Reasoning and Relationship

I remember seeing a bumper sticker years ago that read, "God said it, I believe it, that settles it."  I imagine the reason behind the sentiment is to publicly convey belief in God and the truth of His word.  This is an honourable ideal to be sure, yet reality has complexity a sticker cannot express.  The more I consider the claim there are so many factors, qualifications and exceptions, this simplistic approach may be more an exception than the rule.  God has said many things I thought I believed, and the fact I was unsettled by situations of life demonstrated unbelief in all He said.  How many things has God said I read and later ignored or forgot?  Then there is the question of what exactly God has said or meant, for there are a range of different interpretations and beliefs held among genuine believers.

God created man with an individual will and a mind that can reason, and God invited sinners to reason with Him in Isaiah 1:18:  "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  It is amazing to me God, who has all wisdom, knowledge and truth, would invite man to reason with Him.  It is an offer of relationship and a welcome exchange of words that may not be on offer with the owner of the aforementioned bumper sticker.  God has revealed His reasons for us to approach Him, for He has provided the Law of Moses that reveals our sin and need for atonement.  The new covenant of the Gospel has revealed how this cleansing is performed through faith in Jesus Christ.  When we repent of our sins and are born again our sins are washed away.  We would like to believe we have and follow impeccable logic, yet our reasoning leaves much to be desired because our opinions, feelings and self can stand in the way of walking in truth and love.

It is reasonable to come to God because He is our Creator who is righteous.  His laws agree with our conscience that we have sinned, and He is the only One able to provide forgiveness.  God has extended mercy and grace to us in reaching out to save us when we were lost in the dark and heading towards eternal ruin by sending His only begotten Son Jesus as our Saviour.  Jesus is the only Way, the Truth, and Life.  God knows what we need and is able to supply those needs through the Gospel.  Therefore it is altogether reasonable to reason with Him, and all scripture proclaims and affirms this as true.  It is also a reasonable conclusion because we have ourselves tasted and seen God is good, have experienced new life and forgiveness by faith in Christ, and can testify along with others of the reality of spiritual rebirth.

While God invites sinners to reason with Him, at the same time people with the ability to reason can become most unreasonable because their minds are already made up.  It is almost cringeworthy when a fellow believer prefaces the announcement of a decision or a stance with "I've prayed about it" when it signals the denial of any opportunity to reason or discuss together.  Because a binding decision has already been made, it can mean reason has left the room, and potentially blind faith--based upon feelings or a sense of peace--has effectively hijacked any robust conversation on the subject.  It is sad that despite knowing this, I can be the one with faulty logic who stands to be corrected or the ignorant one who must be enlightened.  God reasons with us because the faith of a Christian is based on real facts and observable realities, upon the person Jesus Christ Who died on the cross and rose from the dead.  To deny the opportunity to reason together because "God said it, I believe it, that settles it!" is a flimsy excuse from a biblical perspective.

Now God in His mercy and sovereignty has given all believers the freedom to choose to believe in Him and hold individual convictions.  God has made plenty of room for differences of opinion and convictions in the kingdom of heaven and the church.  It is the mind and love of Christ that unites us, and He is wisdom for us as we relate to God and one another.  Romans 12:16 says, "Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion."  As Paul progressed through the letter he said in Romans 14:5:  "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."  One person believes a verse means one thing, and someone else can arrive at a different conclusion about what God has said, what to believe and can be convinced in their own mind.  When this is done on our own without reasoning with God or personally with members of the body of Christ, it is possible we can be settled in error rather than truth.

Since we value the relationship we share with God, we ought to give place to reason with one another, not to the end that we will change other people to see things our way, but to choose to unite in Jesus Christ who made us one through faith in Him.  This is how the body of Christ is edified and God is glorified, when we are humble in our own opinion.  What is true for pastoral ministry is fitting counsel for all believers in Titus 1:9:  "...holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict."  By God's grace we can know the truth, walk in the truth, and exhort others to embrace sound doctrine.  God is able to open the eyes of the blind and raise the dead to life; God is the only One who can change minds and humble hearts.  What God says we ought to believe, and because God reasons with us we can be settled as we reason with one another to foster relationship.