March 6, 2009
Blind Leap
It was one of those trust building
exercises. You were taken out to the edge of the river and told that this was a
safe place to jump off the bank and into the water. Since much of the river was
full of rocks and very shallow it had the potential to be very dangerous. Would
you trust the leader and jump? Some did and some would not. It was of course,
directly above the deep swimming hole and perfectly safe to jump in.
It was a leap of faith, but not a blind
leap. A blind leap would have been simply walking to some point in the river
blindfolded and jumping at random. Sometimes a blind leap of faith will get you
there safely and other times it will not.
There are those who think that following
Jesus must be a blind leap of faith. I disagree. One learns about Jesus, weighs
the evidence and makes a leap but it isn't blind. It still takes faith but it is
an educated faith. A person can take a blind leap of faith, accept Jesus and
will be saved. The problem with blind leaps is ... well they are blind. You
could end up almost anywhere. Many have taken blind leaps into all forms of
cults and other faiths only to be deceived.
I'm not talking about a head only
knowledge of Jesus. I'm speaking of making a rational choice and moving forward
in faith. We learn what the Bible says about man, sin, God and salvation and
then we choose (led by Holy Spirit of course).
Using our intellect is not counter to
faith, it is a necessary component. Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37
NIV
Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Our love is heart love, but it is also
loving Him with our minds.
John 4:24 NIV
God is
spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
Empty intellectualism will not save
anyone. Nor will a blind leap into the dark unless it happens to land on Jesus.
We're not called to worship the mind or worship faith. We're called to worship
God and trust Him with all of our heart, souls and minds. Using them in a way
that brings glory to God is worship.
Too often we expect Christians to check
their minds at the door. We don't teach them to read the Scriptures. We fail to
teach them sound doctrine. We forget to teach them about discernment. We don't
talk about good theology and bad theology. We treat our faith as something
compartmentalized from the mind leaving people who feel overwhelmed when facing
the questions of the world.
Christianity is logically defensible. It
is a valid world view (in fact it is the only correct worldview). We do not need
to hide from questions. We need to embrace them, wrestle with them and walk in
faith that God will teach us how to answer them.
Do not be afraid to think or to
question. You were created in the very image of God and given the mind of
Christ. He isn't afraid of your questions and doubts; in fact, He wants to help
answer them for you.
Read your Bible through, again and
again. Pull out another translation for a change. Read a solid biblically
grounded commentary and the notes in your study Bible. Brush up on your church
history. Invest in a good concordance and Bible dictionary. Take a theology
course. Download some Bible software. Begin to use your mind. Go home after
worship and reread the Scriptures the preacher used and read the surrounding
verses so you have an understanding of the context and the bigger picture. The
Scriptures are of course first and foremost in importance, but the other tools
can add to our understanding of God.
The truth will not take away from your
faith. Using your mind to discern truth can actually strengthen your faith.
next time may you Love the lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind!
Under His wing,
Darrel Mason