All those things are weighed in our minds by reasoning. Thus, our reason must harmonize with God's actions. He is the one who provided salvation, and we must come to understand from whence it came. To assist us, like the addict we are, we must admit: I am a sinner who cannot save myself. Jesus save me from myself. It's our own doing as a result of unrighteous thinking. God gave us the Ten Commandments so that we can evaluate ourselves, becoming without excuse.
If we fail to evaluate ourselves correctly - that we deserve death because we missed the mark with God, then our reason is faulty. Why so? Pride is strong in headstrong people. "Headstrongness" is ungovernable will (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Reason is the faculty that tempers headstrongness.
Scripture says that "all have sinned" (Romans 5:12), and that death comes about because of sin. What is sin? Simply disappointing God by doing our will instead of His. "Our will" is the end result of reason, even though when we sin often, the thought process becomes natural and efficient - even automatic. The first small sin is pondered extensively because we know that it is wrong. With practice, sin comes easy. People quit reasoning and merely obey blindly. Humans make good lapdogs of Satan just as dogs did the bidding of Pavlov. He tempts; we salivate!
We give Satan too much power. He wrote "the law of sin", and we practice it of our own volition. Whereas the Law of God, to obey, requires much aforethought and valid reasoning, the law of sin comes naturally. It is genetic.
The genetic aspect of sin is beyond our own reason. Because Adam nd Eve rationalized their sin by being illogical, we are born inclined to sin. Because we have the inclination, doesn't meant that we have to sin, but are inclined to do so because we are as illogical as Adam. God told him, "thou salt surely die", but Adam rationalized that he would not. Because Eve didn't die, Adam ate. Because Adam's reason was deceived by the serpent, Adam dismissed the profundity of death. Death is much more than our mortality. True death comes when the spirit dies. Neither Adam nor Eve comprehended the type of death, and if not for the blood of an innocent animal provided by grace, God would have followed through on His warning. Both Adam and Eve have never died spiritually because God promised a Savior in 5500 years. God followed through with that!
The Book of John (chapter 1) links the beginning to the present (at that time). Since Jesus was there in the beginning, Adam and Eve were saved by Jesus's grace even though he was then the invisible God who spoke to man; albeit he was still Emmanuel. Thus, not just the New Testament is about Jesus, but the Old Testament is about Him too. Truly, there were not two Covenants which God gave to man, but one. It was Jesus all the time!
The Bible is contiguous. From front cover to the rear, Holy Scripture is all about Jesus. There are not two themes. If we focus on the One Theme, we will come to realize that God never changes. (Hebrews 13:8). The Hebrews needed that piece of information. They reasoned with it. Some came to realize that there was only One True God, as they always had believed, and that Jesus Is Him!
I understand the same thing because God is both El and Elohim; both singular and plural, and was from the beginning and still is! Thus, the Bible is contiguous from beginning to end. In fact, the Tree of Life in Genesis still stands today as we find in Revelation. The Tree of Life is the focus of all scripture, and that Tree is Jesus Christ.
Any idea must be internally consistent to be accepted. That consistency doesn't make it true but plausible. Belief is based on faith. It would make no sense, if the premise changed in scripture. The premise in the Old Testament is that salvation was by the blood in patriarchal times, and it still is! When Abraham was willing to sacrifice his "only son" that was knowing that God would someday do just that! Abraham was willing because he reasoned: I trust God to the extent that I will do as he requests. When Abraham thought those thoughts he came to a conclusion: God can be trusted, and I will trust Him. To save ourselves even today, we must use our reason in the same way. We do have the advantage of looking back whereas Abraham had only a promise. As such Abraham had greater faith than any of us!
Faith is a product of reason. In the context of God, "reason" is examining God's Word for authenticity and reliability. I believe everything God said; even the Creation account. Why so? I use logic: if he can't create the world, he can't create the heavens. It was God who prepared the earth for us, and scripture tells us that God prepares for us a place in heaven (John 14:3). The Word made the same promise to Abraham as he did for me. Using logic, since God made the same promise to Abraham as to me, then Scripture has internal consistency. In fact, the Law was never a way to salvation; it was only through Jesus and the propitiation of his blood:
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.Luke didn't write an apology: except for the patriarchs which was through obedience. Salvation was, is, and always will be through the propitiated blood of Jesus, with no exceptions! Thus, the means to salvation was always the same, and the Bible is internally consistent. Jesus acknowledged that for doubters:
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.Jesus understood the Word, not because he was taught it, but because it was He who spoke it (John 1:1, 14). God's own Word made the entire Bible internally consistent. It's continuity and internal consistency are facts which contribute to it's authenticity and reliability. I have faith because I used logic to come to that conclusion. Scripture is reasonable.
