The Idol of Rationalism

The human condition is like a man climbing the face of a mountain. In his search for truth man climbs reaching for what appear to be places where he can grab hold and have his weight supported. If the crevice or contoured formation holds man uses it to climb higher resting upon it and then leaving it below as he looks for more places that hold until he reaches the summit. Each truth that supports his weight helps him climb to the top. The summit in this metaphor is knowledge of God. As man climbs he reaches for crevices and formations that he believes are best suited to support him. He comes to know what these are by use of reason. He evaluates the type of rock, the depth of a crevice or the thickness of a formation. He quickly compares the ones he sees above him with the ones he has used before. Those that are similar to ones that failed he avoids. Those that are similar to the ones that granted success he pursues. What is remarkable about such a climb is that there are some crevices and formation that defy reason. Some look sturdy enough to bare the weight of ten men and yet they crumble when touched. Others do not appear to be able to hold their own weight but are exceedingly stronger than others. Whether you are a rock climber or a beach lounger you can appreciate this metaphor because it conveys what we all experience. There are truths that we thought we could lean upon because by means of our reasoning we were confident they were real and others that looked to be easily discarded and then turned out to be pillars.

The stone that the builders rejected became the chief corner stone.

We use our reason without trying. Reason is God’s gift to us. You cannot understand me nor can I understand you without reason. Yet, reason, like many other gifts of God, when overused or used in a manner that God never intended, becomes an idol. When reason becomes an idol it is called rationalism. Rationalism is the belief that truth cannot be known but through human reasoning. If it cannot be known by human reasoning it cannot be known and should not be understood as truth. A group in the Rationalism camp is Agnostics. Agnostics do not take a stand on whether God does or does not exist because they say, neither position can be proven. As we have seen when examining the other idols of our age, (This is idol number 8 in this series for those who are keeping score at home) idols like Rationalism are not exclusively found in the non-believing world. Christians too, can be Rationalists, although tapered down a few degrees. Some have labeled your pastor a Rationalist of sorts. Because I attempt to use reason to justify why I do what I do whether it is in leading worship, counseling or personal living it appears to some that I am a Rationalist. Even this series of sermons conveys a great degree of leaning upon your and my ability to reason. My apparent Rationalism is further conveyed in my perceived rejection of emotionalism and experientialism. Which, by the way will be our topic next week. Admittedly I have overreacted against emotionalism and experientialism for I perceive them to be a dominating idol among Christians. For what it is worth this morning I emphatically state that experience is a vital part of the Christian faith. I also argue that emotionalism and experientialism are not the antithesis to Rationalism. The actual antithesis or opposite position to Rationalism is mystery. It is my argument this morning that to reject mystery is to bow to Rationalism.

Mystery is conveyed first and foremost in miracles recorded in Scripture. The first miracle was creation. God made something out of nothing and did so by speaking it into existence. The miracles in the age of the Law were primarily through Moses who was used of God to make a small tribe of people a great nation that by reasoning were not in a position of strength to be a great anything. The second stage of miracles was during the age of prophecy when Elijah and Elisha taught the people of God Spiritual truths by means of defying what was seen and heard. The third stage of miracles was the age of the Messiah. Those miracles were performed by Jesus the Christ who came to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and then by his disciples who were commissioned to establish the His Church. All of the miracles recorded in Scripture are a part of mystery. We cannot explain them by means of human reason. They were what they were conveying things beyond what is seen, heard or understood.

Mystery is also conveyed in the Revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the only Son of God. We spoke of this Special Revelation last week. Jesus was born among men and yet is said to have been the creator. Jesus was human and also God. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Spirit is God and all of these are one. This is all a mystery. We know it is true and yet it cannot be explained by human reasoning. Yes, we use reason to explain these doctrines as mystery but that does not mean they are reasonable.

The next place mystery is conveyed I wish to rest our attention upon because it is where the Church struggles the most. In our New Testament lesson Jesus said that unless a man eat of his body and drink of his blood he cannot be Jesus’ disciple. In response many people walked away saying, "Who can accept this saying" meaning who can believe it. This recorded reaction is remarkable to me for two reasons. First, I am amazed the people walked away so easily. After all they had seen from Jesus I expected their loyalty would be stronger. Second, I am amazed Jesus let them. He does not call them back wishing to explain it to them so that they will continue to follow. He lets them go and by doing so is claiming them to be unfit for the kingdom of God.

Admittedly, upon taking a step back, Jesus words are hard. Taken literally Jesus is promoting cannibalism, and since the Law speaks against drinking the blood of beasts or humans a literal interpretation would be out of the question. Taken only in the Spiritual manner it remains to be seen how we can spiritual eat his body and drink his blood. Perhaps we could understand that by accepting him as the sacrificial lamb upon the cross we are internalizing his broken body and shed blood, but if this is all it means than why is there no mention of him speaking metaphorically?

