope is satisfied, it does not seek more.
“Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (John 6:26, ESV)
There needs to be a balance between our mind and faith, in worship. Our faith should make literal sense and also work outside of sense. We do not blindly follow the Bible. We take our brains as we believe.
As said, "Truth is not a matter of human opinion. It is a matter of divine revelation." I further this and say the mind has to be aided by the Holy Spirit to recognize truth, even when it makes no sense, and accept it. Because it's divine revelation. For we have believers who don't think, and thinkers who don't believe.
Human reason can be critical to the moment. But the most elevated thought of the human mind can never predict what's ahead in the future. Thus, do I want to be protected by God's love? Then I should care about doing His will every moment because "He knows the end from the beginning." I want the way that leads me to abundant and eternal life.
Your ideas/guidelines to keep us grounded are profound! Christians should live by some of these guidelines. I am so blessed by these comments. Don't follow the leader and read the bible for yourself! Halleluiah!
thinking of 'how does reason fit into understanding divine revelation' I think opening my mind to the HS thru prayer allows new thoughts, new impulses, new choices. Reason helps in that once we realize this, we do ask the HS, and we do look forward to the bible study and new thoughts/impulses. Praise the Lord !
Thanks Maurice and Kay for sharing.Blessed night.
It’s important to study and ask for his spirit to guide us in all truth and prayer as we study in spirit and in truth we ask in prayer to fill our minds with his spirit