How the Bible Validates Knowledge, Why Stories Are Soul Food, and Cultivating Camaraderie Among Men

AN IDEA FROM ME

The world does not interpret itself. God, the Creator of the world and everything in it, is the Creator who speaks. He has spoken to us in an authoritative way, and by that speech he has revealed to us the truth about himself, the cosmos, and ourselves. 

We have knowledge because of God’s revelation. He has not given us exhaustive knowledge, but he has given us truth. We do not know everything, but the knowledge he has given us is true. True knowledge begins with a proper attitude toward God and a willingness to hear what he has to say. As Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).

…The Bible provides the basis for certain knowledge, and validates the three ways of knowing we referenced earlier [reason, the five senses, and intuition]. When we think biblically, we see that rationalism is a false view, but the use of reason is good (Isaiah 1:18; 1 Peter 3:15). Empiricism is false, but empirical science (based on sense data analysis) is good (Psalm 111:2; Isaiah 40:26; Psalm 94:9). Subjectivism is also false, but God has given us intuition, and truth is very personal (Job 38:36; Romans 2:14-15). 

When unified by God’s revelation, these three are not in conflict but work together. We have a basis for using all three.

—Source: from my book, The Bible Based Worldview. Click here to order your own copy.

A QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE

Storytelling has not only been with us since the beginning, but it also communicates meaning to us in a way that bare facts cannot. This isn’t to say that in some sense story is pitted against fact; rather, story is fact fermented. In the words of N. D. Wilson, stories are soul food: They feed our spirit and nourish our hearts. So, whether we engage in storytelling through fiction or nonfiction, songwriting, painting, podcasting, or in any other form, we’re called to wield the image of God by faithfully reflecting his work of creative meaning-making for his glory and one another’s good.

—Zephram Foster, “Divine Story,” Modern Reformation, March/April 2024, 39.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

How many close friends does a man need? In today’s busy society, what can local churches do to foster camaraderie and brotherhood among Christian men?

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