Knowing The Answerer ...

 

Socrates wisely said that ignorance is the prerequisite for learning and often its outcome; that you must admit your ignorance!   We must always have epistemological humility and not become cocky or a know-it-all even if we know more than the average Joe or our way around the block theologically.  It is vain and presumptuous to think you know all the answers when you don't 'know the Answerer. |Even then, your knowledge is limited.  Knowledge puffs up.  If any man that thinks he knows something, doesn't yet know as he ought to know. (cf 1 Cor. 8:2).  

That is, we must not have self-confidence but God-confidence. We get our eyes off Christ and think can teach ourselves as spiritual Lone Rangers without the aid of teachers or pastors. We must never be complacent just to be theologically correct.  Even though we are to contend for the faith and beware of false doctrine and "doctrines of demons" or even "strange teachings."  We all have the anointing and are able to interpret scripture.  

But that doesn't preclude the gifts of the Spirit in the body of Christ to bring us to maturity and disciple us.  Some know just enough to be dangerous.   Remember, it's the half-educated that thinks he knows what he doesn't know and refuses to seek help from those who may know more like a doctor referring a specialist. There is "knowledge falsely so-called" and not biblical and that of the world and I want to mention the Great Lie of evolution as an example. 

We must realize our limits and learn that we can and must learn from others as God gifts the entire body in various ways to be a blessing.   We must realize as Christians we are always learning but some are never coming to a knowledge of the truth. In sum, Sir Francis Bacon wisely said according to Proverbs 24:5, "Knowledge is power." 

"The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly" (Proverbs 15:14, NIV).
"Only simpletons believe everything they're told" (Prov. 14:15, NLT).
"The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge [feed many]" (Prov. 15:7, HCSB).
"...[U]ntil the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NIV).
"...If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn" (Isa. 8:20, NIV).
"[W]ho carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers" (Isa. 44:26, NIV).
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." --old saying that rings true biblically.

The Christian ought to be humble regarding what he knows for sure and can't be dogmatic about and what is a matter of opinion. There will come a time when we beg to differ! As Protestants, we must utter: "I disagree, I dissent, I protest." Augustine's dictum applies here: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Paul also warned (cf. 1 Cor. 8:2, NIV) that "the man who thinks he knows something doesn't yet know as he ought to know." Socrates said that we cannot learn until we admit our ignorance; we must admit we could be wrong! Plato taught that all knowledge begins in faith and the Bible teaches it commences with the fear of the Lord (cf. Prov. 1:7). While Bacon said, "Knowledge is power" (cf. Prov. 24:5) love is the goal in the application.

When we disagree with believers, it ought to be in a humble attitude, not condescending or disdainful. The problem with most people is that what they know "ain't so!" People are so filled with misinformation, propaganda, disinformation, and lies from Satan, even heresies and false doctrines of demons, that they don't recognize the truth when it strikes a note. The truth should resonate and strike a chord that vibrates in the soul, hitting home where it counts!

Most people have opinions, and opinions are what you hold, but convictions hold you! Most people twist the facts to fit their theories and only believe what they agree with already! Most people don't hold any cherished beliefs they would kill or even die for if necessary--they're just opinions. And most people have their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts! Most people talk because they have to say something, while the wise talk because they have something to say; viva la difference! We must have several attitudes to be teachable: a willing spirit, an obedient and needy heart, and an open mind (we must not be looking for a fight or something to disagree or take issue with).

We need to be thirsty for the truth if we are to achieve it, and no one has a monopoly on the truth no matter how gifted they are--they're only part of the puzzle or picture (IT'S A BIG STORY AND WE'RE ONLY PART OF IT!) and the whole body needs and works together. But the strengths of one person are complemented by those of others and there is a coordinated search for truth, not the blind leading the blind. It is vital that we realize that all teachers are human and must not pontificate like the Pope or believe he has the right to speak ex-cathedra or from the chair (i.e., of St. Peter in Rome).

We all must admit that we are to edify and teach each other and use our gifts to build up the body accordingly. I know of several Christian authors that I disagree with on certain items or doctrines, but that doesn't keep me from reading them, for they are scholars in their own right and know what they are talking about. There is always an ear to hear or heed a person with a message (written or oral).

We have reached a level of maturity when we can distinguish our beliefs and our ignorance (know what you know and what you don't!), and be able to read writings of those we find occasion to disagree with but are still challenging or edifying; don't just read those we are inclined to agree with perfectly! No one should feel he has to agree with everything some writer or teacher puts out, but God will bless the search for the truth. It's a no-brainer that we shouldn't seek out teachers who say just what we want to say with itching ears.

