Reflections on Biblical and
Christian Philosophy

(With some trepidation, I have used the title from Blaise Pascal's Pensées. I do not claim to have a mind equal to his. I only hope to stimulate other minds perhaps to consider and think through issues that they might otherwise confront.)

“Agree to disagree.” There can be only one right answer by the law of non-contradiction. While we must show brotherly affection when we differ, disagreement among Christians is most serious. Failure to agree is failure to achieve Christ’s mind on a matter. His mind is unity, and can only have one answer. On a practical level, we cannot debate every issue endlessly. However, perhaps the recognition that the failure of unity is the greater problem than the issue itself.

Whether knowledge is true has no necessary correspondence to the study that preceded. One interesting thing about any specific knowledge is that whether it is true or not (that is, whether it conforms to reality) has nothing to do with the degree of study for the derivation of that knowledge. For example, the recently born-again Christian can know the truth of Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior simply from a few Bible verses as John 3:16. The most serious and studied imam (Muslim priest) still knows and lives a lie. The American Academy of Pediatrics, members of which, are specialists, have taken a stand against spanking. The Bible (God) says that they stand on a lie (Proverbs 22:15). One person may hear a stock pick in a casual conversation that makes a great profit, while another spends weeks studying and tracking a stock that eventually is a big loser.

In general, I strong advocate study to arrive at knowledge. But, study alone does not guarantee knowledge that is true. (In reality, the only truth that we will ever know is that of the Bible.)

He who attempts to integrate the Bible and any other knowledge neither understands the authority of God’s Word nor ever arrive at truth. By this statement, I do not disparage the difficulty of understanding Special Revelation and General Revelation. They are two languages that must be translated from one to the other. But superior authority must always be given to Scripture on any point or subject to which both speak with any relevance to each other.

The Bible narrows the field of philosophy to logic alone. Areas of philosophy which are commonly agreed upon are logic, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. The Bible, accepted as one’s first principle, gives the philosopher his source of ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. Through logic and its derivative disciplines, the fullness of God’s Word to man will come to be understood.  Van Til and John Frame agree.  http://www.frame-poythress.org/frame_articles/2003VanTil.htm

What did Doubting Thomas “believe” when he said, “I believe?” He did not say, “I believe that You (Jesus) were dead and were resurrected.” He did not say, “ You are powerful in being able to overcome death.” He believed that Jesus was “My Lord and my God!” His statement is several steps removed from a simple conclusion from the empirical evidence. Thomas was reasoning syllogistically.

God must “ordain whatsoever comes to pass,” from the smallest thought to World Wars, because the contingencies for any one thought or event as so complex that for any one to happen, they would have had to be worked out in complete detail beforehand. (Quote from Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 3, Section 1.)

Bible students and theologians should learn more philosophy; philosophers who are Christians should learn more Bible and theology.  Their knowledge in each area will be stronger for understanding the other.

The problem of immediacy. Philosophers may discuss jots and titles ad nauseum et ad infinitum, but most people need answers today! Their bills must be paid; the conflict with spouses must be settled, one way or another; they must vote for or against political candidates; and, they are ever faced with the specter of death. They need answers, and they need them immediately. Praise God in his mercy and grace to give us His Word which is “sufficient” to answer all of life’s problems and questions. Certainly, there is the work of philosophers that is legitimate, but they should remember that major decisions about life have to be made before their work is done!

Truth must exist or nothing else matters. If truth does not exist, my opinions do not matter; why say them? If truth does not exist, why listen to another person? If truth does not exist, I may not complain about “the way things are” (the government, my church, my spouse, my job or anything else). If truth does not exist, even hedonism is condemned because I will never know that it is a worthwhile pursuit. If truth does not exist, the only logical conclusion is suicide. But, it is rare, rare in the history of mankind that one ever does that, so the remainder of us must either reason illogically or we believe that truth does exist.

All speaking is teaching or reminding of what one already knows. Augustine of Hippo in “Concerning the Teacher”

On presuppositionalism vs. evidentialism: I defy you to start anywhere without assumptions. I believe that my senses are trustworthy. “I think; therefore, I am.” I am not dreaming, and therefore will not wake up to find out a different reality. You are there, and you are not silent. I believe that words have meaning. I believe that I can trust my thinking. I believe that everything is a dream and that I will wake up one day (to what?). I believe in nothing at all. Assumptions, belief, axioms, starting points, or presuppositions.

