THINK BIBLICALLY: The Strategic Command Center
The late Martin Neimoller painted a stark picture of what happened in
Germany with the rise of Hitler and the subsequent holocaust in which more
than eleven million people (Jews, Gypsies, aged, mentally ill) were
exterminated:
In Germany
they first came for the Communists
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me...
and by that time there was no one left to speak up.?1?
Most of us, when we think of that time, are justifiably appalled and
perhaps a bit judgmental. Few of us think about what we might have done to
prevent it. There were millions of Christians attending church every
Sunday in Germany during the 1930s, but with only a few exceptions, they
did nothing to prevent their nation's humiliation. In fact, many justified
it and supported their government's policies.
We would argue that an even greater holocaust is taking place in America
today with the slaughter of one-and-a-half million babies each year
through abortion. In the past twenty-five years, there has been a dramatic
deterioration of traditional values and moral fiber of this nation. But
how do we know when to react? On what basis do we act? How does one
develop a response that is consistent with his confession as a Christian?
We do it by learning to challenge the world's views with God's views. We
begin by acknowledging that all things are made by God, for God. The
apostle Paul wrote, "In Him all things were created, both in the heavens
and on earth, visible and invisible... all things have been created
through Him and for Him."?2?
The Awesome Power of the Mind \ In order to have any significant impact on
society, Christians must learn to think and act biblically. We must learn
to consistently think God's thoughts and bring them to bear on all
situations. It must become a habit because our minds and thinking are the
battlefield. Someone has well said:
Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character;
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
The point is that our thoughts greatly influence who we are and what we
will become. This is why the Bible clearly says we are to be "transformed
by the renewing of our minds."?3?
Think Think ... Think Biblically!
That means we must learn to evaluate an issue or situation by applying the
truths and principles of Scripture. What does God's Word say about this
matter? Each of us, like a builder, needs tools-such as a tape measure,
square, and plumbline-to assure accuracy in what we build. C.S. Lewis, in
Mere Christianity, says, "A man does not call a line crooked unless he has
some idea of a straight line. "?4? Without an objective, absolute,
trustworthy standard, there can be no assurance of truth. Without God's
special revelation, man is adrift on the sea of humanistic speculation and
relativism. There can be no sense of confidence and certainty.
God has not left us without an absolute standard. He has given us His
Word- the Bible-as "The Manufacturer's Handbook of Life and Living."
First, it tells us about God-who He is. Second, it reveals the true
origin, nature, and fall of man, as a created being who is to reflect
God's image and likeness. Third, it tells us about the created world in
which we have been placed as vice-regents to rule as stewards on God's
behalf. Fourth, it reveals God's plan of love and forgiveness through
Jesus Christ, which God established before the foundation of the world.
And finally, the Bible tells us how to relate to our creator and to our
fellowman.?5?
Failure to acknowledge that we do have a "blueprint for living" and
failure to apply that blueprint lies at the root of all our problems. Too
often we follow the adage, "When all else fails, read the directions." How
do we know what God thinks or says about an issue if we have not read "The
Handbook"?
We need to employ the attitude of the Berean church that received the
words of the apostle Paul with great eagerness, "examining the Scriptures
daily, to see whether these things were so."?6? Obedience to God's holy,
inspired, inerrant Word leads to wisdom and insight not only about our
personal lives, but also about society.?7?
Tragically, most people feel that appealing to scriptural principle is old
fashioned and outdated. Yet the Bible has weathered the storms of the past
and the present and stands true as our standard for life and living for
the future.
Confidence in God's Word
It is of paramount importance that we have confidence in the accuracy and
the authority of God's Word, for without that objective, absolute,
trustworthy standard, we are left to our own fallen reasonings and
speculations.
The Bible itself testifies to its authoritative and instructional
character. The apostle Paul writes to a young disciple named Timothy, "All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be
adequate, equipped for every good work."?8? Jesus proclaimed, "The
Scripture cannot be broken,"?9? and He Himself quoted freely from the Old
Testament, thus endorsing it as authoritative.
The Bible has proven its reliability in a number of ways. For example, it
claims for itself to be the inspired Word of God. The Christian church
down through the centuries, regardless of denomination or affiliation, has
claimed the Bible to be the Word of God. It is unique in many ways. It
contains sixty-six books written by forty different authors over a period
of 1,400 years in various parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, in various
literary forms, and in three languages. Yet it is one Book. It amazingly
retains its unity and internal consistency-it does not contradict itself.
