Saturday February 14, 2009
In John Stott’s little book Your Mind Matters I found this quote from Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He was commenting on Matthew 6:30 in his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount and offered a great critique to those who feel that faith and thinking are opposites; that a person who has faith is a person who refuses to use his mind. Instead, says Lloyd-Jones, a person who exercises faith must use his mind.
Faith according to our Lord’s teaching in this paragraph, is primarily thinking; and the whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he does not think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him. … We must spend more time in studying our Lord’s lessons in observation and deduction. The Bible is full of logic, and we must never think of faith as something purely mystical. We do not just sit down in an armchair and expect marvelous things to happen to us. That is not Christian faith. Christian faith is essentially thinking. Look at the birds, think about them, draw your deductions. Look at the grass, look at the lilies of the field, consider them. … Faith, if you like, can be defined like this: It is a man insisting upon thinking when everything seems determined to bludgeon and knock him down in an intellectual sense. The trouble with the person of little faith is that, instead of controlling his own thought, his thought is being controlled by something else, and, as we put it, he goes round and round in circles. That is the essence of worry. … That is not thought; that is the absence of thought, a failure to think.
Comments (20) »
1. Underdog Theology
February 14, 2009
4:29 PM
Matt 22:37
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Anti-intellectualism is dishonoring to God, and its encroachment upon the Church is deeply lamentable.
I am of the conviction that true Christians are people of knowledge, and this by the new nature that the Holy Spirit wroughts in each one. It must naturally gravitate to this.
2. Laurie
February 14, 2009
5:00 PM
Great quote! Thanks
3. Marshall | bondChristian
February 14, 2009
8:50 PM
“…the whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he does not think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him.”
So often I allow myself to be a victim instead of either doing what God wants me to do to change the situation or allowing God to give me rest through it. Usually, thinking is exactly what I need. Instead I tend to live based on my feelings of doubt. Of course, it’s at those times that I have the least faith in my life.
Thank you for the reminder of the connection between faith and thinking.
“…think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” - Romans 12:3
Blessings in Christ,
Marshall Jones Jr.
4. Jon Hall
February 14, 2009
10:27 PM
That is the one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions. Christianity isn’t for people of blind faith. Blind faith would be someone along the lines of an evolutionary scientist, as everything they study points to the very opposite of what they conclude to be true.
Being of the “Reformed” mindset for less than a year now, I find that most of those in the “Reformed” view of scripture are far more logical in their conclusions about almost anything they touch on. People like John MacArthur (my personal favorite teacher/pastor), John Piper, RC Sproul, James White, and many others are what I’d call “thinkers”. Consistent logical thinking of topics is what most Christians are accused of not doing, when it’s usually the people outside of Christianity that are the culprits of “non-thinking”.
5. Brandon Smith
February 14, 2009
11:09 PM
Terrific post.. really like that quote!
6. David Wayne
February 14, 2009
11:36 PM
Thanks for posting that Tim - it clears up some a lot of confusion.
7. Chris Poe
February 15, 2009
1:08 AM
Tim,
A good word indeed! I haven’t looked at that book by Stott in a long time, but I recall it being very helpful.
Lloyd-Jones’ “Spiritual Depression” is a real treasure as well.
8. Vivian Risse
February 15, 2009
8:29 AM
Thank you for a good quote. Christianity is good exercise for the heart and the brain. And thanks for the Tabletalk magazine. I won!
9. David Hartman
February 15, 2009
9:41 AM
” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Rom 10:17
“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you recieve the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?”
Gal 3:2
Faith and interaction with the word of God can not be seperated! The intellectual understanding of the word of God that is given by the Spirit of God as one studies it is the key to building a lasting and sound faith.
10. Truth Unites... and Divides
February 15, 2009
10:00 AM
I remained being a Christian because of thinking faithfully…
or was I faithfully thinking…
11. Curtis
February 15, 2009
10:47 AM
Why Expositional Preaching Is Particularly Glorifying to God (John Piper)
John Piper began this message at the Together for the Gospel with an excellent quote by ML Jones. If anyone has time to listen please do, if you don’t, make it!
Follow the link and scroll down, click on #5 from 2006 Main session.
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.com/Resources/T4G.aspx
There are so, so few peachers such as Martyn Llyod jones, and many people in the pulpit who are playing pastor, and playing church. I pray that God would raise up pastors, mighty in the scriptures and with and understanding and knowedge of the scriptures as THE power of God to save men.
12. Steve
February 15, 2009
11:10 AM
Good stuff all above.
I have just started learning about the presuppositional approach to apologetics - the appeal of it to me is that it “puts God first” in our thinking and in our approach with unbelievers;
Proclaim the Gospel first, and then be prepared to defend it (with evidences or arguments), but never forgetting that
“the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
13. Randy Hurst
February 15, 2009
11:34 AM
Insightful quote Tim. Though I would caution against over-intellectualizing the faith process. The counterpoint is that we become as children in expressing our faith. Faith is not wrought by intelligent debate or sophistry. Remember Paul’s words, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 2 Corinthians 2:4,5 NIV. The simplest mind can appreciate the love and power of the Gospel with spiritual discernment.
14. Mark
February 16, 2009
7:30 AM
It is a sobering thing to mull over the many people in our churches that do not think about the Word at all. “Sunday morning” christians, simply filling a pew on fulfilling their “religious duties”. A definition of ‘faith’ we use at times in our interaction is “faith is taking God’s Word for reality itself”. Think about that.
15. ianmcn
February 16, 2009
8:40 AM
Great quote and discussion. I agree that faith involves thinking, but I’m not sure I would agree that it is “mainly about thinking”. We must remember that faith is concerned with the things unseen (Heb 11:1) (so maybe “blind faith” isn’t such a bad term?). Therefore, with anything requiring faith there will be a gap between the extent of our natural understanding, and the reality. The most basic example of this would be how we perceive the bible. The only thing we can categorically prove is that it is a physical book that we can sit down and read. To go beyond that, and to say it is infallible, that it’s the word of God, that it’s the embodiment of truth etc… takes faith! Often acting in faith requires us to take steps that humanly may seem illogical or dangerous (read Acts to see plenty of examples!). Knowing and understanding the word will help us discern genuine acts of faith from acts of the flesh (e.g. giving generously when in financial need) but it is not the same as faith.
16. Wendy
February 16, 2009
12:38 PM
This was helpful.
17. Fernando
February 18, 2009
9:01 AM
His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways our ways. Anything apart from Christ is sinful, even thoughts. If we do anything in and of ourselves, it is not of God even if we think it is.
18. Robin
February 18, 2009
10:04 AM
Well said Fernando. We must be in the spirit in all we do. The bible is our “roadmap” to guide us and must be used for all matters spiritual. Our natural thinking is transformed when regegeration occures. As changed people via the Holy Spirit, we then think, not according to the flesh, but through Christ.
19. Kerry
February 21, 2009
10:28 AM
James 1: 5-8, Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all genoursly and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.
Life is hard, God gave us a brain to use but not without him! All of mans ways are wicked, we can’t think clearly or correctly without HIM (Jesus) Here are some other words to think about: believe, feel, imagine, reason, remember, repute,consider, ponder & reconsider. Lean not onto my own understanding but lean on Him. Simple thoughts from a simple mind!
20. Robert Jackson
February 21, 2009
8:44 PM
God has made foolish the wisdom of the world. God chose the foolish things to shame the wise, God chose the week to put to shame the strong things. 1 Corinthians 1:20, 1:26-27.
http://toseekthelight.blogspot.com/