I stand before you as a man called of God to preach and teach his Word. I have an understanding of the original languages. I have access to scholars who were given greater minds than my own. I have my own reasoning faculties about me and with all of this I still cannot say exactly what Jesus meant by these words. I know that when a sacrifice for sin was made according to the Law it was the blood of the animal that was poured upon the altar and the meat was to be consumed by the presiding priests. I know that before Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for the sin of men he gathered his disciples around him and broke bread saying "this is my body" and he poured wine into a cup and said, "this is my blood." These things I know and by them I equate a relationship between the bread and wine that we consume at Holy Communion and the words of Jesus, "unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood you cannot be my disciple." What that means effectually as in, how does this effect me, I do not fully know. Because I cannot fully know is no reason to reject what is offered. The bread and wine offered at Holy Communion are a means of grace to me whereby when I consume them I am fulfilling my part as a disciple of Jesus Christ and the benefits of his sacrifice our accorded to me. How this all works, I cannot explain. It is a mystery.

If you are troubled by my words because you hear the Roman doctrine of transubstantiation, fear not. I do not believe that the bread actually becomes the flesh of Christ or the wine actually becomes his blood. I do not believe that he is sacrificed again. I do believe that grace is bestowed upon a believer who eats these things. It is bestowed in a manner that is beyond the reason of man.

The mystery of Holy Communion is even greater when you consider what Jesus has instructed us to do to remember him. If I was to leave something behind as an instruction to remember me by I would ask you to do something unusually and unique so that that particular act would only remind you of me. Jesus, however, instructs us to do something we do everyday. We eat and we drink. In the first century bread and wine were readily available. Thus Jesus is making something quite ordinary into something quite extraordinary and how he does that is beyond reason.

Along with the mystery in Holy Communion is the mystery in Holy Baptism. What did we witness today regarding the Routson family? By means of human reason we witnessed a solemn ceremony where the parents confessed faith in Jesus Christ on behalf of their child ending with an infant getting wet. What we cannot know by human reason is the good that this ceremony did for the child. Recall please the story of Jairus. Jairus was a synagogue ruler who came to Jesus out of desperation because his daughter who was at the age of twelve was sick. She was dying. When Jesus came to the girl those caring for the girl thought she had died. Before he saw the girl Jesus said to Jairus, "Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." Jesus then went to the little girl’s side and raised her up. The girl was healed because of her father’s faith. How does this happen? Faith is hard enough to understand and here is an instance where the faith of a parent is benefited to a child.

Recall another story when men cut a hole in Peter’s roof to lower their paralyzed friend. The bible says the man was made to walk because Jesus saw the faith of those who had lowered him. Remember the Centurion who came to Jesus on behalf of his sick servant. Jesus said that he had not seen greater faith in any man of Israel and healed the servant from afar. Recall Noah who was able to board his entire family onto the ark to be saved from God’s judgment because of his faith. These are examples of how the faith of one person is transferred to benefit others. How does this happen? We cannot know by human reason.

How are we who have been baptized into Christ Jesus baptized into his death as the apostle describes in Romans 6? We cannot know by human reason. How are we who have been baptized raised from the dead as Christ was raised? We cannot know by human reason.

I conclude that rationalism has taken hold of many Christians as is evidenced by the manner that the sacraments, Holy Communion and Baptism are practiced. In some churches Holy Communion is only offered once every few months. Baptism is only offered to those who are of a certain age. The reasoning behind such practices is based on what is seen rather than unseen. Too often we cast away practices such as these or treat them as unimportant because we cannot wrap our minds around them. This is unfortunate.

We also cannot wrap our minds around the idea that faith comes by hearing the word of God. We cannot wrap our minds around how we can help each other with our burdens by prayer. We cannot wrap our minds around how when we give God ten percent of our income he returns blessings upon us. These and many, many other things taught in the Bible we cannot wrap our minds around and it is because of that inability that we are tempted not to do them.

What we need is a new embracing of mystery. I cannot explain to you exactly how the ways of God work. I cannot explain to you how your faith grows and matures because you attend Church every Sunday and expose yourself to the reading and preaching of God’s word. And it is not because of me. It has nothing to do with my personality or the personality of any man who stand behind a pulpit. It has to do with the way God has ordered his Kingdom. Faith comes by hearing he says, hearing the Word of God.

It is a mystery that when your heart is burdened by sin or the trials of this world that the prayers of God’s people can support you and help you stand. I cannot explain it but that is what God tells us to do. Bear up one another’s burdens and fulfill the Law of Christ.

It is a mystery that when we give back to God our tithe, ten percent of what we have earned, he is honored and promises to return blessings upon us. I cannot explain why God is honored by our giving when he owns all there is to own. I cannot explain why we would be blessed by him for doing something so small. What I can say and what we all must believe is that it is a mystery.

Reason has its place. Of course it does. God says to his people, "Come let us reason together." It is when reason becomes Rationalism that we have made our own minds an idol. Don’t allow rationalism to impede your from coming to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Don’t allow rationalism to impede you from receiving the blessings offered in Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Don’t allow rationalism to keep you from building up your faith, having your burdens supported and receiving blessings from God. Embrace the mystery of the gospel.