Philosophical and Practical

November 20, 2016 / By

Today’s message starts with point 2 below.  We are giving thought to how it is possible to be a philosophical Christian but a practical humanist or secularist.  Our goal is to harmonize and integrate the two into a wholistic Christ-like life.

Many people, often Christians, live their lives similarly to Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

“I don’t much care where – so long as I get somewhere.”

The Bible’s Bull’s Eye for Complete Christian Character is GOD!  Genesis 1:1, Psalm 111:10

  • If you get God wrong, everything else in life will have a measure of “wrongness.”
  • If you have God out of focus, everything else in life will be blurry
  • If you get God out of the center, everything else will be misaligned.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A.W. Tozer in “The Knowledge of the Holy”

“Our supreme need is to know God.” Martin Lloyd Jones in “God’s Ultimate Purpose.”

Paul recognized this as the primary struggle of the people of Athens (Acts 17:22-31).

  1. Paul noticed the Athenians were entirely lost and without direction.
    1. I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 22
    2. The objects of your worship. Vs. 23
    3. An altar to “the unknown” Vs. 23
  2. What was worshiped as unknown, has revealed Himself and can be known. 23
    1. God can be known but never fully. Psalm 145:3, Romans 11:33
    2. Facts about God can be known. 1 John 4:8, 1 John 1:5
    3. We can know more than facts about God, we can know God personally! Jeremiah 9:23-24
    4. We can know God, personally, and in knowing Him we have eternal life. John 17:3
  3. The God. (There is only one God) Vs. 24

Biblical Theism           God first                      God is in charge

Humanism                  Humans first               Humans are in charge

Secularism                  Without God               The state is in charge