WITH THE MIND, INTELLECTUALS BELIEVE UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS
. . . not many wise men after the flesh, NOT MANY MIGHTY, NOT MANY NOBLE, are called: But God hath chosen the FOOLISH things of the world to confound the wise . . . And BASE things of the world, and things which are DESPISED . . . That no flesh should glory in his presence. --1 Cor. 1:26 – 29
. . .when they . . . perceived that they were UNLEARNED and IGNORANT men, they marvelled . . . --Acts 4:13
“Figuring out” salvation or spending one’s time in nothing else but mental gymnastics, ferreting out doctrinal loop holes, to make the word of God of none effect, is not very consistent with the heart believing unto righteousness (Rom. 10:10). The intellectual SNOBwould rather than REALIZE and rationalize intellectually that he is one of the ELECT. We are all for studying to show one's self approved to God, equipped, and to avoid being ashamed. But then, God does not call many wise (Snobman-ites) but rather the “BASE” things of this world and the things, which “are” despised, unlearned, and ignorant. To God be the glory! If this make us anti-intellectual, let us then be anti-intellectual.
The New SnobMan-ites
. . . learn in us NOT TO THINK of MEN ABOVE that WHICH IS WRITTEN, that no one of you be PUFFED UP . . . WHO MAKETH THEE TO DIFFER FROM ANOTHER? and WHAT HAST THOU THAT THOU DIDST NOT RECEIVE? . . . why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? . . . for we are made a spectacle unto the world . . . We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised . . . we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things . . . I warn you . . . -- I Cor. 4:1-14
. . .the Athenians . . . spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear SOME NEW THING. -- Acts 17:17-21
The last thing that puffed up, Protestant/Reconstructionist clergy, scholars, intellectuals, or professors want is to be despised, or to be a spectacle, or to be counted unlearned or ignorant, or to be the filth and offscouring of the world. Unlike Paul, they think of men and themselves above that which is written. Paul counted his former honor, prestige, dignity, and intellectualism as dung. Nothing can be possessed, which has not first been received from God. They have not learned that to think themselves to be something, when one is nothing, is mere self deception (Gal. 6:3). They are ignorant of becoming wise by first becoming fools (1 Cor. 3:18), not realizing that it is knowledge that puffs them up. They think that they know something but know nothing (1 Cor. 8:1, 2). Paul warns this learned group, who persistently seek to be enthroned as the wise and honorable elite, of all Christendom. They do not believe that the scriptures furnish the ordinary man of God “THROUGHLY” unto ALL good works (2 Tim 3:16,17) and pretend that more authoritative information can be received, from their creeds, theology, councils, and writings than from God’s wholesome words.
Wholesome Words, Too Plain, Too Simple?
If any man . . . consent not to WHOLESOME WORDS even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . He is PROUD, knowing NOTHING, but DOTING about questions and strifes about words, whereof cometh . . . PERVERSE DISPUTINGS of men of CORRUPT MINDS, and destitute of the truth . . . --1 Tim. 6:3-5
. . .when I came to you, came NOT WITH EXCELLENCY OF SPEECH or of WISDOM, declaring unto you the testimony of God. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of MAN’S WISDOM. . . That YOUR FAITH SHOULD NOT STAND IN THE WISDOM OF MEN, but in the power of God. But God hath revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT [not our minds]: for the Spirit [not the mind] searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God . . . the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. -- 1 Cor. 2:1, 4, 5, 10, 11
. . .in SIMPLICITY and godly sincerity, NOT WITH FLESHLY WISDOM . . . we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. -- 2 Cor. 1:12
A “Reconstructionist” magazine, made a big intellectual deal, about the need to be presuppositionalists (said presuppositions, being building blocks or starting points on which to think, reason, or formulate one’s arguments). Oddly, evolutionists, modernists, atheists, fundamentalists, arid Baptists were presuppositionalists, before they ever came onto the scene. Of course, the paper stressed the importance, of keeping one’s presuppositions in line with the Bible. Yet, most fundamentalists have stressed that, for years, hence, the name “fundamentalists.” Yet, the term “presuppositionalist” sounds so much more dignified and intellectual.Most Reconstructionists and Protestants place an inordinate amount of emphasis, on intellectual reasoning/thinking, in matters, which are too high for them (or anyone else—Psalm 131:1), going far above and beyond the scriptures. Most “intellectual” type Christians already possesses a predisposition toward brain games, Christianity or no Christianity. They will utilize minuscule portions of scripture, and combine them with philosophy and brain games, to gratify the flesh and to coddle their fleshly pride.Because a person sets up a “think tank” and spends a great deal of time trying to prove an abstract theological idea, which lacks practical value, does not demand nor suggest that one have qualities to be emulated nor does it show that one possesses God’s will, superior wisdom, spirituality, doctrinal correctness, goodness, or even salvation. Certainly, we are not opposed to studying, reasoning, or thinking “the scriptures,” better to equip oneself or to avoid being ashamed. Nevertheless, it does make a difference as to “how?” and about “what?” one thinks or reasons and how much conclusion be based on scripture?
