Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
CAN FAITH BE DIVORCED FROM EVIDENCE? PART 1
Faith without reason is unreasonable faith
This is the first article in a series on what the Lord has shown me about FAITH and EVIDENCE. It deals with only the parsing of the important words. This will lay a foundation of the deeper discussions to follow.
Brace yourself! This is more of a teaching blog than an entertaining one. It may not be an easy read because there is more here than a normal, well adjusted person would normally want to know but it will be worth it. It is the detail which makes me a boring person that brings the Bible alive for me. But if you happen to like what you read, there’s more to be found here.
[NOTE: Important words analysed below are identified with Hebrew/Greek transliterations into English and Strong’s Numbers so that whoever wants to can check them out — it is strongly recommended that you do. I use the Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/ )]
Introduction
“If the Bible said, ‘That cat is a horse,’ I’d believe it,” has got to be one of the more mindless statements of well-meaning Christians. It contradicts the Laws of Logic which are personified in the Logos (Logic of God) mentioned in John 1:1. Further, there is a warning against such warped logic in Isaiah 5:2 || “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.”
[NOTE: The Targum of John (which is something like an Aramaic translation of the Torah along the lines of the Greek Septuagint translation), uses memer, or ma’amar מאמר, Strong’s H3982 and H3983, an Aramaic word meaning: word, command, appointment, for “and God Said,” in Genesis 1. It comes from the Aramaic, אמר, Strong’s 565, ‘imrah, or ’emrah (em’-raw). It means commandment, speech, or word. It is the equivalent of logos (λογος), Strong’s G3056, denoting both word and reason in the Greek. The concept of Jesus being The Word is not a NT phenomenon.(Reference:Koinonia Institute Course, K505 Ancient Texts.)]
Faith is the Currency of Heaven
It is written in Hebrews 11:6 || “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So it bodes the Saints well to learn about it.
A serious flaw in modern Hermeneutics
Choose almost any Christian article containing a definition of a word in the Bible and invariably the phrase, “Merriam-Webster (or another dictionary) says . . . ,” crops up. There was a time that reputable dictionaries were the custodians of the meanings of words but those days are long gone. Dictionaries nowadays pride themselves on keeping score of the misuse of words. With the gleeful announcement of the personal pronoun, they, as the Word of the Year the
(small ‘l’)linguists abdicated their position of authority. They have educated themselves into a state of imbecility. They demonstrate the effectiveness of George Orwell’s description of the Soviet population control technique, “First kidnap the word, then hijack the meaning.” These are the guys who said that religion is the opiate of the masses.
Personally, the only dictionary I give any credence is the 1828 [not a typo] edition of Noah Webster’s Dictionary because it refers back to the Bible. Of course, words after 1828 need some work. But the place I go for definitions is the Bible itself — with it’s lexicons. I expect there are many good ones but I use the Blue Letter Bible.
English vs Koinonia Greek
It is written in Hebrews 11:1|| Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
But the English translation is soooo anaemic. Let’s look at some Greek.
A possible re-phrase
I’m sure you could do better.
Faith is the conviction about the Holy One, burning intensely hot within me, which is erected upon a foundation that actually exists and can be relied upon. The evidence can be trusted because it would ensure a conviction in a court of law. It speaks of a reality which is beyond the spectrum which our physical senses can detect.
A key word
Often overlooked, g1650 elegchos.
The first Law of Evidence
Another flaw in the approach of the majority of NT Saints is ignorance of the concept that evidence is not proof. This is fought out every day in (reputable) courts of law under the auspices of Proverbs 18:17 || The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbour comes and examines him.
I look out the window and see exquisite design. The Atheist beside me sees accident. The Apatheist doesn’t care.
But you can’t prove God exists.
This claim emanates from the Atheists on the Medium platform — one in particular. In a way that is true but g1650 elegchos means “evidence which ensures a conviction in a court of law.” The Rule of Law is, “Beyond reasonable doubt.” It depends what you see when you look out the window.
Psalm 14:1 || The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” God = H430 ‘ĕlōhîm = God the Creator. A Body has to work very hard to have a reasonable doubt looking out the window. It is written in Psalm 114 that people become like the gods they worship. Psalm 114 describes the Western World today and gives the solution. Only God can save us.
Why is it necessary to have evidence to have faith?
Because the Christ valued evidence. That will be covered in following posts.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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