My sheep hear my voice (4) – Logos (I)

There are two words in the Greek that the English Bible translates “word.” The one that we will be looking at this morning is logos, the rational argument. From this, we get our word logical. The Bible calls itself logos, and in John 1:1 Jesus is identified as “The Logos”. Humanly speaking, there are many different schools of rational thought, each based on its own presuppositions, unprovable assumptions that often lie hidden. Take for example naturalism, by which we mean here the belief that only the physical universe exists. The implication is that there is no God, or if there is, He had no part in creation. As Christians our underlying presupposition is that God exists and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible does not try to prove God, but rather starts with “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). Many times, disagreements can be traced back to differences in the underlying assumptions. It makes for interesting conversations when people ask me “How can you, a mathematician possibly believe in God?”

Clearly if we start with wrong presuppositions, we can easily finish up with false conclusions. This is not to say that everything that comes out of the natural is wrong. Secular psychology for example, has come up with a tool it calls the genogram. The genograms is a kind of family tree that records family difficulties such as alcoholism and divorce, suicide and the like. Secular psychology’s idea, is that if we can recognize the patterns, then perhaps we can do something to stop them recurring. To me, this gives an interesting insight enter the verse “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:5). The Bible of course got there several thousand years before psychology did!

Part of what I want to say this morning, is that we too easily dismiss God speaking to us through the natural. Too often we have taken defensive postures and isolated ourselves from the world. But we do not need to be afraid, because He has given us the Bible as a tool to discern truth and error, right and wrong good and evil (2 Timothy 3:16). Unfortunately, much of Christendom has stopped listening to anything other than its own little group or denomination. Too often I have heard pat and shallow answers to complex questions, and tradition is often confused with what the Bible says (Mark 7:7). We also need to remember that the intellect being part of fallen creation is also fallen, and that our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). In seeking to find the truth, I have found the teachings of parachurch organizations useful (InterVarsity, Operation Mobilization, youth for Christ etc.). I say this because their teachings are often refined in the furnace of interdenominational dialogue among those who hold to the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. More to come on Logos.

Father, along the lines of “I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5), I confess to my own arrogance, and the arrogance of large parts of Your church in thinking that we alone have the truth, and everyone else has it wrong! Show us Lord the beauty and harmony of unity in diversity. Bring us into a culture of honour, where we can truly listen to each other, and think more highly of others than we do of ourselves (Philippians 2:3). This is so, so contrary to our nature Lord! Have mercy upon us, and change us in Jesus Name Amen