As some of you may already know, I subscribe to what is called presuppositionalism. What this means is that I start with the basic presupposition that God exists for all of my reasoning. I assume based off of God's word certain axioms such as all people know that God exists (i.e. there is no such thing as an atheist) and that God has revealed Himself to all people in such a way that they are without an excuse for not worshiping Him. The reason that I start my reasoning with the presupposition that God exists is because that is what I am commanded to do in 1 Peter 3:15 which says,
"...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you..."
What this text is saying is that we must first start with Christ as Lord in our minds before we reason for us to be able to make a rational defense against unbelievers. We must decide that Christ takes first importance in all our reasoning. To do otherwise is to make an apologetical defense that goes against the clear teaching of Scripture. As it says in Proverbs 1:7,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
This means that our fear of God comes before we ever know anything whatsoever. As matter of fact, it could be said that unless you fear God first, you really do not know anything at all. You may have a doctorate in whatever field you are in, but if you do not fear God first, then you know absolutely nothing. Christ should take preeminence in all of our thinking because He is preeminent in all of creation. As Colossians 1:15-20 says,
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn among all creation. For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile himself all things whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross"
As you can clearly see from this text, Christ is obviously preeminent over all creation. So, why wouldn't He be preeminent in all of our reasoning abilities too? Now that I established that Christ should be the presupposition in all of our reasoning, you may be wondering why I say all people know God exists and that there is no such thing as an atheist. Well, if you turn to Romans 1:18-20, we read the following,
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
According to this text, all men intuitively know that God exists, and the reason they do not acknowledge Him is that they are merely "suppressing the truth in unrighteousness" because they hate Him and love their own sin instead. God has clearly and plainly revealed Himself to all people in creation. Theologians call this general revelation, which simply means that man can see God in the intricate design of the universe and the world. All of life literally screams at us about God's existence. Professing atheists must plug their ears really tight to ignore all of that screaming.
So, what does all this have to do with one's mental health? Well, I have found three different ways that basing your reasoning abilities on Christ will have positive effects on your mental health. They are the following:
1) You Will Be Going Along The Grain Of Reality
2) You Will Think More Rationally
3) You Will Be More At Peace
I will elaborate more on these points in a minute, but I will tell you there are many more benefits to basing your reasoning on Christ. However, for the sake of this blog, I will just focus on these three only. I find that these three are the most important but if you can think of any more benefits please feel free to let me know. I will now explain these points more fully.
You Will Be Going Along The Grain Of Reality
As I have stated earlier, everyone already knows that God exists according to Romans 1:18-20. This means that when professing atheists claim that there is no God they are going against the grain of reality. It actually takes much more faith to believe that there is no God than it does to believe that God exists. As I have said earlier, creation screams God's existence, so it is natural for people to acknowledge God. One could say that theism is everyone's default position from birth and that one needs to be taught atheism to believe it. It is completely unnatural for someone to say God does not exist.
You Will Think More Rationally
When you are going along the grain of reality, you will naturally think more rationally. This is to be expected because when you start with the presupposition of God's existence, you have a logical foundation for things such as knowledge, logic, morality, and ethics. The worldview of atheism cannot account for any of these things because it has no foundation. All attempts that professing atheists employ to account for these things fail miserably. Any time professing atheists use logic or claim to know things or use morality and ethics, they are demonstrating that they in fact know God's existence.
You Will Be More At Peace
When you start with the presupposition of Christ in your reasoning, you will definitely live in a more peaceful mindset. This should be expected because Philippians 4:7 tells us,
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"
Professing atheists definitely do not have this peace. Why do you think they are always angry and lashing out at God and Christians? When you begin with the presupposition of God, your mind will naturally be more at ease because you know that God is sovereign over all creation and absolutely nothing happens in life apart from His will. You will understand that God's providence is taking care of all your needs and thus you have no need to worry. You will be free from all anxiety.
I hope that this blog helps you better understand why it is so very important to base all of your reasoning ability on Christ alone. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!! Soli Deo Gloria!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"...but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you..."
What this text is saying is that we must first start with Christ as Lord in our minds before we reason for us to be able to make a rational defense against unbelievers. We must decide that Christ takes first importance in all our reasoning. To do otherwise is to make an apologetical defense that goes against the clear teaching of Scripture. As it says in Proverbs 1:7,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
This means that our fear of God comes before we ever know anything whatsoever. As matter of fact, it could be said that unless you fear God first, you really do not know anything at all. You may have a doctorate in whatever field you are in, but if you do not fear God first, then you know absolutely nothing. Christ should take preeminence in all of our thinking because He is preeminent in all of creation. As Colossians 1:15-20 says,
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn among all creation. For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile himself all things whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross"
As you can clearly see from this text, Christ is obviously preeminent over all creation. So, why wouldn't He be preeminent in all of our reasoning abilities too? Now that I established that Christ should be the presupposition in all of our reasoning, you may be wondering why I say all people know God exists and that there is no such thing as an atheist. Well, if you turn to Romans 1:18-20, we read the following,
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
According to this text, all men intuitively know that God exists, and the reason they do not acknowledge Him is that they are merely "suppressing the truth in unrighteousness" because they hate Him and love their own sin instead. God has clearly and plainly revealed Himself to all people in creation. Theologians call this general revelation, which simply means that man can see God in the intricate design of the universe and the world. All of life literally screams at us about God's existence. Professing atheists must plug their ears really tight to ignore all of that screaming.
So, what does all this have to do with one's mental health? Well, I have found three different ways that basing your reasoning abilities on Christ will have positive effects on your mental health. They are the following:
1) You Will Be Going Along The Grain Of Reality
2) You Will Think More Rationally
3) You Will Be More At Peace
I will elaborate more on these points in a minute, but I will tell you there are many more benefits to basing your reasoning on Christ. However, for the sake of this blog, I will just focus on these three only. I find that these three are the most important but if you can think of any more benefits please feel free to let me know. I will now explain these points more fully.
You Will Be Going Along The Grain Of Reality
As I have stated earlier, everyone already knows that God exists according to Romans 1:18-20. This means that when professing atheists claim that there is no God they are going against the grain of reality. It actually takes much more faith to believe that there is no God than it does to believe that God exists. As I have said earlier, creation screams God's existence, so it is natural for people to acknowledge God. One could say that theism is everyone's default position from birth and that one needs to be taught atheism to believe it. It is completely unnatural for someone to say God does not exist.
You Will Think More Rationally
When you are going along the grain of reality, you will naturally think more rationally. This is to be expected because when you start with the presupposition of God's existence, you have a logical foundation for things such as knowledge, logic, morality, and ethics. The worldview of atheism cannot account for any of these things because it has no foundation. All attempts that professing atheists employ to account for these things fail miserably. Any time professing atheists use logic or claim to know things or use morality and ethics, they are demonstrating that they in fact know God's existence.
You Will Be More At Peace
When you start with the presupposition of Christ in your reasoning, you will definitely live in a more peaceful mindset. This should be expected because Philippians 4:7 tells us,
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"
Professing atheists definitely do not have this peace. Why do you think they are always angry and lashing out at God and Christians? When you begin with the presupposition of God, your mind will naturally be more at ease because you know that God is sovereign over all creation and absolutely nothing happens in life apart from His will. You will understand that God's providence is taking care of all your needs and thus you have no need to worry. You will be free from all anxiety.
I hope that this blog helps you better understand why it is so very important to base all of your reasoning ability on Christ alone. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!! Soli Deo Gloria!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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