IS LOGIC CHRISTIAN OR SECULAR?

All non-Christians regard any position held by Christians as being irrelevant. They assume that Christians only have points regarding the ethereal realm and have no relevant opinions in regards to the material world. In a word, they do not think Christians possess logical thought. They say that we hold our beliefs by faith and they sanctimoniously hold their positions by logic and reason. They honestly believe that they are devoid of bias and that their views are in accordance with all the laws of logic.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word "logic," as, "The art of thinking and reasoning justly...Logic many be defined, the science or history of the human mind, as it traces the progress of our knowledge from our first conceptions through their different combinations, and the numerous deductions that result from comparing them with one another. Correct reasoning implies correct thinking and legitimate inferences from premises, which are principles assumed or admitted to be just. Logic then includes the art of thinking, as well as the art of reasoning..." Logical thinking is then determined upon presuppositions.

The question becomes, "Whose presuppositions do we use to determine what is correct reasoning and therefore, correct thinking?" Is there an objective standard available to us? Or are we merely left to our own devices of subjectivity in determining our presuppositions? Logic is based upon predetermined assumptions. This means that we must assess whether they are objectively given or subjectively given.

To answer the question of whether logic is Christian or secular, we must first deal with man and his relation to the outside world. The starting point of this analysis is whether man is a creature or a creator. As always, we are led back to origins. Each of us believe that there were human beings which existed prior to us. This means that the human race had to have a beginning point. As with all things, we must assume certain things i.e. take some things for granted. Man’s origin is one of a creature.

Being a creature presupposes that man has a Creator. If man had a Creator, then logic must have been given to him by this Creator. Genesis 1:26-27 reads, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Man has been made in the image of God.

The question then becomes, "What does the image of God consist of?" John 4:24 gives us the answer, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The image of God in man is spiritual because God is Spirit. The law of God from Genesis is that likes beget likes in Genesis 1:11-12, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." The physical reality has a spiritual counterpart.

Since God is Spirit, he has made man with an incorporeal component. It is called the soul or what the Bible terms as the heart. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary’s rendering of "image" is apropos, "A representation or similitude of any person or thing..." Man is therefore a miniature representation or similitude of God spiritually and since logic occurs at the spiritual level, God would be the one who determines what logic is or is not. He has established an objective standard of truth.

We know that logic is something that occurs in the conscious realm but it is also an intangible function. It does not have a material or physical component to it. All people have access to logic. It is not in the realm of the elite. Some will be better at it than others but the point of the matter is that we all are able to reason. The question is not are we able to use logic, but rather are we using the right logical principles in our thinking and reasoning? All of man’s reasoning is circular. Where you begin will also be where you end. The conclusion is contained in the original premise.

Since man is a creature, this means that if his reasoning left to its own, it will always be of a finite nature. He can never think beyond what he is. His imagination is never reflected in reality. He thinks one way and the result is different from what he originally intended. The main point is as Cornelius Van Til expressed it best, "that man does not need to have exhaustive knowledge, but that he possess true knowledge."

Exhaustive knowledge belongs to God alone and true knowledge is our possession. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." What has been revealed to us? God’s law has been imparted to us as our objective standard, whereby we determine what is correct reasoning and correct thinking. Logic, therefore, is Christian and not secular and only by thinking God’s thoughts after Him can we know that our thinking is logical and certain.

CASTING ONE'S PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Introduction

Wisdom is something which escapes the majority of men. Most people think in the short term. They do not see that what they do today will effect them in the future. They live for the present moment. They believe that they can avoid future punishment by taking a short cut today. They do not want to face up to reality. They live in an utopian world where there are no consequences to their actions.

Older men should have developed a certain amount of wisdom based upon their previous experiences. I have heard many people say that they have made a lot of mistakes. This is good to recognize the fact that one has made errors. This is not, however, the key to this situation. The main thing is that you have learned from these previous miscues and now, you are not making the same miscalculations. In other words, you are using wisdom rather than foolishness.

Only a fool continually repeats the same behavior that has caused him to come under sanctions. These are the type that never learn. They will also not accomplish much in their lives. They will shift the blame to others every time for their misfortune. They are not smart enough to see that they caused their own misery and take the necessary steps to rectify the situation. They are the ultimate blind leaders leading the blind to the ditch of their destruction.