A syllogism that reasons that a cow is an animal, a dog is an animal, and therefore a cow is a dog, is as worthless as no thought or reasoning at all.If one would but examine the intellectual writings of Reconstructionists/Protestants, one could determine how much the Bible plays a part` as their authority in what they say. Of course, the intellectual type Christian’s boast is that all God’s great revelations were delivered to men of superior intellect. We would take exception to that, citing Anna the prophetess, Simeon, Peter, and Balaam’s ass.
Still, if we would accept such a premise, we wonder if our intellectual friends would accept a parallel premise, likening Oxford, West Minster, or Cambridge to the Egyptian school that shaped Moses’ intellect or to the Pharisaical school that shaped Paul’s intellect.The few leading experts, who spend all their time proliferating philosophy and mind games, are usually extremely able and intelligent men and are able to withstand many. Still, their disciples are no-match for anyone with a good knowledge of the scriptures, for they are unable to defend their hero leader/writer’s position, i.e., “Well, you’ll have to read my leader/expert’s book.”
The task is to stop believers from regarding the scriptures as saying what they really say and rather to rely on endless Protestant/Reconstructionist writings, for deeper interpretations of what these scriptures “really” mean. Their complaint and justification, for their existence are the lack of Bible “exegesis and hermeneutics” (among fundamentalists and Baptists) This is something they just talk about and never really do, without deluging their readers with what say a certain some. They will refer you to a Reformer or Doctor Whatchamahamaczycz, while they sidetrack you into a maze of legal questions, endless genealogies, fables, history, philosophy, council/synod decisions, creeds, and confessions (which are unprofitable, vain, and minister questions, rather than godly edifying, which is in faith (1 Tim 1:4; Tit 3:9). (Lest Baptists forget, it was the old Baptist “intellectuals, thinkers, and scholars,” who brought down our former institutions of learning, surrendering them to the modernists. It was the “doers of the word,” who salvaged that which we have left. The new Protestant Snobman-ites have never and will never do any better.)
Reconstructionists, wish, eventually, to establish an extra--scriptural new order or state church in America (something they would not readily admit to now!). Their many appeals to the Bible, rights, freedom, and the constitution are sincere and real. Yet they do not tell Baptists and others, who are enlisted to help (or be used by them) that it is the freedom /rights of “Protestants” that they mean to secure. When the Bible is heralded as their only legitimate law book of the new order (or their proposed new church State government), Baptists and others are not told “who” will be the interpreters, enforcers, and judges of that law. (We’ll give you three guesses, as to “who” it will NOT be.) It will be the same Protestant and Papist failures (interpreters, judges, and enforcers), of past European and American history.
Protestant tyranny is not much better than humanistic, agnostic, or atheistic tyranny and is often more cruel! Still, Baptists seek only to be left alone to practice their faith. They are constrained to judge only those “within” and not those “without” (1 Cor. 5:12, 13; 6:1, 2). As Paul, they have no injunction nor need to stone idolaters, witches, heretics, nor adulterers (1 Cor. 8:1; 1 Cor. 5:5:1-5; Titus 3:10). Personally, we enjoy nothing more than to hear a believer, such as John Jasper, the converted Negro slave, confound the deep dark intellectual sophistry, of the day, with a quilt, woven together with plain scripture and down home, colloquial wisdom. American presidents came to hear this uneducated, colloquial speaking preacher. Most intellectual “thinkers” and “reasoners,” are at a loss, to grasp or to withstand such plain practical wisdom and simple expressions of faith.
-- by Herb Evans