Don't believe everything you hear or read, but search the Scriptures if there's a question or doubt. Even Socrates had to awaken from his dogmatic slumber to start learning. But one thing is certain: God will work through the body and we ought to take heed to what the Spirit reveals to it through gifted individuals, for God can speak through a child! All in all, we must never claim to know all the answers but to be part of the answer or solution, not part of the problem.

NB: The whole church was wrong about the sun revolving around the earth and Galileo was put under house arrest during the Catholic Inquisition. Also, the Reformation itself was proof that the established church can be in error.

CAVEAT: ONE SHOULD BEWARE LEST HE BECOMES A KNOW-IT-ALL AND PUT MORE WEIGHT ON HIS SUBJECTIVE VALUE JUDGMENT THAN WHAT IS DUE; WE MUST KNOW OUR LIMITS OR DOMAIN AND AREA OF ENLIGHTENMENT, EXPERTISE, AND GIFTING. In closing, G. K. Chesterton said, quite tongue in cheek, "We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers." Soli Deo Gloria!

Man's Accountability

"...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"  (Gen. 18:25, NKJV).
"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God"  (Rom. 14:12, NKJV).
"For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself"  (Romans 14:7, NKJV).
"... 'There is no accountability, since God does not exist'"  (Psalm 10:4, HCSB).

If there is no God, man is not accountable--there's no Judge, no Lawgiver, no Executioner of final retribution and justice. The government would be the highest law, and standards would differ from state to state, subject to local opinion or custom.   In short, man would be a law unto himself.  Is responsibility a delusion then?  If there is no God, all things are permissible, according to Dostoevsky!   If there is no Judge, why worry about justice or answering to anyone.  However, the whole system of Western government is based on the premise of natural or transcendent law from God given to man in his conscience, and, since we are in His image, we are mere stewards of God and accountable for His blessings and will be held to account at Judgment Day.

"Man has forgotten God," according to Solzhenitsyn, and the chief question and issue of our day, according to William Durant, is whether man "can live without God."  Nietzsche said that God was dead, that we had killed Him, or that He was irrelevant if He does exist!  To the unbeliever, God is in none of His thoughts, and even if there is a God, he lives as a practical atheist, or as though there is no God--this is the dilemma:  Are Christians going to see the light and be the light, or let society rot and fall apart at the very foundations?  The beauty of the church is the sense and reality of belonging to a family where we are concerned for each other and can share with each other our burdens, blessings, gifts, and talents. Man is not a law unto himself, however, so he can live with the morals of a beast if he chooses, even if he sees himself as one.  (The purpose of government is to put a lid on and restrain evil in society, securing and maintaining our freedoms and rights--note that God confers our rights, and the government derives its power from the consent of the governed, and its main purpose is to keep evil at bay.)

However, God is not dead, He's more alive than ever before and will not die; He is the one who is there and we must reckon with Him, whether we want to or not. If there is no God, there are no absolutes either, and no standard of right and wrong beyond our subjective feelings. Many great atheists have tried to kill God or make Him irrelevant, but God lives on in men's hearts, for Christ founded a kingdom of hearts, not armies or wealth.

Man is too proud, however, to seek God and justifies himself and his sin.  What does this worldview entail and what is the logical conclusion?  We always invent a system of ethics that we feel or believe we can keep, and that doesn't condemn ourselves.  If there is no God, man has no hell to shun, nor fear of a Day of Judgment, and there is no Lawgiver to tell us right from wrong--man is the highest being and we have no one to give an account of ourselves to.

In short, man is an animal and has the right to live like an animal morally.  (Man then cannot be in the image of God, since there is no God, and therefore has no unique, intrinsic nor extrinsic dignity, the image of God implies a lot:  not only dignity but meaning and purpose; we're wired spiritually and rationally; we are also emotional, communicative, and moral beings that are fulfilled and made complete in Christ (cf. Col. 2:10); however, we are not replicas of God--Jesus is the only express image or icon of God.)

Having no Lawgiver implies we can make up our own rules as we go along and there are no absolutes--no God means no absolutes, but all is relevant (principle, morals, truth, and values)!  Having no Judge means we can get away with murder without fearing retribution!   Caveat:  Christianity doesn't endorse "going rogue" or philosophy of "each man for himself" in a "law of the jungle," where it's "survival of the fittest"--we are all family in Christ and ought to have vested interest in each other.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Worldview And Ethics...

