- You know, I was fortunate
enough to grow up in a house
00:00:01.43\00:00:03.00
where books were really valued.
00:00:03.00\00:00:04.47
I mean, they were in
piles all over the house.
00:00:04.47\00:00:06.74
And I took to
reading at a very early age.
00:00:06.74\00:00:09.80
And as I look back
over the years, I could see
00:00:09.80\00:00:12.11
there were always
some key books that changed
00:00:12.11\00:00:14.91
how I saw the whole
world, moments that changed me.
00:00:14.91\00:00:18.41
And today on Authentic,
I'll tell you about one
00:00:18.41\00:00:20.72
that completely revolutionized
how I think about God.
00:00:20.72\00:00:24.69
Don't go away,
I'll be right back.
00:00:24.69\00:00:27.49
[bright music]
00:00:27.49\00:00:30.06
I was just 17 years old and
recovering from the considerable
00:00:48.61\00:00:51.61
sticker shock that
comes from buying overpriced
00:00:51.61\00:00:54.52
college textbooks.
00:00:54.52\00:00:55.92
I mean, why does
one book have to cost
00:00:55.92\00:00:59.12
more than a hundred bucks?
00:00:59.12\00:01:01.02
And I mean, this
is back in the 1980s.
00:01:01.02\00:01:03.99
But one of those new textbooks
really grabbed my attention
00:01:05.43\00:01:08.10
one night and I
was sitting on my bed,
00:01:08.10\00:01:09.56
reading it in my dorm room.
00:01:09.56\00:01:11.37
Now I know I've got
this book somewhere down
00:01:11.37\00:01:13.90
in the basement.
00:01:13.90\00:01:15.30
I kept it because it
represents such an important
00:01:15.30\00:01:17.64
moment in my own
personal development.
00:01:17.64\00:01:19.84
And I actually went
down to the basement
00:01:19.84\00:01:21.74
to try and find it so I
could bring it into studio
00:01:21.74\00:01:24.41
and show it to you.
00:01:24.41\00:01:25.88
But unfortunately it's been
lost in that mountain of books.
00:01:25.88\00:01:28.58
It's been sitting down
there for a lot of years.
00:01:28.58\00:01:30.35
So today, I don't actually
have the book in my hands,
00:01:30.35\00:01:34.29
but thanks to
the magic of Kindle,
00:01:34.29\00:01:37.06
I can still show you why
this moment, all those years ago
00:01:37.06\00:01:40.00
was so important to me.
00:01:40.00\00:01:42.73
At the age of 17,
it kind of blew my mind
00:01:42.73\00:01:45.73
that there were
very intelligent people
00:01:45.73\00:01:47.90
out there who
struggled to believe
00:01:47.90\00:01:50.11
that they actually existed.
00:01:50.11\00:01:52.64
I mean, all you really
need to do is slam your hand
00:01:52.64\00:01:54.64
in a car door and
you know you exist.
00:01:54.64\00:01:57.75
You know that the physical
world is a very real place.
00:01:57.75\00:02:01.92
So as a kid it came
as a bit of surprise
00:02:01.92\00:02:04.82
to discover that
some really bright people
00:02:04.82\00:02:08.29
actually doubted
that they existed.
00:02:08.29\00:02:10.86
And I'd never considered
the kinds of questions
00:02:10.86\00:02:13.40
that philosophers have been
wrestling with for centuries.
00:02:13.40\00:02:17.13
And maybe some of these
questions are the product
00:02:18.57\00:02:20.60
of having too much
time on your hands.
00:02:20.60\00:02:23.91
Then again, maybe they're not.
00:02:23.91\00:02:26.74
So the way the problem presents
itself as kind of like this,
00:02:26.74\00:02:30.48
you and I experience
this world through our senses.
00:02:30.48\00:02:34.25
We see the world, we hear
the world, we feel the world
00:02:34.25\00:02:39.09
and so on.
00:02:39.09\00:02:40.59
But how do you
know that your senses
00:02:40.59\00:02:42.89
aren't just deceiving you?
00:02:42.89\00:02:45.26
How do you know that your eyes
are actually seeing something
00:02:45.26\00:02:48.36
that's really there?
00:02:48.36\00:02:50.13
How do you know it's not
just a trick of your mind?
00:02:50.13\00:02:53.54
I mean, when your eyes are
damaged and you can no longer
00:02:53.54\00:02:56.27
see the world around you,
how do you know that the world
00:02:56.27\00:02:59.04
still exists?
00:02:59.04\00:03:00.14
Even though you're blind, right?
