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"It Is Not Reasonable"

by Joe Fitch

Reason is an appeal to the mind, describing the mind's apprehension and evaluation. It is egotism gone to seed that declares everything untrue that man does not comprehend. How foolish in our world filled with incredible things.

Reason does not establish right and wrong. A musical instrument in worship is not wrong because it is unreasonable. It is without scripture and thus unauthorized. And all we do or teach must be authorized (Col. 3:17). A fellow proclaims the demand for baptism to be unreasonable -- "I do not see any sense in water baptism." So what? It is commanded (Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38). We do not look in our own mind (reason) for the answer to what is right; we look -- by revelation -- into the mind of God (1 Cor. 2:10-16).

There are also things that are true but entirely unthinkable. Just try grasping the speed of light -- 186,000 miles per second. Stretch your mind to envision the distance of a light year. Such thoughts defy the mind. While fact, they are absolutely too large to fit into our minds.

God is also several sizes larger than man's thinker. The finite mind will never fathom eternal existence -- though even the rankest skeptic must admit something has always been. Now add God's other characteristics -- omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Reasonable? Absolutely not! Small wonder man does not understand God; his thinker is far too small for infinite thoughts.

"It is not reasonable to believe in resurrection, instant healing; calming a raging storm, or opening a path through the sea. So I reject the Bible." Wait a minute! You have not considered all the facts. "Unreasonable" may be no more than "incomplete reasoning." You need one more fact before a conclusion -- God. With God and his power considered, the other things are quite reasonable.

Your neighbor abruptly quits his job of twenty years, forfeits his retirement, virtually gives away his possessions, leaves his friends and moves to the desert. Is that reasonable? Has he lost his mind? Now add this bit of information. The doctor advised him he would die in three months if he did not make that move. Ah, that is different! The unreasonable suddenly is perfectly sensible.

Consider another case: A family devotes most of their time to religious work. They go to church several times a week -- rain or shine. They constantly study and talk about the Bible. They have little time for recreation or hobbies. They spend much of their money on religion -- even sacrificing things they need to have more to give. Are these people unreasonable?

Crazy? Consider: Man is appointed a judgment with consequences as grand as heaven and as horrible as hell. The time at stake is eternity. Jesus died to give the forgiveness and happiness. Many are unaware of this. This changes the picture. It transforms a "living sacrifice" into a "reasonable service" by a "renewed mind" (Rom. 12:1,2). 

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