There is a close correlation between your worldview and your ethics. For instance, if you don't believe in God you won't see anything wrong with free love. If you believe in jihad and Islam you will see nothing wrong with suicide bombings and terrorism. Goethe said, "Share with me your certainties, but not your doubts--I have enough of them myself." Worldview came from the German Weltanschauung.  It is important to realize we are in the image of God:  "Would you trust the convictions of a monkey's mind?" Darwin mused.

According to polls, it is reported that only some six percent Christian teens believe in moral absolutes and most non-Christian teens don't either! We all have a way of seeing the big picture or the grand scheme of things and must answer the basic questions such as: Why are we here; What is the purpose of life; and is there a hereafter (what is on the other side)? No one wants to compromise their beliefs, but there is a give and take to living in society. Science cannot make value judgments--they are out of their realm. The people that have the strongest convictions of right and wrong are those that have an anchor in their soul--such as the Word of God.

We all have to start from somewhere and thank God we all don't have to start from scratch. There is no such thing as total objectivity except with God. And we all take certain presuppositions into our equation. Leaving God out of the picture or out of the equation of life is a disaster, not liberty. We were meant for God and the highest purpose of man is to know and glorify God. (Cf. Isaiah 43:7). Soli Deo Gloria!

Origins Of Morality

If there was no morality or justice, we would not know it. Likewise, if there was no meaning to the universe, we would not know it. Does a fish know it is wet? Do animals know they are incapable of moral decisions because they don't have the equipment in that they don't have a will able to obey God? They are oblivious to Him.  Because we have a mind and a will we are capable of moral action. Animals are not responsible nor culpable. 

Many have heard of the saying, "There oughta be a law!" (or on sports, "There oughta be a rule!)  Well, it is to this sense of "ought" that I am addressing here. Everyone believes some things are wrong and some things are right. Have you ever heard of a society that honored cowardice or selfishness?

It was the principles of morality that were attractive to some pagans as they converted to Judaism. The Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were embarrassed with the immorality of the "gods," e.g., Mars and Venus had sexual intercourse with mortal women. The morality of Judaism attracted many Greek God-seekers or God-fearers. In antiquity might made right and no one questioned the authority of the government to set standards. It was the Judeo-Christian ethic that brought the values we have today. Christians ended the gladiator fights and slavery. It would be another world had Jesus never been born. All the major Universities of Europe and the first 150 American Universities were started by Christians. Hospitals, relief organizations,  orphanages, charities, and humane societies and temperance leagues were influenced by Christians.

Before the Ten Commandments, there was the Hammurabi's Code, but there was no uniform code. People were generally ruled by whim and conscience. The law of the land was an eye for an eye. Jesus put an end to that and brought morality to a new level--loving our neighbor. The Dark Ages saw the "seven deadly sins" (lust, anger, jealousy, greed, envy, gluttony, and sloth) as the evil to avoid according to the Pope. Christian life was performance-based then before the Reformation.

The Golden Rule that Christ taught is the epitome of morality that we can only hope to emulate. Today most people are cynical and believe in "do unto others as they do unto you," (Brazen Rule) or "do unto others before they do unto you" (Iron Rule).  They think recompense and comeuppance. It is like Hindu philosophy that good and bad karma works out our fates or good karma cancels bad.

Of course, there is an element of truth in all religious systems. Islam believes morality is arbitrary because Allah's decrees can change. Without an absolute standard such as God's holiness, there can be no morality. The Christian God is not arbitrary, capricious, nor whimsical, but dependable and immutable. But we know intrinsically that morality exists as absolute standards (is there ever an instance where rape is moral; once could argue when one had no choice, but this isn't justification, just a moral dilemma)?) Justice, love, courage, and mercy have always been admired; while cowardice, lying, and stealing have always been despised. God gave everyone a conscience and we are responsible to Him. "They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness..." (Rom. 2:15).

Today some modern philosophies teach to do what feels right for you. This is nothing but the old apostasy of Israel in Judges 21:25; 17:16 which is described: "Each man did what was right in his own eyes."

The reason behind morality is responsibility. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27). We are not free to make up our own rules as we go along--we always make up a system we think we have kept (acc. to D. James Kennedy). Animals are not responsible to God for moral behavior but we are in the imago Dei (image of God).

When we become the source of our values it is nothing short of blasphemy--it is God's prerogative as the Judge of all mankind. The summation of ethics is to follow Christ, the great mandate of salvation. Today they teach the children they are animals--is it any wonder they act like them?  Soli Deo Gloria!