|
Faith Guides,
Intellectualism Beguiles
Prabhudas Koshy
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
–
2 Corinthians 5:7
In Christianity, faith is
basic to all its blessed doctrines and precepts of life. Without faith, it
is impossible to accept doctrines and principles of Christianity. It is a
religion of pure, absolute faith. Such a faith is the gift of God. A
sinful, unregenerate man, living in pride and self-glory, cannot exercise
such a faith. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christianity is a "walk by
faith," as Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:7. We begin our Christian
journey by faith; and we continue this journey to the end as we walk by
faith. The whole Christian life, which is implied in the term “walk,” is
influenced and directed by the principle of faith. Truly, "The just shall
live by faith" (Romans 1: 17; cf. Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38; Habakkuk
2:4).
The word "walk" also implies
one's progress in spiritual matters. A man does not walk unless he makes
some headway. We are not always practising the goose-step; we are not
always lifting our foot, and then putting it down in the same place. We
are always to be making advances; we are to be going from faith in its
beginnings to faith in its perfection: from faith to assurance; from
assurance to full assurance; from full assurance to full assurance of
hope; from full assurance of hope to the full assurance of understanding;
and thus onward, waxing stronger and stronger.
Where Christianity did not
pursue growth by faith, there it failed. We know of churches which have
rejected simple, absolute faith in God and His Word. They lost the
glorious power and effectiveness of the preaching of His Word sooner than
many have thought, and died a tragic death.
When preachers and
theologians rejected simple faith in His Word and set out in the way of
rationalisation and intellectualism, they not only forsook the path of
faith, but also subverted the faith of their hearers. Intellectualism is a
pernicious way, for it rejects even God's truth when it is not satisfying
to their reasoning.
You cannot always prove the
doctrines and principles of Biblical Christianity by means of data,
information and knowledge from outside the Scripture. If you subject the
truth of His Word to human collection of data and 'evidences' for
verification, soon you will find yourself with enormous difficulty in
accepting what the Scripture clearly says. Though many things in the Bible
can be verified through archaeology and other scientific findings, the
truth of the Bible is not dependent on human verifications and evaluation.
The biblical doctrines such as Trinity, Creation, Virgin Birth of Christ,
all the biblical records of miracles, etc., cannot be proven by scientific
data.
We believe what the Bible
says without questioning. Because God has called us to believe that God is
perfect, and so are His words and His works. "As for God, his way is
perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that
trust in him" (2 Samuel 22:31; cf. Psalm 18:30). In His perfection, God
has "tried" or verified the accuracy of His Word. He has then attested in
His perfection that if we trust all that He says in His Word, every word
and every letter, He will prove His truth and promises. Faith in His
perfect Word alone will triumph, for God will protect them who believe
from their scorners.
Faith is Divine, Intellectualism is Carnal
Faith is divine, because it
is God's gift as we have noted at the beginning of this article. It is
activated, sustained and perfected by the work of the Holy Spirit within
us. Faith never works if it were to be based upon human wisdom. The
Apostle Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "And my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
Everyone who follows the
witness and prompting of the Spirit of God will abide in true faith. Now,
it is important that we note that the Spirit will not guide us in anything
contrary to what He has revealed in His Word. So if any thought arises
within us, which is contrary to what He has revealed in His Word, we
should disregard it. Otherwise, we will be walking by carnal thinking
rather than faith in the wisdom from God.
Only by divine working can
we be assured in our hearts about the accuracy and truth of the things
recorded in the Bible. When we yield to the Spirit's enlightenment, we
shall have growing faith. This truth is illustrated in the record of
Lydia's faith - "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of
the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts
16:14).
Paul affirms once again in 1
Thessalonians 1:5 that Christianity is all about absolute faith in His
Word, generated by the power of the Spirit. "For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much
assurance. . ."