It dares to speak of the future with explicit detail that no other ancient
writings have ventured to undertake. More than three hundred prophecies
concerning the Messiah of the Old Testament were uniquely fulfilled in
Jesus of Nazareth. Science and archaeology have time and time again
validated its accuracy in all matters of human life and creation on which
it speaks. Equally amazing is the fact that the Bible has repeatedly
validated ancient history. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Bible is
its ability to influence individuals and societies throughout history and
around the world.
Certainly the Bible stands alone as a guiding light to provide the answers
to basic questions that are essential to man's understanding of himself
and his world. Such questions are: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where
am I going? Is there any purpose in human existence? Where is history
going? Only as these essential questions of existence are answered are we
in a position to address other issues and situations that confront us
today.
Analyze and Understand the Issues of Our Day
In everything we hear, view, and read, we should ask questions: What is
the source of information? What are its potential biases? What is the
underlying world view? If the information comes from an individual, what
is his or her moral character? What are the surface implications? What is
the root issue underlying all the symptoms? We need to logically analyze
the information we receive, rather than blindly accept all that is
presented to us. An excellent way to do this is to try to determine the
world view of the person or persons presenting the information.
James Sire explains this concept well in his book, How to Read Slowly:
When writers write they do so from the perspective of their own world
view. What they presuppose about themselves, God, the good life and the
validity of human knowledge governs both what they say and how they say
it. That is why reading with world views in mind (your own and that of the
author) will help you understand not only what is written in the lines but
what is written between the lines-that is, what is presupposed before a
pen ever reaches the page.?10?
Compare Your Analysis with Scripture
What does the Bible have to say? If you do not know, you need to study it
to find out. Locate and list the words in the Bible that are synonymous
with your topic. You may need to consult a concordance, Bible dictionary,
or topical Bible. Look also for stories or teaching passages in which the
topic is discussed or illustrated in depth.
Then group the verses and passages that have a common theme. List specific
Bible commands or prohibitions. Look for biblical principles that go
beyond the cultural or historical context of the Scripture passages.
Finally, attempt to summarize your tentative understanding of the biblical
perspective in one paragraph, or in a list of biblical principles.
Now, compare your findings with the issue you are studying. Examine
presuppositions, realizing that no one is totally objective. Everyone
makes decisions through a grid of beliefs, understandings and personal
standards of truth and non-truth.
You may want to go further and examine other sources such as Christian
periodicals, books, and organizations specializing in a particular issue
or topic. We have listed some of the best in the back of this book.
Evaluate various positions and attempt to understand them. How do they
match the biblical standard? Look for areas of agreement and
non-agreement. Critique, reject, accept, or adapt the conclusions of
others. If you do not agree with their conclusions, try to develop
arguments in response, dealing as much as possible with presuppositions in
order to show that the logical extension of wrong foundations results in
wrong conclusions.
Apply the Biblical Perspective
Jesus said that if we loved Him, we would obey His commandments. Biblical
knowledge without obedience does nothing more than promote spiritual
pride. We need to be obedient to the truths of Scripture. Demonstrate by
your own life the proper biblical practice before you apply it to a
broader audience.
We must remember that we are to love those who are wrong, while gently but
firmly refuting their positions. Set a solution goal that will provide a
consistent practice of biblical principles. It may be slow. We need to
realize there will be resistance to change. We do not want to polarize or
antagonize people unnecessarily.
As you make application, evaluate the process arid adjust as necessary.
Evaluate the role of the Holy Spirit-is He the one directing you? If a
problem precipitated your investigation, establish preventive steps for
its recurrence. Establish policy guidelines for similar issues and
problems you may face in the future and follow through consistently,
without partiality.
Fill Your Mind with Healthy Food
One activity in particular will aid us greatly in achieving a biblical
world view. Today we are experiencing an explosion of secular knowledge.
We need to balance that input by doing as the apostle Paul commanded, "Set
your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."?11?
That is best done through meditation. This is not the eastern kind
popularized by Transcendental Meditation. Eastern forms of meditation
encourage people to focus on nothing, or within themselves, or on a
universal power or force, or on some seemingly meaningless word.
