Living With Purpose
Sometimes we’re forced into the awkward position of choosing between natural science and the Bible. A fifth-grade boy was confused when he came home from school and he asked his mom, “What’s a kid to believe, what I learn in school about the creation of the world or what’s in the Bible.” There are many people including the younger generation, who assume that if you believe one you can’t believe the other. Young people are impressionable and they need to be encouraged to look at all truth – the biblical and scientific. The only conflicts that may arise are the results of insufficient information on the parts of adults. The Bible allows for the facts of science, but it also speaks about God who is above nature. God performs miracles and that’s a hard concept for some scientists to acknowledge. This is where Christian faith comes in and determines a person’s view of God. God is constantly at work in the spiritual world and physical world. It’s an accepted fact that there are some men and women of faith in the scientific community. But it’s difficult to draw clear-cut ideas between the spiritual and the physical. More efforts are needed at harmonizing biblical and natural scientific data.
What a person must distinguish is the wisdom of this age and the wisdom of God. 1 Cor. 2:6-7 says, “We speak wisdom not from this world or from the leaders of today. They die and their wisdom dies with them. What we preach is God’s wisdom. God planned for us to have this honor before the world began”. What’s the difference in these two-wise states? The wisdom of this age is man-centered. Whether it’s political or intellectual, human wisdom varies and has no central unity. There’s a place in this world for intellectual thought. And we must be grateful for what we have gained through research and discovery. But the greatest failure of human wisdom is that it can’t solve humanities basic problem. Human wisdom fails to grasp the significance of sin and our need for spiritual rebirth. Man alone can’t solve this problem. Basic problems of human relationships, peace and war, affluence and poverty, brilliance and ignorance – all of these problems exist and have for centuries been unsolved by human wisdom.
According to God’s plan a person can be brought into fellowship with Him and can share in His glory (1 Cor. 2:7.) This thought alone is beyond the rational capacity of humankind. The world’s wisdom ends in humiliation and defeat, God’s wisdom ends in our glory. Divine knowledge isn’t confined to heaven only. It’s possible to know it. Although God’s wisdom is not of this age, it’s applicable to our needs in every age. Compared to earthly wisdom, which is accomplished by the study of evidence and research, God’s wisdom is given. It’s revealed by God to us.
Based on the testimony of some of the most intellectual minds of our day, their biggest stumbling block is that they can’t conceive of arriving at truth by any other means than scientific discovery. Some call it the “laboratory method.” As Christians, we believe that truth can come from a source outside ourselves. This is at the heart of the Christian view. We are not limited to what we can discover ourselves, but what God chooses to reveal to us. 1 Cor. 2:9 says, “No eye has ever seen or no ear has ever heard or no mind has ever thought of the wonderful things God has made ready for those who love Him”. You must make a commitment to Christ before God’s wisdom can be received and understood. The Bible is very clear when it says, “God has shown us things through His Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit who looks into all things, even the secrets of God and shows them to us” (1 Cor. 2:10). And it goes on to say, “We haven’t received the spirit of the world. God has given us His Holy Spirit that we may know about the things given to us by Him” (1 Cor. 2:12). Knowing Christ helps you know yourself. By experiencing Christ’s forgiveness and love and coming to Him for salvation, a person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, “The person who is not a Christian doesn’t understand these words from the Holy Spirit. They think they’re foolish. They can’t understand them because they don’t have the Holy Spirit to help them understand” (1 Cor. 2:14). If a person thinks something is stupid, they’re not likely to commit they’re life to it. This person’s understanding is clouded because they have no spiritual discernment. This is why many non-Christians scoff at Christian beliefs, because they simply don’t make sense to them. Don’t criticize them or think they’re ignorant; appreciate that until they come to Christ they’ll not possess the faculties to understand spiritual truth. The issue for them and for us is personal sin, forgiveness, and a right relationship to God through Christ. Sin in the life of a Christian dims their spiritual vision and hinders their spiritual receptivity. Thank God for the power of the gospel to open blind eyes.
Choose today to depend on God’s wisdom for salvation and service. Use the best information, best techniques, and best talents to serve Christ. And know that ultimately the answer to humankinds needs is to be found in accepting God’s wisdom in Christ.
This weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. A graduate of Florida State University, Univ. of West Florida, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, he is Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Jay, Florida and is a Captain (CPT) in the U.S. Army Reserves Chaplain Corp. Matt can be reached by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu. He welcomes your thoughts concerning faith, belief, and Christian living. Visit the Living With Purpose website at www.living-with-purpose.org.