Their ethics are of their own making. They do not realize that they live in a world where the laws have already been established. Therefore, they must suffer under the lash. Proverbs is the book of wisdom. We find this insight in Proverbs 26:3, "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back." If someone cannot discipline themselves, someone else must. A whip and bridle, therefore, are instruments of training. A rod is designed to be used on a fool’s back. It is also a waste of time because the fools refuse to be instructed and reform. It is still necessary to let him know that he is not the ultimate authority, as he thinks that he is.

Application

The Lord Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 7:6, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." The Lord is not here speaking about literal dogs and swine. He is referring to human beings. He is in essence saying that we should discern what to say to certain individuals. At times, it is better to say nothing because they will not listen and anything said to these individuals will only cause them to come to resent you.

They do not like wisdom but foolishness. They love it. They wallow in it the same way that a swine does. Dogs and swine have in common that they will eat almost anything. These will eat foolishness because they lack discernment to tell the difference. They call junk food nutritious. They do not take to time to reflect and to take a hard look at who they truly are. They are the same of James 1:23, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." They do not know themselves, all the while they claim advanced knowledge. This is the height of foolishness right out in the open. So what else is new?

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:12, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." In other words, when we set others as the standard, we have established a false standard. The true standard is God’s law. This is what we must compare ourselves against. We are not as Peter was before Pentecost in John 21:20-22, "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." Peter here wanted to compare himself against another man. The Lord Jesus Christ would not allow him to do such. He told Peter that he was fool comparing himself to another man. Peter missed the true standards, as do all fools.

All fools believe that they establish truth. They are self deceived. So when is it appropriate to say anything to these mules? Proverbs 26:4-5 gives us the answer, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." These verses on the surface seem to be contradictory. In actuality, the context gives us the sense of these verses. We should not answer a fool by using personal attacks. This is how one becomes like a fool. A fool refuses to face up to his behavior, as he seeks to deflect attention from himself. They will always attempt to confuse the issue at hand.

At least once, a wise man should confront a fool in his folly. Unless a fool is contradicted, he will believe that he is correct in his thinking and actions. Resistance is a good thing. Fools are not known for their reflective thinking. They do not choose to contemplate their actions. They are extremely superficial. The law of contradiction is always in effect. It says that someone will believe something unless otherwise contradicted. Dale Carnegie taught this principle and I have found it to be so. Contradiction is used to make a wise man out of a fool. It is appropriate at times to refute fools.

Conclusion

The Bible is a divinely inspired book of contrasts. The main contrast is that of wisdom and foolishness. The examples of the Bible are replete with men of wisdom and their counterparts, the fools. The question that ultimately needs to be answered is, "Which are you?"

MAN'S LACK OF OMNISCIENCE

Man will continually reveal his theological roots at every turn. Man apart from God believes that he can prevent the impossible. Their motto is "With man all things are possible." When something devastating occurs, they believe that it could have been somehow averted. In other words, they believe that man can be omniscient. This is the height of arrogance. This is because man believes that he is God.

Only the true God possesses the attribute of omniscience. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "omniscience," as, "The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God." If this definition is true, and it is, then only God possesses all knowledge. This means that not only does He possess knowledge of all that will transpire throughout all history and eternity, He also has a determining element in all of it.

That determining element is that good will always triumph over evil. This fact has been preordained by God. Only God can bring about good amidst evil. This is the message of Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God overrules all evil. No evil can overcome what He foreordains. This means that man sees things one way, while God sees it and determines it from a totally different perspective.

Possessing omniscience enables one to perform the supernatural. This is what the natural man covets above all else. This is a demonic pursuit and futile. It is something that will never transpire. It is tantamount to wasting time. It ends up accomplishing nothing. Man attempts to create utopia and ends up with hell and for all eternity, the lake of fire. Satan attempted to be God and failed. This is the message Ezekiel 28:14-19, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." Evil was the result of Satan’s arrogance and attempt to be God. It failed miserably.