The biblical concept of meditation is the idea of "chewing" as a sheep
chews its cud. When we meditate on God and His Word, we experience three
things: intimacy with God; a renewed mind as Christ's thoughts become our
thoughts; and changed behavior. As we meditate on Scripture, we allow
God's thoughts to so permeate our lives that they actually become our own
thoughts, resulting in new behavior patterns and eventually in changed
emotions.
The following are some suggestions for biblical meditation:?12?
1. Schedule time, preferably daily, to be alone so that you can
concentrate.
2. Select a verse or passage, one that when internalized will help you in
a specific area, such as a besetting sin, a weakness, an area you have
selected for growth, or an issue in your profession.
3. Study the passage in context.
4. Memorize. You do not have to memorize verses in order to begin
meditation, but memorization will significantly aid the process of
internalization.
5. Visualize-make the truth of Scripture as vivid in your mind as
possible. Those in the field of mass media understand the power of
visualization: It helps viewers to see a life-style or product they want
us to buy. We need to do the same with spiritual truth. As an athlete
visualizes himself performing in a sports event, we need to mentally
picture ourselves winning the spiritual battles of the day. It is not the
visualization that produces the results. The visualization, rather, adds
to our concentration, our understanding and our dedication to obeying and
trusting in God's Word.
6. Personalize the Scripture passage and make it a prayer to God.
7. Take time to be quiet, to listen to what God has to say to you.
8. Take action, applying the commands and principles of Scripture to your
life.
Jerry Nims was director of several multi-national corporations. As a
Christian, he had never seriously
thought about the concept of Jesus Christ as the Lord of his life. A
meeting with the late Francis Schaeffer caused him to re-evaluate his
business practices and priorities in light of his faith.
In order to formulate his own world view, Jerry stepped down from his
position and spent six months studying the Scriptures from Genesis to
Revelation nine to ten hours every day. "When I finished that project, I
was prepared to go back into the business arena," he says.
"The time I spent studying the Bible had a dramatic influence on every
area of my life. For example, I decided to do some things to help improve
society, based on a biblical world view. If we don't have more businessmen
working to shore up the moral framework of society, when it collapses,
nobody will do business."?13?
Not everyone can take a six-month break, but nearly everyone could take a
week or more each year and some time daily to get away from the pressures
of business and study the Scriptures for the purpose of clarifying his
world view. We must not rely on others to do this for us. If we do
nothing, others will lead us where we do not want to go. The battle
against Satan begins here, with ideas, with our minds. How we do in every
other area will be determined by how we do here. See Appendixes A and D
for further information.
Summary
.. Mere human viewpoints must be challenged by God's viewpoint as found
in the Bible.
.. We need to analyze and understand the issues of our day from a
biblical perspective.
.. We need to apply our biblical perspective to the issues that
confront us.
.. Biblical meditation is an essential aid to developing a consistent
biblical world and life view.
[1]
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1 Quoted by John Powell, Abortion: The Silent Holocaust (Allen, TX: Argus
Communications, 1981), p. 30.
2 Colossians 1:16.
3 Romans 12:1, 2.
4 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: MacMillan 1960) p. 31.
5 Matthew 22:36-40.
6 Acts 17:11.
7
Too often, people want to understand fully before they decide to obey
God's Word. God's desire is for men to obey what He says, then God will
give man further understanding. Knowledge without obedience leads to pride
(1 Corinthians 8:1), but knowledge tempered by obedience leads to
maturity. Paul's prayer for the church at Philippi, recorded in
Philippians 1:9, 10, is one that applies to all Christians, "that your
love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
so that you may approve the things that are excellent." This prayer is
answered in Christians who have greater discernment and are able to choose
between good and evil and between good and excellent.
Also, in Hebrews 5:11-14, immaturity in Christian living and thinking is
challenged because, by now, some of the church "ought to be teachers."
Instead of weakness, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews exhorts a
strengthening exercise or practice of wisdom that builds the ability to
discern "good from evil." This training is necessary for maturity and the
ability to evaluate situations and issues from a biblical perspective.
8 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
9 John 10:35.
10 James W. Sire, How to Read Slowly (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity,
1978), p. 15.
11 Colossians 3:2.
12 For more information, read Ron Jenson's short book, Biblical
Meditation: A Transforming Discipline, (Oakland, CA: ICBI Press, 1982).
13 Interview, (February 15, 1985).
[1]Bright, B., & Jenson, R. (1986). Kingdoms at war (69). San Bernardino,
CA: Here's Life Publishers.
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