The Truth Is Rational
July 16th, 2007
(By John MacArthur)
As Christians we oppose rationalism (the idea that human reason alone — apart from any supernatural revelation – can discover truth). But Christianity is by no means hostile to rationality. We believe the truth is logical; it is coherent; it is intelligible. Not only can truth be known rationally; it cannot be known at all if we abandon rationality.
Irrationality is an assault on the Scripture and the intent of God. When God gave the Bible, He meant for it to be understood. But it can be understood only by those who apply their minds to it rationally. Contrary to what many assume, the meaning of Scripture is not something that comes to us through mystical means. It is not a spiritual secret that must be uncovered by some arcane or arbitrary method. Its true meaning may be understood only by those who approach it rationally and sensibly.
It’s not as if we can make the words mean anything we want them to mean, so that whatever connotation we impose on the words becomes the Word of God. Only the true interpretation of the text is the authentic Word of God, and any other interpretation is simply not what God is saying. Remember, God’s Word is objective truth revealed, and therefore it has a rational meaning. That meaning, and that meaning alone, is the truth. Getting it right is of supreme importance.
That is why it is so critical that we interpret Scripture carefully in order to understand it correctly. It is a rational process, not a mystical or whimsical one.
Is it a spiritual process? Absolutely. It starts with the understanding that Scripture is internally self-consistent. Therefore as we compare Scripture with Scripture, the clear parts explain the more difficult parts. The more we study, the more light is shed on our understanding. It is hard mental work, but it is spiritual work nonetheless.
In fact, we are utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit to teach us truth, because “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). But the way the Holy Spirit gives us understanding is through our minds – employing our rational faculties (v. 16; Ephesians 1:18; 4:23; 2 Timothy 1:7) so that we can comprehend the truth.
So does this mean that the Holy Spirit gives the natural man the understanding that he needs to be saved?
Can the natural man understand the Word Of God and still not receive it?
Thanks,
Kelvin
Kelvin,
You ask a very good question which I often think about when witnessing. Of course, my answer depends on my interpretation of the term “understand.”
I think unbelievers can intellectually understand the content of the message in many parts of Scripture. For example, I took a religion class in community college many years ago taught by a woman who was not a Christian and made no claims to be one. The class focused for weeks on the Gospel of John, and as I remember, she had a fairly good grasp of the main issues and claims about Christ in John’s Gospel. But she would not admit that the message was actually divine.
I Cor. 2:14: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (ESV)
Based on what Paul says here (and many other passages like it) the answer to your first question would be YES, the natural man must have the Spirit’s quickening work in order to “spiritually discern” (i.e., savingly comprehend and believe) to Gospel.
And, based upon what I saw with my unsaved college prof, and many others since then, an unsaved person can intellectually grasp at least the basic message of the Gospel, and even complex theology yet not aprehened it spiritually so that they can be saved.
I think the message of Scripture is clear that no one is saved without the Spirit working through His Word (Romans 1:16).
On another, but related note, I think John MacArthur has really pinpointed an issue within the Church that frustrates me. I had a conversation with another brother who is caught up in charismatic extremism, and trying to speak to him from Scripture was as frustrating as speaking to a member of a cult for a couple of reasons. First, his experience was a major authority souce for him and he interprets Scripture by his experience, not the other way around as it should be.
Second, he has no rational hermeneutic by which he can interpret Scripture correctly. It soon became a fruitless discussion.
This is the thing that concerns me most in watching the modern evangelical church. Good hereneutics and soound theology are looked at as somehow unspiritual. So any weird idea is accepted if a person can claim they “experienced it.”
Blessings,
Steve
Thanks Steve.
Why do different godly preachers then have different interpretations of the same passage if it is the same truth and the same spirit that is giving them revelation? Emphasis on godly dilligent preachers.