A right understanding

Many of our young people will now be settling in to university life, some for the first time. In the 19th century, ‘higher criticism’ of orthodox Christian faith within academic circles was in vogue. As a result, some today may still think that the orthodox Christian faith cannot be held by people with above average intellectual ability.

The fact is that intellect and faith are not at opposite poles, each exclusive of the other; rather it is unbelief not intellect that is set against faith.

Quoting the Anglican theologian Jim Packer: "Our own intellectual competence is not the test and measure of divine truth. It is not for us to stop believing, because we lack understanding or to postpone believing till we get understanding, but to believe in order that we may understand. Faith first, sight afterwards is God's order.”

How often in life's experience have things happened which we cannot make sense of and faith in a good God has been sorely tested? Yet later, sometimes much later, we can see that perhaps the hand of a loving God was in it after all.

Time and again I am brought back to that part in John's Gospel where Jesus says, ‘If anyone chooses to do God's will [that’s faith], he will find out whether my teaching comes from God [that’s understanding].’

May God bless our young people at University and protect them from making an idol of their learning.

Our intellect is part of what it means to be ‘made in the image of God’ and so we are meant to honour God with it and not to use it to besmirch him.