Thinking Biblically - a podcast by Lewis Marsh

Upon This Rock #5

Thinking Biblically

By Louie Marsh, 2-14-2021

 

 

1) God wants to reason TOGETHER with me.

 

18  “Come now, 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 become like wool. Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

 

Notice the invitation – this is something God wants to do – to THINK with us, not just feel with us.

 

2) To do this I must think MATURELY.

 

“20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” (1 Corinthians 14:20, ESV)

 

“8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, ESV)

 

Three Ways Not to Think:

 

• Tribally
• Emotionally
• Faddishly

 

3) I need to learn how to think BIBLICALLY.

 

God calls disciples to think Biblically not culturally and not to simply follow my feelings or to go by my instincts. No, God calls all disciples to think clearly, critically (I mean analytically not to be critical of others).

 

21  but test everything; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)

 

Our first impulse should not be to either accept or reject but to test!

 

Word test here is one of Paul’s favorites. It was used of testing coins or metals in order to see whether they were genuine and of full weight.

 

Test everything – especially things that make me feel good while sending me off in a slightly different direction in life.

 

This kind of testing, comparing everything to Scripture – needs to become a deeply ingrained habit that the disciple does automatically!

 

1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (ESV)

 

4) When I think Biblically…

 

• I shouldn’t expect everyone to AGREE with me.

 

“20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

 

 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20–25, ESV)

 

The foolishness (τὸ μωρὸν). Lit., the foolish thing. More specific than the abstract μωρία foolishness (vv. 18, 21), and pointing to the fact of Christ crucified. - Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 193). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

 

Stumbling-block (σκανδαλον [skandalon]). Papyri examples mean trap or snare which here tripped the Jews who wanted a conquering Messiah with a world empire, not a condemned and crucified one (Matt. 27:42; Luke 24:21). Foolishness (μωριαν [mōrian]). Folly… - Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (1 Co 1:23). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

 

• I should expect to CHANGE a lot.

 

“26If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” (James 1:26, ESV)

 

“7Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2 Timothy 2:7, ESV)

 

• I’ll always base my thinking on Biblical

 

“14But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:14–15, ESV)

 

Reason is logon in Greek – a form of logos – and is reason, meaning or purpose.

 

5) Jesus is the ULTIMATE example of thinking Biblically.

 

“33“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:33–37, ESV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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