Something Borrowed, Nothing New
Something Borrowed, Nothing New
Have you ever thought about how you have come to think the way that you do? Where did all those ideas that you have regarding relationships, fashion, abortion, beauty, politics, humor, and God come from? Now, you may be a sharp person, head of your class and a card carrying member of Mensa, but the fact is ... there is no original thought.
Consider that your noetic structure (thought process) is formed by others. Your parents are the dominant influence in the childhood years, along with television. Then teachers, pastors, friends, and peers throughout the rest of your life. The mass media with all the literature, periodicals, movies, art, plays, and lest we forget, advertisements that you encounter and experience also add to the construction of your ideas. I know that sometimes you think that you think of something original, but a close examination will reveal that thought to be just the offspring of others in your head.
Ideas and information flow with history. To understand Kant you have to be familiar with Plato. Before there could be an Apollo moon landing the integrated circuit had to be invented. Before there was the shag carpet and disco a lot of people had to be on drugs. To further compound our subject, all the influencers that we have mentioned, the writers, artists, teachers, parents, etc., have also had their way of thinking formed by others.
Is it any wonder that the Apostle Paul tells us to renew our minds?! So, since we are always thinking someone else's thoughts regarding every aspect of life, it behooves us to examine what we believe is right by Scripture and NOT BY WHAT IS "NORMAL" AMONG CHRISTIANS. Christians can and do think unchristian thoughts that naturally lead to unchristian acts. The writers of the New Testament knew that godly character is possible for the believer, but only through effort. That is why they wrote to these early congregants to, "take every thought captive", "Put off the old man and put on the new," "add to your faith" and all the other instructions in sanctification.
Our culture cares for none of this. They instead follow the spirit of the present age. Their ideas of what a family is, the sanctity of life, morality, the character of God ... change with time. Sometimes they reflect Christian values. But most of the time they show themselves to be in total disregard for the God of the Bible. Christians are responsible for this. We presently reflect the pagans in our way of thinking more than thinking God's thoughts after Him. The effect has always been less salt and light in the world and more disruptive corruption in the church.
The church is weak. Weak. 'As a man thinks in his heart, so is he..." and our thinking is anemic. Most church members cannot articulate even the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Ask them if they can explain the Trinity, or justification, or omnipresence and they stammer. But they do know sports scores, TV fall line ups, and who is divorcing whom in Hollywood. The pagan way of thinking is so stupid. Why would we want to go down that road? They worship the creature rather than the Creator! You cannot get dumber than that.
Let's examine some examples of bad thinking. Many people know the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, all that stuff about "all men created equal" but just a few lines after that the native Americans are called "savages". I guess some men are more equal than others. And what about the Pledge of Allegiance? I thought we as citizens were to line up behind the Constitution. After all, the flag goes places that the Constitution says not to. Just recently Sports 1llustrated compiled a list of the greatest athletes. A horse made the cut. A horse! I suppose that if National Geographic decided to roster the greatest animals of the last century Rin Tin Tin and Flipper would be joined by someone like Martina Navratilova.
The liberals don't like capital punishment. They say that it doesn't work. How can they say that? When is the last time you read that an executed person shot or raped someone? They are against parents teaching their own children. What makes a stranger who is in charge of 40 kids all day, and cannot discipline them, better? Does this make sense? The feminists continue to push the equality of the sexes. Have any of these "women" ever studied anatomy? Sure there are a few females who can do everything a man can do but most of them are from what was East Germany.
As silly as all this is, we find the residuals of this way of thought in the church. Patriotism for the sake of patriotism. Love over judgment, as if they could be exclusive of each other. Parents choosing convenience over conviction and sending their kids to the government for their education. The same government which allows babies to die, pushes evolution, homosexuality, earth worship and relativism.
Most of us, if we were diagnosed with a deadly disease, would, with haste, begin any treatments required, take any medications prescribed, and change our routine in any way for the insignificant reason of just living longer. Our goal as believers in Christ is to bring glory to Him. This is not done by living, but living as He decreed. This means you get your ideology and philosophy of life from His Word. What you think doesn't matter. You now know where you got your ideas from.
Transformation happens only through the renewing of our minds. Here is the process of washing the excrement of the world from between our ears. Begin now to evaluate how many of the conduits of the world are steadily sending garbage to your brain. And start the process of examining by Scripture every idea relating to your life. Then prepare for the persecution that will follow …from the pews.