If facts are self-interpreting, why do psychologists (and others) interpret true conversion and repentance as anything but a miracle? If facts are self-interpreting, why are there so many scientific explanations about how the universe, and particularly life, came to be? If facts are self-interpreting, how are the facts about which one is concerned, selected?

Judgments of value that cannot be obtained by description. A theory must precede the choice of facts.

A Christian, by definition, should believe in the infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will not divorce the Word of God, as both the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of John 1:1.

Every man and woman on planet earth is a “person of faith.” While I want to applaud the work of Christians in philosophy over the last several decades, they have overlooked perhaps the most important fact for modern times: that faith underlies every philosophy, worldview, religion, cosmology, and -ism. Once this truth is established, the debate become which faith will we as individuals, society, and government life by.

Without a canon of Holy Scripture that is infallible, mankind is hopelessly lost. Corollary: Without a canon of Holy Scripture that is infallible, mankind’s hope for our woes is dependent only upon a majority vote or the tyranny of a dictator--that is, no hope.

What happens when a person dies? There are only three possibilities within all the world‘s religions and philosophies. (1) He goes to heaven or hell. (2) Nothing. Since man is only a body, it decays and that is the end. (3) He lives within a monism of the universe without consciousness of self A variant of the latter is reincarnation, but there is still no self-consciousness. (My thanks to Bill Jack for this insight.)

Groups do not think, only individual persons do. But, groups may prevent each other from thinking--group-think. Therefore, any doctrine that depends upon a church body, involves a group-vote of individuals, not the group itself. And, that is why Jesus Christ is the only Head of the Church.

The word, “Christian,” must be restored to its original meaning, “Christ ones.” That is, Christian is a person with a doctrinal commitment to the Christ of the Bible, the 66 books that all of Christendom agree are the “very word of God written.” As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit “breathed out” His Word. Therefore, to deny the Scriptures as infallible and inerrant is to deny the Spirit. A denial of the work of one of the Trinity is not “Christian.”

The Bible is every honest philosopher’s greatest desire: an objective source of truth! Yet, in their lost or confused state, they do not embrace their holy grail.

 Ideas have consequences.　 Eve was given an idea by Satan. Cain had an idea. All the peoples of the earth had only evil ideas. The Tower of Babel was an idea. Alexander the Great had an idea.　 Caesar Augustus had an idea.　 The Pope Leo III had the idea to crown Charlemagne. English nobles presented their idea to King John.　 The Council of Trent had several ideas. Joseph Stalin had an idea.　 Adolph Hitler had an idea.　 Pol Pot had an idea.　

God’s Idea answered Adam and Eve’s Fall. The Great Flood was God’s idea. He gave Adam the idea of a boat. Abraham had an idea revealed to him.　 Moses had an idea revealed to him.　 David had an idea revealed to him.　 Jesus knew that He is The Idea.　 Paul the Apostle had an The Idea revealed to him.　 Augustine of Hippo had an idea revealed to him.　 Martin Luther had an idea revealed to him.　 John Calvin had many ideas revealed to him.　 John Knox learned an idea from John Calvin.　 The Puritans and others took that idea and founded the United States of America.　 God says that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords--one day all the living and dead will know that Idea.

Definitions.  One of the most important elements of communication is precise use of definitions.  Yet, almost everyone is bored by definitions.  Almost everyone is less specific about definitions than is necessary for good communication.

Philosophers are particularly guilty about defining words because they are their "stock in trade."  But then, if they defined their words, more people might understand them.  That result could be good or bad for either the philosopher, his hearers, or both!

Philosophy for the "common man."  If a philosopher cannot reduce his theories into a language that the "common man," then he has no claim to a hearing by anyone.  One beautiful dimension of the Bible is that its central message and its primary instructions can be understood by any creature with a reasonably rational mind!

Creation ex nihilo.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Genesis 1:1

Rationality and Irrationality.  Whether an argument is rational or irrational is a matter or personal opinion, the vote of a committee, or the Great Sez Who (authority or Authority). 

The trivium and the tools of philosophy.  Classical education centers on the "trivium" of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.  The primary tools of philosophy correspond: definitions and language, logical reasoning, and argumentation (practice of the first two).  Interesting!

Language is both adequate and inadequate for communication.  Language works great in most communications, especially where the situation is person enough that questions and clarifications are possible.  However, in complex arguments shades of meaning can considerably alter meaning.  Perhaps this is the problem of philosophy.  Meanings of words are stretched beyond a precision that communicates.

Everyone wants absolute proof.  However, since the Garden, God has chosen not to give us absolute proofs in this earthly life.  All knowledge exists by one's faith commitment.