Seeking Truth: Wisdom, Community, and Humility in Faith

The way I used to think was that I should go in my office with the Bible, pray to God, and study by myself, and when I come out, I will have the truth. Now, I don't know why I thought that, that I would, you know, because sometimes I could come up with new ideas or new thoughts. [00:01:14]

Looking back, I'm realizing gosh, I'm afraid of anything I come up with in isolation because there can be such an arrogance about that like oh no one figured this out until I was born, you know, rather than believing that Christ built his church and there's a foundation there of the Apostles and the prophets. [00:01:49]

Solomon said to God, you have shown great and steadfast love to David my father and have made me King in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father now be fulfilled, for you have made me King over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. [00:03:02]

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and to come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great? God answered Solomon, because this was in your heart and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you. [00:03:19]

When you were on that show and a lot of money was on the line and you got asked a question and you weren't sure what the answer was, you would pull the audience. If you're leaning towards answer B but 80% of the people in the audience said C, you knew rationally to put more stock in the community's opinion. [00:06:15]

I was thinking earlier about Jesus's commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. When I think about what it means to love my neighbor, I think of practical service, but I don't think of that in terms of my thought life. [00:08:09]

Paul basically says he thinks it's okay because there's really no such thing as an idol, but for someone else who thinks it's not okay, his belief could make them stumble. So he's going to actually prioritize their belief over his belief and never eat meat again if that's what it takes. [00:17:11]

I just love the way he kind of, I mean, one almost belittles this knowledge, this information. He goes, we've all got information, you know, but if anyone imagines that he really knows, like in that biblical sense, knows something, then he doesn't really know like he ought to know. [00:18:20]

I think most people are like that. We actually have our most useful creative ideas when we're just resting, and it's involuntary. It just pops into your head. It's the opposite of something that's works-based. Even when we do have a useful idea, I feel like so often it's just in the context of God. [00:19:38]

I think the thought process was, you know what, I'm not always in the best position to come to the truth or come to the right decisions even about my own life. Sometimes I'm in the worst position because I can't see the trees through the forest. I need to come to the community. [00:39:38]

I just want people to think better, to be more humble, and to go gosh, I can't just assume that I'm right all the time and to give grace to other people to think through what is the history of Judeo-Christianity because there are so many thoughts that are flying out there today. [00:40:05]

I know I'm not right about everything I believe. I held on to a lot of things that I was first taught because there was a people that led me to the Lord, like you said earlier, that there's a loyalty to that, and you don't want to let go of that, but you don't want to assume just because I got saved. [00:41:20]