by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
Reason has been granted to us by God as those made in His image. When we try to reason without acknowledging God, we become our own idols by assuming that we do not need God. This leads to futility in thinking (Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:17). In doing this we are relying on our own wisdom and we will not understand God and His purposes, since the world through its wisdom cannot know God (I Corinthians 1:21).<\/p>\n
Reason and logic are an undeniable part of who we are. Try making an argument for denying logic and you will come across as senseless and self-defeating, for you will be appealing to reason even as you deny it. By using our reason appropriately, however, we are glorifying the God who gave us our minds and set in order the way facts, reason, and faith function together. We ought to learn to do it well because it is the Lord whom we serve and we are to love Him “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind<\/em>” (Matthew 22:37).<\/p>\n I have seen criticisms of logic as applied to Bible study. This is often in conjunction with arguing that we ought not to try to interpret the Bible; we just read it and do it with no interpretation at all. This sounds noble, but it is naive, erroneous, and dangerous because it unwittingly makes a person’s own perceptions into another idol. “This is what the Bible says” can become code for, “This is what I think it means and I cannot be wrong.” And doing this will inevitably lead us into contradiction.<\/p>\n While there are places where “that’s what it says” is appropriate, making blanket statements like that without first doing the contextual homework can lead to misapplications of God’s word and lend support to false doctrine. We shouldn’t just say, “That’s what it says” without first making sure that’s what it really says in its context. After all, the devil was crafty at using Scripture to test Jesus. He quoted Scripture. It’s “what it said,” but his application was malicious (Matthew 4:5-6). Let us be diligent and careful to avoid that devilish pitfall. Do the homework. Reason well. Apply appropriately.<\/p>\n “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth<\/em>” (II Timothy 2:15).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer Reason has been granted to us by God as those made in His image. When we try to reason without acknowledging God, we become our own idols by assuming that we do not need God. This leads to futility in thinking (Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:17). In doing this we are relying on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1405,36],"class_list":["post-55104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-logic","tag-reasoning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33178,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/three-aspects-of-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":0},"title":"Three Aspects of Learning","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 24:3-6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are three aspects to learning, whether we talk about school work or Bible study \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Proverbs 2:6 - The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Proverbs 24:3-4 - Compared to a house \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Knowledge is the comprehension of facts. It fills our minds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38793,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/three-roads-to-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":1},"title":"Three Roads to Learning","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are three roads to learning, whether we talk about school work or Bible study \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prov. 2:6 - The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prov. 24:3-4 - Compared to a house \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Knowledge is the comprehension of facts. It fills our minds with pleasant and useful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45520,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-law-of-non-contradiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":2},"title":"The Law of Non-Contradiction","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Joshua Gurtler First published in\u00a0Biblical Insights Magazine, May 2015 The Law of Non-Contradiction Argues for the God of the Bible and Against Atheism, Hinduism, and Buddhism There is an argument for God that I would like for you to consider. This argument says that without the Christian worldview (which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29589,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isaiah-118-seems-out-of-place-can-you-explain-what-it-is-saying\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":3},"title":"Isaiah 1:18 seems out of place. Can you explain what it is saying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The first sentence in Isaiah 1:18 about reasoning together seems so out of place compared to what's around it - at least to me. Can you help me understand the context a little bit better? Also if you know of any other passages that show God encourages us to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94551,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/without-god-can-you-trust-your-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":4},"title":"Without God, Can You Trust Your Mind?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer via InLight Media Can we really trust our own thinking? Every argument - every conversation - assumes we can think, reason, and understand. But have you ever stopped to ask where that ability comes from? In this video, Doy Moyer explores a profound challenge facing the naturalistic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Video"","block_context":{"text":"Video","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/video\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4009,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-country-permits-polygamy-is-there-a-biblical-reason-not-to-have-multiple-wives\/","url_meta":{"origin":55104,"position":5},"title":"If a country permits polygamy, is there a biblical reason not to have multiple wives?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When I read the Old Testament, I find many passages glorifying men who had multiple wives, and, in fact, glorifying the possession of multiple wives. When I read the New Testament, I find nothing telling me, a man who doesn't seek to become an elder or a deacon, from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55104\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}