If we follow our human
logic, against the clear teachings of God's Word, no matter how wise it
may seem, it is undoubtedly the foolish way of the carnal mind. On the
other hand, if we take our stand with God's Word, though it may not be
wise in human minds, we shall not be wrong. "The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7). Absolute faith in God's Word
is to be wise in the wisdom of His Spirit.
We have seen so often that
men of the best scientific minds, persons who have been exceedingly
inquiring, men who have trodden the realms of knowledge and gone even to
the seventh heaven of wisdom, have nevertheless proved that they could not
receive the things of the kingdom of God, by their determined opposition
and enmity against anything like the truth as it is in Jesus. Some of
these men who pretend to be teachers of the Word have become evil judges
of the Word. They wrest with the letters and words of God, which have been
most purely and perfectly first inspired and then preserved by His
singular care, and received by the church, for the pleasure and
satisfaction of their own corrupt minds.
Let us be believers of the
words of the Holy Scripture than being critics of them.
Faith Assures, Intellectualism Fools
There is a saying known to
us all - "Seeing is believing." But how true is this? It is not a true
statement in all situations, especially in the spiritual realm.
The apostle says positively,
“We walk by faith,” and then he adds negatively, “not by sight.” Then the
caution is, never mix the two principles.
We know that our sight and
perception are always limited by our finite abilities. We are incapable of
making absolutely perfect judgment. During my recent trip to Kenya, one
day we set out to visit a primary school to share the Gospel. The car
driver stopped the vehicle at a hill top and pointed to the school at the
foot of the hill. I thought we could get to the school within 10 minutes.
But it took us about 30 minutes to get to the school. What we see and
judge are not always right. Faith derived from mere human observations can
be embarrassing blunders. This is especially true, when we decide to take
the path contrary to what is clearly recorded in the Scripture.
Certainty of our doctrines
and principles are not to be verified by our sight or mental perception.
If God has said it in His Word, then He has verified its truth; and that
should settle for us to have a firm faith.
God has given us His Word
completely and perfectly. No one should ever doubt the accuracy of His
Word. None should go about to disprove the authenticity of any word in the
Scripture. If anyone dares to judge any letter of His words to be wrong,
he hath judged himself to be a fool. In His choice of time, God will
expose the conceit of the one who judged the letters and words of His Holy
Scripture.
The genuine foundation upon
which we may rest our religion is this: “God hath said it,” not “I have
seen or experienced it,” for there will often be times when my perception
and experience may just be a delusion. But if “God hath said it,” we can
never be afraid. On the oath and covenant of the Most High we must, every
one of us, come and build our faith and practice. If we do that, all shall
be well with us.
Conclusion
“The house of God, which is
the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1
Timothy 3:15). The duty of the church is to believe, declare and defend
every word in the Bible, which is the truth of God.
Never let our congregation
waste a single moment or a single drop of its sweat to disprove the words
of the Bible, which we have received and have been our blessing. Let us
spend every moment and our every drop of sweat and blood to understand, to
defend and to declare every letter and every word of the Bible.
We should not seek the false
form of spirituality that supports critics of God's Word by a specious
logic that neglects simple and plain truth of His Word. Be child-like in
believing everything that the Lord has uttered in His Word. If we wear the
intellectual hat and sit with the Bible with a critical spirit, we are
nothing more than a congregation of Pharisees. We will be taken in by our
own conceit.
I have written this article
to call you, at this time, to the great duty of standing fast at your post
for the truth of God, and to the equally great duty of endeavouring,
wherever you are, to maintain that we believe that God's Word is true to
every letter. Be ye not carried about by every wind of doctrine. Give not
heed to every schismatic who would lead you aside. Hold fast to the
oracles of the Most High. You know what you have been taught, and
whereunto you have been called; and you know the foundation whereupon you
have been built up. May God give us courage to stand up for what is right,
even to believe His Word to be perfect to every letter.
Rev Prabhudas Koshy is the
pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church.
- Published in
Bible Witness, Vol 2 Issue 4 (October - December 2002)
Top
/ Back
|
