GODLY PHILOSOPHICAL REASONING

 

 

Recently, a Christian evangelist had written:

 

·       Don’t bother using philosophy [or even evidence] in presenting the Gospel. Either they’ll believe the simple message of the Gospel or they won’t.

 

He defended his position by citing:

 

·       For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

 

Yet Paul had fruitfully reasoned with his audience. However, he would use his argumentation to build a bridge between his audience and his presentation of the Gospel:

 

·       And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (Acts 17:2-4)

 

Sometimes, depending on his audience, Paul used logic to prepare the pagans to hear the Gospel:

 

·       So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.” (Acts 17:22-29)

 

Paul had reasoned that since we are God’s creation, God must be greater than a wooden or concrete statue.

 

Does such logic win souls? Not by itself! The Gospel saves through the work of the Spirit. However, our Lord might use evidence and reason to prepare the soil to receive the seed of the Gospel.

 

C. S. Lewis had argued in favor of philosophical engagement:

 

·       …not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground would be to throw down our weapons and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy must be answered.

 

To not use our mind to defend the Gospel is a betrayal of our brethren. But hasn’t God rejected the “wisdom of this world?” Yes, but this doesn’t have anything to do with Godly wisdom! Instead, they are opposed to one another:

 

·       Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:13-17)

 

As Lewis had argued, the Church needs good philosophy to disarm bad philosophy and the “wisdom” of this world:

 

·       For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

 

How can we effectively take every thought captive unless we first understand it and can wisely apply the Bible to debunk it! Because the wisdom of the world seeks to take us captive in every area of our lives, godly philosophy should set up its outpost in all these areas.