God and Reason (12)
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26.4, 5
Be ready
Every believer is charged with the duty of being ready to give an explanation for the hope he shows to the watching world (1 Pet. 3.15), to answer those who, trapped in the folly of unbelief, have seen in us something that resonates with a longing in their souls.
The Christian’s hope is the hope of glory (Rom. 5.1, 2), and while the experience of this glory may be mysterious beyond reason, the way this hope of glory is expressed is in the Kingdom character of righteousness, the Kingdom condition of peace, and the Kingdom consequence of joy, even in the midst of trials and setbacks (Rom. 14.17, 18; Jms. 1.2-4). What people should see in us is the life of Jesus: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Such consistency in Christian living will set the believer apart from the way of things in the world of wrong beliefs, and can provoke inquiries concerning what it is that makes us different. When these come, as they undoubtedly will, we must be ready with an explanation, a reason, even a defense of our Kingdom lifestyle and convictions.
But, given the state of reason in the souls of those who are still under the law of sin, can we hope that any explanation of why we believe will be persuasive?
A three-pronged strategy
Obviously, Solomon, Peter, Jesus, Paul, and all the other writers of Scripture believe we can, and we must. People may be trapped in the lies of wrong belief, so that they have not been able or willing to know God as He reveals Himself daily all around them. But if we are living the truth that is in Jesus, and the character and works that issue from surrendering to His rule in our lives are visible in us, some people will want to know what makes us the way we are.
And when this happens, we need to be ready to answer them with reasons that might help them see the truth, perhaps for the first time. Arriving at such a place involves a three-pronged commitment on our parts.First, we must make sure our own lives make sense, that the way we live supports the reasons we might give for why we live this way. This is just another way of reminding us that Jesus has given us His Spirit to know Him, so that we might be like Him and be His witnesses to the world. As we daily seek the Lord in Scripture, and as His Spirit brings us into His glory, we want nothing so much as to be transformed into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ—to become like Him more and more (2 Cor. 3.12-18).
We want the Spirit daily to search our lives—heart, mind, conscience, words, and deeds—and we want to repent of anything that doesn’t make sense according to the Gospel (Ps. 139.23, 24), so that we may continue to increase in the knowledge of God and the life of salvation. As we begin to speak of Him Who is the Source of our hope, He Who is the very Reason of God, we want to make sure our lives give living evidence that this Word, this Reason of God, is alive in us.
Second, we must make sure that we know the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of the Kingdom, not just of having our sins forgiven and going to heaven when we die. As such the Gospel speaks to every area of life with the promise of making all things new. The Gospel brings new purpose for all of life, new direction for all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities, and new hope for a richer, fuller experience of life. The hope of glory is the hope that in all things we might be renewed in the joy and salvation of the Lord.
If the Gospel as we proclaim it does not speak in these broad, challenging, far-ranging, life-changing ways, it won’t sound very reasonable to someone who’s looking for something more than the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. Of course, we want all with whom we share the Good News to come to that point, but we need to speak the Gospel as God’s message to all of life, offering the hope and promise of newness in Jesus.
Finally, we need make sure we can explain the Gospel’s impact on our own lives. How has the Gospel brought new hope, new purpose, new direction, and new life to us? In what ways have we discovered the power of Jesus Christ for making all things new? How is the joy of the Lord manifestly triumphant in our lives? If indeed the Lord is working within us to will and do of His good pleasure, and we are experiencing the power of the Gospel making all things new in every area of our lives, then we should be able to explain and give reasons, based on our own experience, for why someone asking about the hope within us should find the Gospel to be Good News for his life as well.
Knowing what God has done in our lives through the Gospel is the starting-point for a reasonable explanation of why we are who we are. In the final two installments, we’ll try to make sure we know what the Gospel is, and how to explain it.
For reflection
1. What does it mean for a Christian’s life to “make sense”?
2. What is the Gospel? If you had an opportunity to share it today, what would you say?
3. What has been the impact of the Gospel on your life?
Next steps—Conversation: In what specific ways are you growing in the knowledge of God? Are you seeing Him more clearly in His Word? In the creation? Are you encountering Him in His glory, and is this helping you grow into Christ-likeness? Spend an extended time of prayer reflecting on these questions and talking about them with the Lord.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Two books can be helpful in applying reason to the times in which we live. You can download a free PDF of both Understanding the Times and Winds of Doctrine by clicking those links.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. In our Crosfigellteaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in our daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451. Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
