Let Us Reason Together, Part 2
Isaiah 1:18
Introduction.
Last week we noted that we as human beings are not persuaded by facts and reason.
There has been scientific study after scientific study to prove this.
Yet we are beings who are designed to reason.
How do I know? The Lord pleads, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18).
Isaiah makes a reasoned argument here in the very first chapter of Isaiah, as we began talking about last week.
We considered their problem of rebellion and the sins they were guilty of, the judgment that was coming, the vain worship they were practicing, and we began talking about the repentance that must follow.
Such argumentation was reasoned and very well thought out.
In fact, the Bible makes reasoned argument after reasoned argument for its cause.
It invites investigation!
Where is that invitation? “Test all things; hold fast to what is true” (1 Thess. 5:21).
The Bible also tells us we often make decisions based on emotion (Rom. 10:2).
Paul describes some as having “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”
And yet, if that happens among us, we can be “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6).
While we cannot possibly have a reasoned argument for everything we believe and do, we absolutely must for things that have eternal consequences.
Are we the ones who are right?
We must always recognize the possibility that we are wrong in any of our beliefs and underlying assumptions.
Logically speaking, either someone is right or no one is.
So considering all of the religions and philosophies out there, considering all the denominations that exist, I think it is clear that we have the strongest position.
If so, why don’t we have more people here? For one, because people are not often persuaded by reason and facts.
But we also need to get that message out there so people will hear us as we direct them to God’s Word.
Preview.
Reason and Hope.
Lost Cause?
What Can We Do?
Body.
Reason and Hope.
Reason (Isa. 1:18-20).
So far, Isaiah has made his case against the Jews.
Their king at that time (Jotham) may have been righteous, but he let a lot of terrible things slide (cf. 2 Chr. 27:2).
Isaiah is doing what he can to reason with the people.
They had rejected a God who had taken care of them so well (1:2-3).
He “nourished and brought up children, [but] they have rebelled.”
Judgment is coming if they continue on that path, just as what was about to happen to those in the Northern Kingdom (1:5-9).
They were involved in vain worship that would only earn the Lord’s ire even quicker (1:10-15).
Wouldn’t it be logical to repent and turn from such wickedness? (1:16-17).
And yet they, just as many today, will reject such sound reasoning.
When one reasons after having all the facts with an open heart and an open mind, he will know whom he should serve!
When he does repent, and he is “willing and obedient,” his sins will be forgiven and he shall prosper.
On the other hand, rebellion brings judgment.
It’s a simple message, just as the gospel message today is simple.
And His commands are not burdensome (cf. 1 John 5:3), so we have no excuse.
But so many are not willing to see reason.
But there is hope.
Hope of restoration (1:26-27).
Here we see the outcomes of righteousness.
And in fact, one day this would be the case, in a more immediate sense after the remnant returns from Babylon, but ultimate fulfillment will be found in a spiritual sense with the church.
That is evident in the very next chapter as well where Isaiah talks of the “mountain of the Lord’s house,” the church (2:2).
“Zion,” one of the mountains in Jerusalem, and often understood to be the church in prophecy, “shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents (or those who repent) with righteousness.”
If we are just, righteous, and penitent, we will be redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Hope of destruction (1:28-31).
Interestingly enough, there is also a hope for destruction.
This destruction is of the unrighteous.
This serves as a blessing and as a final warning.
We do not want to be among the unrighteous, and if we are not, we will be rid of the corrupting influence that exists all around us today.
Much like Noah was saved in water, the corrupting influence he faced was washed away in the Flood, we, too, will experience that freedom (1 Pet. 3:20).
The Lord is victorious and will be victorious over all his enemies!
But we can only be saved in this hope if we are convinced by it.
Yet so many are not convinced by facts or reason, so is this a lost cause?
Lost Cause?
What examples do we see in the N.T.?
Luke records that even Paul reasoned with the Jews and Greeks in Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus, and even tried with the Roman governors Felix and Festus, along with King Agrippa (e.g. Acts 17:2, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8-9; 24:25; 26:25).
Paul declares, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.”
How many listened? He was driven out of Thessalonica, most of the Athenians mocked him, the Corinthian Jews brought him to the judgment seat, and the Ephesian pagans rioted. Also, Felix was never converted, Festus called him mad, and Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28).
It certainly seems like a lost cause, doesn’t it?
Using reason, they failed to convert people so many times. Did God make a mistake in choosing Paul to be an Apostle if his reasoning could only convert a few?
Did God make a mistake in choosing Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, et al.?
It is true that many of these prophets converted no one or just a few.
But even so, some listened.
If Paul had not gone to Thessalonica, we wouldn’t have had the letters to the Thessalonians.
It is in Paul’s first letter to them that we read about testing all things.
Not to mention the souls in Thessalonica who were touched by the gospel message.
If Paul had not gone to Athens, we would not have had that great sermon recorded in Acts 17 where Paul talks of the “unknown god,” and relaying God’s desire that all men everywhere repent.
Not to mention the souls of Dionysius and Damaris.
If Paul had not gone to Corinth, Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanus would not have been saved.
We would not have had the two great letters Paul wrote to them.
Not to mention those who had dedicated themselves to ministry, such as those in Stephanus’ household and likely Fortunatus and Achaicus.
To speak nothing of the church in Ephesus, where Paul corrected some false teaching by Apollos, and they became so numerous (starting from twelve) that they were a financial problem for the pagan idol-makers, so that they formed a mob to drive them out.
