Introduction
God made humans in His image and for those who
have been adopted as children of God they should reflect His image in such a
way to draw others to Him. The Christian should be worshiping God and loving
God with their whole self, certainly not excluding their mind (Mark 12:30 NIV).[1] As ambassadors for Christ the Christian must first reflect God’s love
and with this the Christian should be recognized by their unique ability to
provide rational reasons to trust in the love of God. This will require the
right heart in Christ, a sound mind, and strength while fulfilling the mission
of spreading the gospel in this fallen world. The Bible refers to the Christian
as an alien in this world, and as an alien ambassador the message given for the
Christian to deliver is for the purpose of explaining to the foreigners how
they too can become children of God (Heb. 11:8-16; 2nd Corinth.
5:17-21).
Worshiping God with all Your Mind
For the Christian all
of life can be used to worship God, for in all circumstances there is reason to
give glory to God, as every life lesson can bring spiritual and mental growth
(1 Thess. 5:18). God desires for the Christian to love Him with all their mind,
and Jesus expects the Christian to worship God in Spirit and in truth (Matt.
22:37; John 4:21-24).[2] Before Christians’ can properly love their neighbor as themselves,
they must firstly seek to love the Lord with all their mind. For before the
Christian can discern how to properly deliver God’s message of hope to the
non-believer one must understand why their neighbor does not believe. This
would involve the Christian understanding the reasons why the atheist has
rejected God, the reasons why the Muslim rejects the Christian God, and so on, therefore
the Christian should be knowledgeable about other religious beliefs, and other
worldviews. The Christian should understand what is true in science, philosophy,
and history to better articulate the truth to those who believe contrary.[3] To counter belief systems like postmodernism
and secular humanism the Christian must have a solid understanding of logic,
thus proving capable of explaining the reasons why truth cannot be relative but
must be absolute. The ultimate act of worship is when the Christian grows in
knowledge for the sake of Gods’ kingdom and thus shares this knowledge with
others with the love of Christ. For when delivering the truth, providing the
reasons to believe, the Christian desire is to compel others to come and
worship God as well.
When I was still in high school upon my
biology teacher sharing a lesson on Darwinism and claiming this was
scientifically true, I approached her after class and asked if I could write a
paper on how belief in God being the creator of life was not irrational or
against science. She simply said, “I would like to see that.” Upon doing my own
research on the subject for the first time I had a growing peace in my heart,
and I knew God was pleased with me seeking after truth for His glory. I look
back now and recognize the reason I felt so moved during my research was
because I was worshiping Him with my mind to find the truth and to share His
great truths with another. I was inspired when my teacher humbly admitted she did
not know of the information I shared with her in my paper, and then she asked
me to share my findings with the class. I hardly looked up from my paper when I
addressed the class, but when I had finished, I heard applause. I looked up and
saw my teacher was clapping as well. I felt so loved by my God in those moments
and I became addicted to learning more about Him, firstly through His
scriptures, and then by growing in my knowledge of how He created life.
The Christian Mind should Reflect the Mind
of God
A knowledgeable ambassador for Christ will
reflect God’s image, for the Christian humbly recognizes their knowledge has
been provided by the Lord. The closer one draws to God the closer He will draw
to His seeking child (James 4:8). When a Christian grows in knowledge while
knowing this is for God’s glory, the Lord will bring new revelations to His
faithful child. In being a child who was diagnosed with a learning disability
and was placed in special education classes in high school, I can very much
testify to the value of worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth. If not for the
help of the Holy Spirit when exercising my mind, I would not have done so well
in college. So, when I humbly yet eloquently share truth with others, I am
reflecting the image of God, I am a testimony to God’s great intellect when I
develop my own.[4] Therefore, I am saddened when I see Christians who avoid seeking after
answers, when they avoid growing in knowledge to better provide others with the
reasons to believe Jesus Christ is Lord. Their weak faith hinders their
spiritual growth, for they cannot grow in their relationship with God while living
in fear over what may or may not be true. This is certainly the case, for if
the Christian is truly faithful then there is nothing to fear in studying
science or studying other religions and other worldviews.
A Lack of Encouragement in the Church
Too many times I have heard from brothers in
Christ about how they had been judged by pastors for questioning God’s actions
in some parts of the Bible, or when questioning the validity of some passages
in the Scriptures. They appreciate me because I do not judge their faith when
they ask me questions, on the contrary I am thankful they are seeking answers,
and we can grow in our knowledge together. If more leaders in the church were confident
in their faith, they would be more knowledgeable about contrary views to
Christianity. One Christian youth leader once commented on how reading The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel was
enough for him, sounding as if he felt no need to investigate any further. This
disturbed me because he was oblivious to how self-centered his response was,
and I recognized how he was willingly limiting his capacity to disciple the
next generation. Many Christians would be encouraged to discover how biased
many in the scientific community are, as these intellectuals disregard so much
evidence for God simply because they presuppose His non-existence.[5] The Christian is the last one who should be
intimidated by naturalism for God has revealed so much about His complex designs
in recent years, discoveries in micro-biology and in astronomy; there is so
much reason to worship God by growing in knowledge today. Christians should be
encouraged to ask questions, the leader discipling should inspire them to
investigate and grow in their knowledge of truth, for they are seeking to love
God with all their mind.
Many
people leave the Christian faith because their minds were not satisfied, hence
why many who enter college leave the church. In many cases those who turn
against Christianity do so because the questions they had were not answered in
the church. This must be because the church was not worshiping God in Spirit
and in Truth. The church in America today has little faith in the power of the
Holy Spirit to help one discern what is true, and she fears what may be
discovered to be true. If the church worshiped God with all their minds the church
would not be judged by former Christians as being anti-intellectual, and
hypocritical.
Bibliography
Moreland, J.P. Love Your God
with All Your Mind. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012.
Moreland, J.P. and Craig, L. William. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017.
[1]
Unless otherwise noted,
all biblical passages referenced are in the New
International Version (Indianapolis, IN: Zondervan, 1990).
[2]
J.P. Moreland,
Love Your God with All Your Mind, (Colorado
Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), 41.
[3]
Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind, 63.
[4] Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind, 46.
[5]
J.P. Moreland, and William
Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for
a Christian Worldview, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 56.
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