00:03:01.01\00:03:02.21
You can still hear
the world, so you know
00:03:02.21\00:03:04.18
there's something out there.
00:03:04.18\00:03:05.68
But, what if you also happen
to be deaf like Helen Keller?
00:03:05.68\00:03:09.98
Then you could still
feel the world, and the touch
00:03:09.98\00:03:12.89
of another human
being would let you know
00:03:12.89\00:03:14.72
that you're not alone.
00:03:14.72\00:03:16.26
But then what if all your
senses suddenly failed you?
00:03:17.69\00:03:20.30
What if you had no
means whatsoever of detecting
00:03:20.30\00:03:23.37
the outside world?
00:03:23.37\00:03:25.33
Could you still know
that the world existed
00:03:25.33\00:03:27.64
and that your
existence was real?
00:03:27.64\00:03:31.47
This is a problem that
actually goes all the way back
00:03:31.47\00:03:33.58
to ancient Greece,
where guys like Parmenides
00:03:33.58\00:03:36.11
and Democritus and
[indistinct] tried to grapple
00:03:36.11\00:03:39.88
with the nature of reality.
00:03:39.88\00:03:42.45
And one thing that some
of the managed to determine,
00:03:42.45\00:03:45.29
was the fact that you
really can't trust the evidence
00:03:45.29\00:03:48.96
of your senses
because, while your senses
00:03:48.96\00:03:51.99
aren't a hundred
percent reliable.
00:03:51.99\00:03:54.93
So for example, I
remember my biology teacher
00:03:54.93\00:03:58.30
in the 11th grade,
suddenly stopping his lecture
00:03:58.30\00:04:01.34
mid-sentence and saying,
"Hey, did any of you kids hear
00:04:01.34\00:04:05.64
that Just now?"
00:04:05.64\00:04:07.28
Now, we didn't hear anything.
00:04:07.28\00:04:09.88
But out in the hallway, somebody
had just dropped a broom
00:04:09.88\00:04:12.55
on the floor and
they made a huge racket.
00:04:12.55\00:04:16.69
But surprisingly, most
of us didn't hear it happen.
00:04:16.69\00:04:20.82
And what the teacher was
doing was pointing out the fact
00:04:20.82\00:04:23.36
that our brains
make important decisions
00:04:23.36\00:04:25.89
about our sensory input.
00:04:25.89\00:04:28.43
They filter
information so that what you see
00:04:28.43\00:04:31.37
and what you hear
is just a fraction
00:04:31.37\00:04:34.50
of what's actually
going on around you.
00:04:34.50\00:04:37.14
You only perceive the
really important stuff.
00:04:37.14\00:04:42.11
Now, that's a really
useful mechanism because,
00:04:42.11\00:04:44.28
if you had no
filter in your brain,
00:04:44.28\00:04:46.21
if you saw literally everything
around you all the time,
00:04:46.21\00:04:50.09
and you heard everything
around you all the time,
00:04:50.09\00:04:54.36
well, that
would drive you crazy.
00:04:54.36\00:04:55.56
It's just too
much sensory input.
00:04:55.56\00:04:58.63
So our brains become
selective, but at the same time,
00:04:59.93\00:05:04.33
our brains will
also fill in details
00:05:04.33\00:05:06.77
when important
information seems to be missing.
00:05:06.77\00:05:09.87
So that it helps us make sense
out of what we're looking at.
00:05:09.87\00:05:13.88
Your brain will literally
just make something up.
00:05:13.88\00:05:17.78
So for example,
00:05:17.78\00:05:19.45
if I write my name
on a sheet of paper,
00:05:19.45\00:05:21.62
or put it on the screen,
00:05:21.62\00:05:22.85
but I only give you
the shadow of the letters.
00:05:22.85\00:05:27.09
Most of you are
still gonna see my name
00:05:27.09\00:05:28.86
and it reads Shawn,
even though the letters
00:05:28.86\00:05:32.39
aren't really
there, they're not.
00:05:32.39\00:05:35.20
Your brain fills in the
gaps because your brain needs
00:05:35.20\00:05:38.70
to make sense out of
what it's looking at.
00:05:38.70\00:05:41.47
It's trying to do
a good job for you.
00:05:41.47\00:05:44.17
So we've always known
that sensory perception
00:05:45.34\00:05:49.31
is very, very useful.
00:05:49.31\00:05:51.28
And our experience of the
world becomes severely impaired
00:05:51.28\00:05:54.98
If we start to lose our senses.
