February 10 - A Reasonable Faith

 Read today’s texts first: Leviticus 13 &14; Acts 17

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

Faith, if it’s based on truth, should be reasonable. 

Christians often appear as mindless fanatics to our sophisticated world: “I live by faith – don’t confuse me with the facts.”  While I’d be the first to admit there are times when God’s mind exceeds the capacity of my own mind to understand it, I also think that faith, if it’s based on truth, should be reasonable.  That’s why I taught a class on science and the Bible at PLBC.  I want future church leaders to be able to give a reason for the hope they have (1 Peter 3:15).

Paul felt the same way.  He reasoned with these very intellectual Jews and Greeks (2,17), proving to them Christ died and rose again (3).  So convincing was he that many of them were “persuaded” to come to Christ.  Of course people come to faith through a spiritual decision, not an intellectual one. But for the message to penetrate the spirit, it has to get past the defenses people build into their thinking.  This is particularly true with Westerners, Europeans, and others from intellectual and sophisticated societies.

Fortunately, the Bible is truth, and bears up under scrutiny.  I saw a reader-board sign outside a United church that said “The Bible: Infallible – no; Inspirational – yes.”  That doesn’t work for me.  If something is not fully true, then how can it transform my life?  Jesus said to all the Genesis skeptics and evolutionists out there, I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  (John 3:12).  The Bible must be true in its history and science if we are to believe its spiritual principles.

Even the details of the health and spiritual limitations on diet and cleanliness in our Leviticus readings are reasonable.  That’s why the Israelites were so far ahead of the pagan nations around them.  “Lord, thank You that Your Word is true, on all levels.  It has withstood the scrutiny of skeptics for thousands of years and becomes more recognizably reliable with each scientific discovery. Trusting You and Your Word is the reasonable thing to do!”