When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
I am no theologian. I make no pretense of being a theologian. I have no use for most of the intellectualizing that seeks justification as “theology.”
I like to think I am a simple man, and a practical one. My focus with these sermons is never to expound sublime doctrine or to weave profound “Christological” reasonings. My mission is simply this: share with others my thoughts on Scripture, and how the teachings of Scripture can be applied in our daily lives.
As my mission is simple, I believe my message should be equally simple. The focus should be simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
We do well to remember that Jesus Himself preached a virtue of simplicity, teaching His followers during the Sermon on the Mount to “let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
We do well to remember also that long before Jesus began His ministry on Earth, the Psalms celebrated simplicity as wisdom, and Proverbs taught simplicity as the pathway to knowledge and understanding.
The more complex the reasoning, the more likely it is to be a rationalization, a fabrication arising from the eternally flawed “wisdom” of men. Jesus called out the Pharisees in Mark 7 for this very thing, of layering human wisdom on top of the already perfect wisdom given by God. Jesus again condemned the Pharisees in Matthew 23 for exactly this, for their endless complications and additions to God’s already perfect Law.
Jesus calling out the Pharisees for their hypocritical rationalizations makes one thing abundantly clear: complex reasoning is a problem, not a solution. Complex reasoning takes us beyond “Yes” and “No”, and so comes from evil.
We need only look at the world around us—at the wars, the chaos, and the omnipresence of pure evil everywhere—to see the problems complex reasoning has created for us, problems which will only be solved when we turn to the simplicity found in Scripture.
The world around us is absolute proof that complex reasoning will always be a problem and never a solution. The world around us is absolute proof that the wisdom of men will not save us.
The wisdom of men cannot save our societies; it is lunacy to expect the wisdom of men to save our souls.
What will save our souls? Wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
Theology, at its core, is the wisdom of men. Theology more often than not seeks to complicate what in Scripture is presented simply.
In other words, theology is no wisdom at all.
I have no use for the contrivance of using pseudo-Greek words such as “exegesis” or “eisegesis” to explain myself. I write and speak English, not Latin, and not Greek. I live in the here and the now—in the world we have, not in the world I wish we had. I jettison the needlessly complex in hopes of getting down to the simple truth at the core of everything.
I do confess that I enjoy showing off my vocabulary by using long four-dollar words, and do so more than I should. As much as I like to think of myself as a simple man, I know better than to pretend I am a humble one.
When I speak about Christian living, Christian faith, or Christian morals, I start with a single source: Scripture. I look to the Bible. I seek out God’s Word and I study God’s Law. From that simple approach comes what I hope is a simple message, and a sound one. From that simple approach comes what I hope is a message that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
Do I have perfect understanding of either God’s Word or God’s Law? Not all. My understanding is incomplete. My understanding may be quite wrong in some places. My understanding is constantly evolving (hopefully in a direction towards God and not away from him). Perfect understanding is the future hope, not the present reality.
Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, Scripture is the only argument I will ever have, or hope to have. If I cannot defend my views with Scripture, then I cannot defend my views at all. If I cannot defend my views with Scripture, then my views are demonstrably in error and must be changed.
Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, I realize that I must use the whole of Scripture. I cannot extract a single verse, or a single passage, and conflate it into a complete teaching all on its own. The context, the framing for any verse or passage will always be the entirety of the Bible. The letters of Paul, Peter, and John must always be read in reconciliation with the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels, and the teachings of Jesus must always be connected to the Law and the Prophets found within the Old Testament.
Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, I comprehend that within Scripture there are no errors, and no contradictions. God does not argue with Himself.
If a theological position leads to contradiction, that theological position is demonstrably wrong on that basis. All such theological positions should be rejected for that reason alone. God does not argue with Himself.
When we reject the false wisdom of men, when we discard the needless complexities men layer onto Scripture, then we can see the simple truth that has always been there. Then we can see the wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
My prayer this day is a prayer for simplicity—a prayer that all people everywhere will always see clearly to avoid the unnecessary complexities men have inflicted upon the world. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will recognize that complex reasoning is not merely unproductive but also counterproductive—it hurts rather than helps in every situation. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will turn away from the false wisdom and unhelpful complexities crafted by men, seeking instead for solutions that are simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
The world around us is absolute proof that complex reasoning will always be a problem and never a solution. The world around us is absolute proof that the wisdom of men will not save us.
The wisdom of men cannot save our societies; it is lunacy to expect the wisdom of men to save our souls.
What will save our souls? Wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.
Actually, Peter, considering your genius-level mind, you are pretty humble. You have never claimed to be infallible or have all of the answers. You stay grounded, stick to facts (as they present themselves), and self-correct as needed. That’s uncommon among humans, and highly admirable!
The downside to being rational is that it can disconnect us from our emotions. Emotions are God’s perfect mechanism for letting us know what we are truly believing. If you feel joy and gratitude, that indicates that you TRUELY are trusting in God. If you feel anxiety and fear, you are not trusting in God, and need to switch your thinking around to where you feel more in tune with God’s perfect plan. This is not always easy, but when your faith is tested, yes - return to the simplicity of just trusting in God! We don’t need to over-complicate this trust with detailed dogma and doctrine, as those will likely just lead us astray. You are right, Peter, man’s wisdom is not the answer. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart!
Bless you always for just being you, Peter. Know that you are loved and cherished just as you are!