00:05:54.98\00:05:57.05
But at the same time,
00:05:58.02\00:05:59.52
we now know that our senses
are not entirely reliable.
00:05:59.52\00:06:03.96
Now, if you doubt that,
00:06:04.69\00:06:05.96
all you need to do
is visit a court of law,
00:06:05.96\00:06:07.46
go to a court case, take 10
separate witnesses to a crime,
00:06:07.46\00:06:12.33
put them all on the stand.
00:06:12.33\00:06:14.54
And all 10 of them
are going to remember
00:06:14.54\00:06:16.71
the events slightly differently.
00:06:16.71\00:06:18.91
In fact, if all 10
stories match perfectly,
00:06:18.91\00:06:23.58
and all the witnesses
remember the very same details
00:06:23.58\00:06:27.25
right down to the letter,
00:06:27.25\00:06:29.18
well, in that case,
you're gonna suspect
00:06:29.18\00:06:31.02
they're guilty of collusion.
00:06:31.02\00:06:33.19
Human perception just
doesn't work that way.
00:06:33.19\00:06:36.83
So we know that our
senses are anything but perfect.
00:06:36.83\00:06:40.26
And if your senses are,
well, somewhat unreliable,
00:06:40.26\00:06:44.47
how do you know just
how unreliable they are?
00:06:44.47\00:06:48.24
How exactly would
you figure that out?
00:06:48.24\00:06:50.11
I mean, we have
five basic senses,
00:06:50.11\00:06:53.88
and we can compare the
sensory input from each of them.
00:06:53.88\00:06:56.78
But, what if
they're just all wrong?
00:06:56.78\00:07:01.42
I mean, what if I
see the color red,
00:07:01.42\00:07:04.09
you see the color
blue when we're looking
00:07:04.09\00:07:06.29
at the very same thing?
00:07:06.29\00:07:08.39
But both of us just
call it blue because,
00:07:08.39\00:07:10.59
well, that's what we
learned when we were kids.
00:07:10.59\00:07:12.43
That's how we were raised.
00:07:12.43\00:07:14.60
How in the world
would you ever know
00:07:14.60\00:07:17.47
that you and I
are not seeing exactly
00:07:17.47\00:07:19.37
the same thing?
00:07:19.37\00:07:21.00
Or what if you and
I have a completely
00:07:21.00\00:07:23.57
different set of
colors all together?
00:07:23.57\00:07:25.94
We have
individual color spectrums,
00:07:25.94\00:07:28.94
and you can see
things that I can't possibly
00:07:28.94\00:07:31.48
begin to imagine and vice versa.
00:07:31.48\00:07:33.65
How would you ever know that?
00:07:33.65\00:07:35.95
Again, I know it
sounds like I've got way
00:07:37.05\00:07:38.79
too much time on my hands,
00:07:38.79\00:07:40.29
but those are the kinds
of questions human beings
00:07:40.29\00:07:43.39
have actually wrestled
with now for thousands of years.
00:07:43.39\00:07:47.96
So there I was, 17
years old sitting on my bed
00:07:49.20\00:07:52.33
in my dorm room, reading "The
Meditation" of Rene Descartes
00:07:52.33\00:07:56.60
for the very first time.
00:07:56.60\00:07:58.81
And he's agonizing over
these kinds of questions.
00:07:58.81\00:08:03.48
And suddenly they did seem
important, because the nature
00:08:03.48\00:08:07.28
of the universe and the nature
of reality have a lot to say
00:08:07.28\00:08:11.45
about how I'm going to
choose to live my life.
00:08:11.45\00:08:15.09
If everything around
me is just an illusion.
00:08:15.09\00:08:17.99
If nothing I
experienced is actually real,
00:08:17.99\00:08:20.60
then I can just
live however I please,
00:08:20.60\00:08:22.46
because why
would it even matter?
00:08:22.46\00:08:24.47
But if the universe is real,
and it has order and logic too,
00:08:25.87\00:08:29.70
if it follows
rock solid principles,
00:08:29.70\00:08:32.84
well, that's gonna
determine what it means
00:08:32.84\00:08:34.64
to live an
authentic human existence.
00:08:34.64\00:08:38.01
And I don't want
to be found recklessly
00:08:38.01\00:08:40.38
contradicting reality.
00:08:40.38\00:08:43.65
Now, to be sure, we can
thank the Greeks for casting
00:08:43.65\00:08:47.09
a lot of doubt on whether or
not the world is actually real.
