As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“My point here is not to say that we must believe everything that the scientific community says about masks and social distancing and recommended shutdowns and vaccines. It is possible that there are some very terrible mistakes being made. But if so, they are just that: mistakes.
Christians understand that they have a special relationship with truth. Our Savior described Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and declared that faithfulness to Him leads to soul-freeing truth (John 8:31-32). Both Old and New Testaments exalt insight into truth, as “wisdom” (e.g., Prov. 4:5-7, Matt. 10:16) and “discernment” (Phil. 1:9, Heb. 5:14). We worship the “God of truth” (Deut. 32:4, Psa. 31:5, Isa. 65:16), and are called to be lights of truth in the world (Phil. 2:15).
But we’re only human.
“The word ‘wonder’ appears, in various forms, numerous times in Ann’s writings. Her joy came in knowing that the sea of wonders where she intended to spend her life would continue beyond this earthly state, ‘with never a sight of a boundary or shore.’” - Ref21
“All these circumstances are fear-filled. That’s because we live in a fallen and broken world – a sin-stained world not as it should be. Our fearful response is what the Puritan John Flavel called ‘natural fear,’ an emotion even our Savior felt as He anticipated the horrors of the cross before Him.” - Christina Fox
“It’s way too simple to say that it impairs the ability of Christians to reach their friends and neighbors. In some places it enhances the church’s appeal and integrates Christians within their community. In other places it creates a host of challenges and needlessly alienates Christians from their fellow citizens.
“We’ve been surrounded by chaos, much of it intentionally designed; we’ve been told by people we trust that we need to be angry, agitated, active, desperate; that Those People are evil incarnate, and irremediably dangerous, and if we don’t stop them, It’s All Over.” - Olinger
“1. Politics is what you are most passionate to speak about…. 2. Your enemy is the other political viewpoint/side…. 3. You live as if there is an enduring city here.” - Eric Geiger
A sermon delivered on Thursday evening, March 28, 1872, by C. H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen; the lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. (Job 28: 7, 8)
In seminary we were encouraged—well, required—to read outside our own theological perspective. A few students recoiled a bit. They had been living in a bubble, and those outside it had been mostly ignored, sometimes caricatured, but never directly listened to with the goal of accurate understanding.
Most students relished the wider reading. They’d already learned that curiosity, personal connection, and questioning assumptions can result in life-changing bursts of discovery and personal growth.
Thankfulness “is a pervasive concept in biblical thinking. God has been unimaginably good to us—so good, in fact, that literally everything evil about the world pales in comparison.” - Olinger
Discussion