March 9, 2006
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Albert Kim writes,
“It is ONLY THROUGH OUR INTELLECTS/MINDS THAT THE WORD OF GOD IS UNDERSTOOD, and therefore a transformation of the heart takes place. … I am a christian because I have believed and embraced the propositions of revelation.
… If [you] deny the primacy of mental discourse, [you] have abandoned the true meaning of believing the Bible to be sufficient for all things. (2 Tim 3:16) Furthermore, the relationship we have with God is not the type that many consider today. Rather, it is unseen and BASED SOLELY ON DIVINE REVELATION.(proposition)
…Therefore, proposition (revelation) must dictate our experience and experience should be filtered through proposition. Peter writes, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.”
…Peter begins by describing his experience with the Transfiguration. Yet, despite that great experience Peter says that we have “something more sure, the prophetic word.” Peter is PUTTING PROPOSITION OVER EVEN HIS EXPERIENCE OF THE TRANSFIGURATION and stressing the primacy of proposition/mind/intellect over even that miraculous encounter. The same was true for apostle Paul. Paul did not argue that Christ is Lord because of his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Rather, the foundation of his argument was through the expounding of the OT and the historical fact that Jesus died and was raised on the third day. You will see that period after period when Paul is reasoning with the people in synagogues.
…There is the idea among the contemporary christian circle that believers have a certain type of “relationship” that “transcends” the mental/physical. … The intellectual assent in the christian life has been all but diminished, doctrine has been minimized, and people have simply become accustomed to being non-divisive. I have engaged in many discussions when I have been told that people have this “personal relationship” with God. What does this relationship consist of I ask. Is there actual interaction with God? When people experience the christian life in such a way, the primacy of proposition has been lost.”
My response to Albert:
G’day Albert,
I found your article on the importance of the intellect by searching “intellectual assent” in the xanga look-up engine. I do believe that faith in the gospel is intellectual assent to the doctrines of Christ’s righteousness and atonement. Thus, I am very interested in corresponding with you, since you claim to hold this view too.
Now, we say that faith is simply to believe the propositions of the gospel. Logically, this would seem to raise a question. CAN SOMEONE ASSENT TO THE GOSPEL and NOT KNOW THEY HAVE ASSENTED?
Of course not! Scripture says that God has “given us”–believers–”an understanding, that we may know Him that is true”. Can someone understand and know the truth of the gospel, and doubt they possess the truth? Surely, it’s impossible for a man to understand and believe an idea is true and at the same time doubt that he is a believer in that idea.
“For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man within him?”(LITV) “For, among human beings, who knows a man’s inner thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him?”(WEY) 1 Corinthians 2:11
Men know their thoughts. So, when God’s testimony — that believers are justified by Christ’s obedience to the Law and blood– enlightens a man’s mind, the man must know that HE IS IN THE LIGHT. And if the believer could doubt that he is in the light, wouldn’t he be calling God a liar in His promises? Doesn’t God say over and over again that ALL believers are “justified”, “redeemed”, “will not come into judgement” etc? Can a believer say that God lied when he said that “HE THAT ABIDES IN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST HAS THE FATHER AND THE SON”?
Albert, can believers call God a liar?
The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son. 1 Jn 5:10
Andrew Bain
Sydney, Australia
Comments (5)
Would you agree that the faith that redemption is conditioned on is more than pure intellectual assent? I mean, faith obviously must include intellectual assent. But, would it not also include the relational component of trust? It is good to try to avoid the extreme of many today – to limit Christianity to a purely emotional experience. However, I would caution against swinging to the opposite extreme in reaction. The Bible does clearly use relational terms to describe Christians (i.e. brothers, sons, etc).
Andrew, thanks for the comments. I agree wholeheartedly.
ST130811,
You raise a good point. The point that I would make is simply that without the intellectual assent, true emotional experiences cannot take place. The reason why I was arguing so aggressively on the other end is simply in hopes to simply shake the other person who would directly oppose.
The mind and the heart should be both first and foremost. The mind is to be informed so that the heart will produce the right affections. And the heart’s affections in turn produces a love for God’s Word expressed through the intellect. Therefore the mind and heart are inseparable in its primacy. We glory in the propositions God has made, and only through the truth expounded, we are able to love God from the deep corners of our hearts.
There is simply so much profound truth in Scripture that has undeniable implications for your life. And it is only through the intellectual assent that we are able to take it in and understand it.
“Would you agree that the faith that redemption is conditioned on is more than pure intellectual assent?”
There are no conditions for salvation… the issue is, does regeneration include only the mind or the heart as well. The Bible emphasises a new NATURE, which includes the heart and mind. Regeneration never changes one and not the other according to prooftexts I have supplied in previous posts.
Brianjpatterson said: “There are no conditions for salvation…” I never thought I would see myself type these words, yet, is faith itself not the condition for salvation? One cannot please God until he first believes that God exists and rewards the faithful with salvation (Hebrews 11:6). Now of course, God is the one who provides the gift of faith, yet, is not faith the condition for salvation? Faith is what breeds a holy fear of God as judge, the fear calls the sinner to repent, repentance results in the sinner confessing God with his mouth while believing in Christ in his heart.
Is it wrong to think of faith as the condition leading to salvation?
No it isn’t, I would direct you to Ephesians, chapter two. There it says in verse 8 that faith is the gift of God, not of works, lest any should boast. Faith must be present, but it something God freely gives as a gift. If you look at the greek you will find that the antecedent refers not only to faith, but the entire process of salvation. So even the asking, or recieving, is wrought in our hearts that were before spiritually dead, Eph. 2:1. Indeed, unsaved man does not desire it, Jn 8:34, Rom. 6:17-18, 8:7-8, 1Cor. 2:14, Jn 6:44, 6:63-65.