Paul writes a letter to them, John addresses them in Revelation, and Timothy preaches there for some time.
You see, it’s not always about the many, but about the few or the one, just as the Lord left a faithful remnant (1:9).
Some argue that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and while that may be true in some contexts—every soul matters!
We ought to cast a wide net for the sake of the gospel, even if only a few are saved.
“But people just won’t listen! So what can we do?”
What Can We Do?
The magazine Scientific American put out an article in 2017 titled “How to Convince Someone When Facts Fail” by Michael Shermer.
I certainly don’t agree with all of his thoughts in the article, but the main premise is interesting.
At the end, he provides six points from his experience that seemed to work for him in trying to talk to someone with differing views.
As with anything, if there’s anything good in it, there’s Bible for it.
I think we can apply all but the last of these things in our discussions with people so that maybe there is a chance for us to reason together.
They are “1) keep emotions out of the exchange, 2) discuss don’t attack …, 3) listen carefully and try to articulate the other position accurately, 4) show respect, 5) acknowledge that you understand why someone might hold that opinion, and 6) try to show how changing facts does not necessarily mean changing worldviews.”
Obviously talking to someone about religion in an attempt to convert someone necessitates getting them to change their worldview.
The whole point of the article is that people are resistant to facts because they believe that accepting these conclusions means changing one’s worldview.
But that is not an option for us—we are trying to change people’s worldview.
So our task is difficult, but not impossible.
Keep emotions out of it.
In any of these exchanges, we run the risk of shutting people off.
But the truth is, the gospel causes people to feel strong emotions.
They killed Stephen over it, they tried to kill Paul several times, there was that riot in Ephesus.
We need to do what we can to keep our emotions in check.
Once emotions flare, the discussion has ended, they have dug in to their position and will not be convinced.
As Gregory Koukl puts it, “If anyone gets mad, I lose.”
Sometimes it cannot be helped, but we ought to do our best.
When it comes to emotions other than anger, well, the gospel is an emotional message.
Emotions should motivate us, but they should not make decisions for us.
We shouldn’t obey the gospel because we feel like it’s right, but because it is right, and our emotions drive us to obey that truth.
Discuss, don’t attack.
An attack like this is what’s called an ad hominem argument which isn’t really a great argument to begin with.
It attacks the person, not the idea.
But this only enrages people and causes them to stop listening, too.
Name-calling like this is so childish; let’s rise above it and tackle the ideas.
Paul says this is our mission in this spiritual war we are all engaged in (2 Cor. 10:3-6).
How can we cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God while simply attacking someone else?
We are to make sound and reasoned arguments—discuss, don’t attack.
Listen carefully.
It’s easy for us to listen to the other side and to misconstrue their side of things.
When we simplify one’s view so that it’s easier to attack, it’s called a straw man fallacy.
When we listen to them, we ought to repeat back to them what we heard in our own words like this, “So let me make sure I have this right. Are you saying … ?”
This shows you’re listening, that you care enough to get them right, and it gives you a far better idea of what they think so you might be able to address it adequately.
Show respect.
We are in the South, and many of us, we naturally show respect to others.
But this is not always the case. Such respect is often falling by the wayside, particularly in online interactions.
This idea goes along with everything else, too.
If you respect someone, you’re not going to attack them personally or people that they look up to.
If you respect someone, you’re going to listen to them to make sure you understand their position.
In all these things, we see love, we see commands such as living peaceably with all men as much as depends on you (Rom. 12:18).
Love and respect ought to go hand in hand (1 Pet. 2:17).
Acknowledge that you understand why someone might hold that view.
Most people are convinced in their own minds of their own positions, whether they have good reasons or not.
Your job is to show them that their reasons are not good through Scripture, not to belittle them and their ideas.
That is a fine line, but when you begin to see their reasoning, you better understand them and they are more likely to listen.
Paul did that very thing when he had “become all things to all men, that [he] might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).
He’s saying that he understands their position and might even understand why someone believes it, but it’s still wrong.
It’s his job to find a way to share the gospel so that such people might obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion.
Reason is such an important tool for us as Christians.
We should be guided by it, and motivated by our emotions.
We should not allow our emotions to guide us spiritually and religiously.
We might allow it to guide us in other areas, but we should always make wise choices (the difference between choosing a meal vs. choosing a spouse).
The gospel message is emotional, and should motivate us to obey it if it’s true.
In this we have hope, a hope of restoration and of destruction.
Through these we can be saved.
Is it a lost cause to try reasoning with people about the Truth?
For some, perhaps, but not for all.
We are here for anyone who wants to hear and obey the truth, just as the Israelites were told to hear and repent, just as Paul reasoned and taught the gospel wherever he went.
We went over five things to remember as we are talking with others about these important things (keep emotions out, discuss, listen, respect, acknowledge).
And you know, these five things can be used to talk to anyone with whom you disagree, even on politics.
In this election season, we may be debating and arguing with people about all manner of things.
If we remember these five things, maybe we can preserve the unity of the church in such difficult times.
And that’s not easy with so many issues being so emotionally charged, but Christ’s body is of paramount importance.
In any event, the gospel message has been the same for 2000 years.
The underlying core of that message has been the same for far longer, even during the time of Isaiah.
“Hear the word of the Lord” (Isa. 1:10) – Hear.
“Let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18a) – Believe.
“Put away the evil of your doings” (Isa. 1:16b) – Repent.
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean” (Isa. 1:16a) – Be baptized.
Result? “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18b).
Sins forgiven and rewards await. Obey the gospel today!