Thinking and Loving: Knowledge Rooted in Love

Bethlehem College and Seminary exists to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples and we do it by trying to model and instill habits of mind and heart which see what is really there in the world and in the word and understand what they see and evaluate Fairly what they understand and feel intensely either negatively or positively what they have evaluated and then apply to all of life that wisdom and then express it with Effectiveness. [00:00:48]

Our culture is collapsing crumbling before our eyes at an unprecedented Pace into a kind of evil that we would have thought Unthinkable which means that we're all tempted who try to be Bible people to be self-protective and Fortress oriented and the love Dimension can just shrivel up and they can go to hell because that's the way they're living that's not what we're about for fortresses are appropriate and have their place the church is a bulwark and pillar of the truth but to our dying breath we live for others. [00:01:54]

Thinking with right reason is ordained is an God ordained means of loving others that's the thesis and that little phrase with reason there I'm going to make that clear what that is in a minute therefore at Bethlehem College and Seminary we aim to grow in our ability to think with right reason so that we may love others for Christ's sake that's where we're going. [00:04:16]

The issue at Corinth is what do you do with meat so in the marketplace that has been offered to an idol may you eat it if you eat it may you invite others to eat it if the pagans are eating it can you go eat it with them if somebody doesn't think you should eat it should you eat it in front of them and a whole host of questions that not only have to be answered on the basis of the vertical is it okay between me and you God but is it okay lest I destroy anybody it's a love issue not just a freedom issue. [00:05:55]

Right knowing not imaginary knowing not the knowing that you think you have when you don't have right knowing right thinking is is is vertically I love you with my knowing and I love you you with my knowing if my knowing doesn't make me thrill in God and love and lay my life down for people I don't know my brain has been turned into a prostitute and I am using it falsely for my own private ends and not for God's glory and people's good that not the kind of thinking we want to teach here. [00:11:00]

Paul has wisdom Peter says so and Paul said so in 1 Corinthians 2: 6-13 we teach a wisdom which is not a wisdom of this world it is a wisdom taught by the spirit in words taught by the spirit Paul claims to be a verbally inspired echo of the wisdom of God and so Peter says that's the way Paul teaches he's of God he is a authoritative Apostolic true spokesman for the living Christ listen to him and then he says no surprise to us some things in his writings are hard to understand. [00:12:24]

Hard thinking requiring words not impossible to understand hard not shouldn't be understood hard well if they're hard what do you do you work you think hard which the ignorant and unstable twist they won't do it they won't do it they won't work hard they won't push through why because they're aoy get that they they a and they're a stoy stoy come from St rido stand so what's an a Ros person they're translated unstable that's good. [00:13:15]

You push you push and you push and you cry you pray and you beat your head against the desk and you push and you study and you push we try to do my ah my not taught these are not taught unstable they fall down easy because they're not taught this is our mandate right we don't want you to be like this we don't want you to bump up against hard things in the Bible perplexing things in the Bible and just fall down and play dead because you know you don't fall down and play dead you get up and twist if you're a pastor or Mom or a dad or a small group leader because you got to say something what are you going to say you're going to make it up be better if you were silent if you fell down and don't understand the text just be quiet but they don't they don't they're not quiet they're twisting if you have a job and you're paid to understand text and you don't understand them you lie and when you lie you destroy yourself and if you're teacher you destroy others and that's not loving and therefore hard thinking is a means of loving. [00:14:47]

Don't judge by appearance don't think criticize come to conclusion superficially by appearance judge judge with right judgment now what's going on here Jesus is is noticing that he has just healed a man on the Sabbath The Man man was sick and Jesus touched him and made him well awesome praise God the Messiah is here they didn't they got angry he does not like that wh what what what does he do then what does he do in response to their anger he's just made a man well they're angry and he looks at him and he thinks and he reasons like this and beckons them to reason with him now. [00:17:33]

You circumcise a man on Saturday the Lord's day why well says the circumcise them on the eth day it fell on Saturday I guess we need to do it and compromise our convictions about not picking up any knives or doing anything like that on Saturday we just we'll make that adjustment okay I'm fine with that so why are you angry when I made a a whole body well you you use your mind to develop a hermeneutic that enables you to obey the whole law by making adjustments appropriately for when the law seems to conflict with itself you get it all fixed so that you can do what you think you ought to do and when it comes to this you're inconsistent isn't that the point you're inconsistent you're not following through rationally on your principles that you've already established of making some adjustments in what the law expects because the law says love your neighbor as you love yourself I desire mercy and not sacrifice you make any adjustments for this man you have any heart for this man that enables you to be consistent in your judgments so don't judge by appearances use your brain rightly because if you did you'd be happy about this and that's loving and to use your brain wrongly with wrong judgments hates right thinking consistent thinking produces love. [00:18:47]

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign no sign will be given except the son of Jonah so he left them and departed they asked him for a sign he called them adulterous why the bridegroom had come Messiah and the bride was to be assembled for the bridegroom and they looked at their bridegroom and what would you think if a bride looks at her bridegroom and he says I'm here for you darling and she looks at this other man off to the side over here this man called money or sex or fame or whatever he looks at this other man and then looks at the BR room and she says prove it what would you what would that say you know what that says if a bride stands in front of a bridegroom on the wedding night and he says I'm so eager to have you and she says prove that you're the guy everybody would say she's got another guy that's all it means she's got another guy it's him you don't need any proof it's him he's right there in front of you it's your bridegroom you know your bridegroom don't you or are you got a love affair going with another man yes you do you're adulteress you're an adulterous generation. [00:22:03]

Therefore think over what I say Timothy think think think rightly about what I the authoritative Apostle say and the Lord will give you understanding in everything I am really jealous for this to happen here let's pray Father in Heaven I plead with you that this year together these young men and women will gain habits of mind and habits of observation habits of heart that fit them to be the most ruthless careful wise rigorous sharp faithful thinkers they can possibly be so that they will love you and love people so that they will build up people and talk up you oh Lord God may all of us as a faculty Administration and students pull together in doing the hard mental work of growing in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus in his name I pray amen. [00:27:09]