Saturday, March 1, 2014

Biblical Perspective

     “Why is the sky blue?” It’s a question I can imagine my, (almost three-year old), twin grandchildren asking me. They are still asking these obvious questions (that most people have stopped asking) because their little minds are experiencing the wonder of life as new comers to it all. They are also under the delusion that their Papa knows everything (I’ll play that for all its worth).
     All of the colors of the light spectrum, (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), travel from the sun to the earth as white sunlight until it strikes something that reflects, bends or scatters it. The earth’s atmosphere is composed of various molecules that scatter the light. Because the wavelength of the color blue is shorter than some of the others, it is scattered a lot more than the other longer waves of light, and consequently we have a blue sky.
     Just as our eyes perceive the sky to be blue because of the filtering that takes place by the atmosphere, so our understanding of God’s Word is filtered through many factors that are at work in our culture and in our mind. It would be helpful if we were more aware of this in a meta-cognitive way as we listen to God’s Word. A heart that is covetous or that is fearful of the implications of God’s word is not a very receptive heart. A mind that is filled with prejudice or pejorative notions will have a difficult time thinking clearly about the meaning of God’s word. In other words, we might only see blue, because that’s the way our filter works. 
     Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees who wanted him to provide them a sign from heaven. Jesus pointed out: “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. ’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. ’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
     Jesus then explains their problem: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.” The fact that they were asking for a sign, when the Son of God was standing before them is confirmation of their spiritual blindness. 
     It is possible in our western society and our scientific age to be so swamped by materialism, pragmatism and scientism that we lose Biblical perspective on how to think Biblically about our possessions, our values and our choices. It is difficult to maintain an honest view of science that sees the ultimate limitations of science alongside it’s penetrating insights unless we believe that God has provided us an infallible record in both books of revelation (natural and special), and that these two infallible records will not ultimately contradict each other, but compliment one another.
     Paul warned us in Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.