Like all of God’s creation, Satan lacks omniscience. All of man’s education is designed to be exhaustive in nature. This is an exercise in vanity. Only God possesses such knowledge. Man does not need to have exhaustive knowledge. He just needs to have true knowledge. Only the Bible, both Old and New Testament, contains the essential truth that man needs to know. What is paramount is not this present life, but the hereafter. This is the message Paul conveyed in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." He was comparing the temporal with the eternal. The eternal won out easily. This makes total sense. If we live for temporary gain at the expense of the eternal, then we will live in abject spiritual poverty.

The Lord Jesus Christ expressed this condition of the temporal over the eternal in Mark 8:36-38, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Eternal thinking is therefore foremost above all. Its impact has greater consequences than anything else. What we believe about the future will determine what we do in the present. This is an extremely important point.

Short term thinking leads to disastrous results. It does not take into account the ramifications of one’s actions. It ignores what Paul said in Galatians 6:7-10, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.." Sowing to the flesh is tantamount to short term thinking, whereas, long term thinking is represented by sowing to the Spirit. This makes sense because the Spirit is eternal and the flesh is temporal. Both are diametrically opposed to one another and will lead to different results. Becoming weary and fainting show signs of weakness and lack of durability. These are the ones who will not endure to the end. They cannot be counted on when the going gets tough.

Man can obtain to a measure of omniscience, if we will avail ourselves of the truth of the Bible. Cornelius Van Til expressed it this way, "We must think God’s thoughts after Him." If we do this, by definition, we will have God’s results. Since we know that God is omniscient, if we think His thoughts, then it follows that we have attained to a level of omniscience. This is only because God has revealed it to us.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

We rank things categorically by what we think is most important to us. In other words, we will always put emphasis upon what we deem as our supreme values. These values are innate with each of us. Our actions will demonstrate what our priorities are. In order to understand priorities and their importance, we must first begin to look at the ordering or disordering of the principles involved.

There are only two ways to live life. One is in an orderly fashion or the other is chaos. There is not a third alternative because there is no neutrality. Chaos, which is an inferior principle, can only be overcome by something which is superior to it. Order overcomes chaos wherever it is implemented. The Lord Jesus Christ expresses this truth in Luke 11:21-22, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." Chaos cannot stand against the superior force of order.

This leads us to the concept of priorities. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "priority" as, "The state of being antecedent in time, or of preceding something else; as priority of birth...2. Precedence in place or rank..." Prioritizing is establishing a hierarchy. With a hierarchy, we are able to establish order. Prioritizing is putting things into their proper category based upon a standard. That standard for any of us will be either objective or subjective. If subjective, it will eventually be putting ordering principles in practice without understanding why you are doing it.

Is there an objective standard by which we can assure ourselves that our priorities are in their proper place or rank? We are in need of feedback. Exodus 20:1-2 reads, "And God spake all these words, saying, 2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." In a hierarchal system, God is clearly the LORD and we rank under Him at all times.

Since God is above us, He has given us an objective standard which we are to order our lives upon. Exodus 20:3 says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This is the First Commandment of the Ten Commandments. Without this first commandment being our highest priority of order, the rest cannot be put into practice no matter how hard one would try. This is because those not following the first commandment will seek to establish their own priority system. This system will not bring order but chaos because it is subjectively derived. This is because it is not based upon a firm foundation of objectivity.

To a great degree, the New Testament is a restatement of the Old Testament in somewhat different wording. An example of this is found in Matthew 6:31-34, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Contained within these verses is the principle of priority.

The Lord Jesus Christ was telling His disciples that they were not to be anxious or worried in regard to their physical needs. This is what those who are outside the covenant of the Lord are concerned with. This is because their operating principle is chaos and not order because they have other gods before Him. The Lord said that our Heavenly Father was abundantly aware of our physical needs. In fact, He knows them before we do.

So the Lord Jesus then tells them to get their priorities straight by seeking first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, which is what His objective law stated foremost in the Old Testament. Seeking first the kingdom of God is the positive side of the first commandment. Seeking first means that this is our top priority. Nothing else can superceded it. It is paramount. Only by doing this can we come into a proper order or ranking of things.

What are your priorities based upon? Will your hierarchy of priorities bring order and peace to your life, or chaos and confusion? Whether we are aware of it or not, our priorities have an effect upon every facet of our lives. This is why it is of the upmost importance that we align our priorities in the right order. The alternative can be devastating.