You might say, "but scripture is at odds with science." You use reason to come to that conclusion but maybe it is more reasonable to say, science is at odds with scripture! You must understand, scientists never claimed to have created anything. Science merely attempts to explain existence. God did that in the beginning. In fact, his name, "I AM THAT I AM" means, Existence. Scientists usually don't admit it, but their vocation is a feeble attempt to explain Existence. They try to explain God by dethroning Him! Just as the Athenians worshiped "an Unknown God" Paul proclaimed Him to them. The Unknown God of Chance, who scientists worship in faith, had no power nor substance to do anything.
Reason tells some that existence just happened. It is too complex! There are not enough zeros behind the decimal point for "Probability" to be the creator. It is illogical to credit what we sense - to nobody and no thing. However, on the other hand, God takes credit for the Creation. His first Words spoken to Moses was "I created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Logic tells me that if that is not true, then JHVH God is a liar. Liars do not make good gods. That's why God is good and Satan is a liar as scripture tells me. Scientists would rather believe the lie than even consider the truth because to the latter, they are blind. Not having an open mind to Intelligent Design is illogical. Those who profess enlightenment stand in the most darkness. It is reasonable to believe that the eye can't see things unseen. Because we can't see things does not rule out their existence. Because we now can't see God makes Him no less real, even though when He was here He was seen by many.
If I was to say, tomorrow an atomic bomb will be dropped in New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Podunk, Iowa, and it happened., my name would be in all the extant newspapers, and on every news program. Why? Because what happened is what I said would happen -a day before it did! I would be credible and the world would have confidence in me, and what I predict.
Just as that, the Word is credible. God spoke of his own death, life events, ministry, purpose, death, crucifixion and resurrection in detail though the Old Testament prophets - thousands of years before they occurred. You an read them many places but most notably in the Book of Isaiah. David wrote of Jesus in Psalm 22, and Jesus reminded us of that on the cross as he quoted the first part of it: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" David was speaking about that moment 2000 or so years before God would die on the cross!
The doubter would say, Jesus was just doing what the prophets said he would do. Logic tells me that Jesus could have done that. However, logic tells me that there was no way he could get others to do their parts, not only in his death but virgin birth and miracles, let alone his resurrection! How in the world can reasonable people doubt that Jesus was raised from the dead, and seen alive by hundreds, maybe thousands of people? How can reasonable people even consider that the Temple was not destroyed in seventy years just as Jesus promised? How did Jesus get the Roman legions to do his bidding? How did Jesus get the Chief Priest to condemn him? How did Jesus get Pontius Pilate to crucify him? How did he get the soldiers to gamble for his clothing as prophesied thousands of years before?
How did Jesus get the apostles to not only blindly follow him but believe in him to the extent that all but one died for hid Name sake? As scripture said, "that is their reasonable sacrifice" (Romans 12;1). Abraham thought it reasonable that he sacrifice his son for God, God thought it was reasonable to sacrifice his Son for all of us, and God thinks it reasonable to sacrifice ourselves for Him!
It is illogical to think that Jesus not only planned his birth, life, miracles, death, and resurrection but got others to participate in his plans! People who think that way have faulty reason. That lackluster faculty was a gift from Satan. He took valid reason, added deception, and faulty reasoning was born. Our nature now is to believe the lie. Scripture tells us that too, yet we don't even believe what we know we do! We are faithful servants! Unfortunately, most people serve the wrong master.
If Hawkings stood on the street corner and proclaimed that God never created the universe, which he has in his chair, that does make the Creation any less true. It just makes Stephen Hawking spiritually blind along with his other human frailties. Truth has no reference point in the physical world. However, absolute truth comes from God just as does everything else. Nothing just happens! Get over that misconception. God gave you your reason, and that was to do His will - not our own!
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