00:08:47.09\00:08:50.63
For example, Plato suggested
the imperfect world we perceive
00:08:50.63\00:08:55.46
with our senses is nothing
but a fuzzy representation
00:08:55.46\00:08:59.37
of a higher greater
reality and immutable, immovable
00:08:59.37\00:09:04.14
universe that exists
out there somewhere beyond
00:09:04.14\00:09:06.91
the reach of our senses.
00:09:06.91\00:09:08.78
Now, you don't wanna
go away because right
00:09:08.78\00:09:11.01
after this I'm
gonna come back and ask,
00:09:11.01\00:09:13.62
why should that matter to you?
00:09:13.62\00:09:16.75
- [Narrator] Here at
the Voice Of Prophecy,
00:09:19.02\00:09:20.49
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:09:20.49\00:09:22.72
for the whole family.
00:09:22.72\00:09:24.19
Like our audio adventure
series, Discovery Mountain.
00:09:24.19\00:09:27.36
Discovery Mountain is a
Bible based program for kids
00:09:27.36\00:09:30.20
of all ages and backgrounds.
00:09:30.20\00:09:32.17
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:09:32.17\00:09:34.90
from this small
mountain summer camp, Penn town.
00:09:34.90\00:09:37.77
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year,
00:09:37.77\00:09:40.28
and fresh content every week.
00:09:40.28\00:09:42.41
There's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:09:42.41\00:09:45.58
- So here I was 17
years old wrestling
00:09:48.58\00:09:51.85
with all these strange
new questions and watching
00:09:51.85\00:09:55.52
this great philosopher,
Descartes, agonize over the
00:09:55.52\00:10:00.53
reality and meaning
of his own existence.
00:10:01.63\00:10:03.50
Here's what he said,
00:10:03.50\00:10:04.93
"But what then am I?
00:10:06.03\00:10:08.34
A thing that
thinks, what is that?
00:10:08.34\00:10:11.17
A thing that doubts,
understands, affirms, denies,
00:10:11.17\00:10:14.61
wills, refuses, and that
also imagines and senses."
00:10:14.61\00:10:19.61
So here's what
he's basically saying.
00:10:20.78\00:10:21.72
Strip away all your senses,
00:10:21.72\00:10:22.98
your sight, your
hearing, your touch,
00:10:22.98\00:10:24.75
just take it all away.
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.12
Descartes argues that you
would still have your thoughts.
00:10:27.12\00:10:30.73
And those thoughts
somehow mean that you are real,
00:10:30.73\00:10:34.86
that you exist.
00:10:34.86\00:10:36.40
And that's what gave us,
Descartes' famous saying,
00:10:36.40\00:10:39.63
"Cogito, ergo sum," in English.
"I think, therefore I am"
00:10:39.63\00:10:44.61
Now, It's certainly
not an airtight philosophy,
00:10:45.84\00:10:49.04
and there were lots
of people who refuted it,
00:10:49.04\00:10:51.31
including the English
philosopher, John Locke,
00:10:51.31\00:10:53.75
who argued that, well,
we all come into this world
00:10:53.75\00:10:56.28
with what amounts to a
dial tone in our brains.
00:10:56.28\00:11:00.26
That's not how he put it.
00:11:00.26\00:11:01.39
He called it Tabula rasa.
00:11:01.39\00:11:03.39
We have an empty slate, a
blank slate when we're born.
00:11:03.39\00:11:06.86
And he argued that none of
us actually does any thinking
00:11:06.86\00:11:10.23
until our senses give us
something to think about.
00:11:10.23\00:11:13.94
But really that's
not the important thing
00:11:13.94\00:11:15.84
for what I wanna get to today.
00:11:15.84\00:11:18.54
What's important is
the way that Rene Descartes
00:11:18.54\00:11:21.11
suddenly changed my picture
of absolutely everything.
00:11:21.11\00:11:25.28
I remember actually getting
some tears in my eyes at 17
00:11:25.28\00:11:28.48
when I finished reading
his meditations because, well,
00:11:28.48\00:11:31.85
it was such a
beautiful thing to read.
00:11:31.85\00:11:34.16
And it was the first
time ever I thought to myself,
00:11:34.16\00:11:37.49
you know something, religious
faith really does make sense.
00:11:37.49\00:11:42.46
And again, I know, I've way
over simplified his arguments
00:11:43.93\00:11:47.00
And there are lots
of counter-arguments
00:11:47.00\00:11:49.04
that blow his thesis apart.
00:11:49.04\00:11:52.14
But it was the first it
occurred to me that faith
00:11:52.14\00:11:55.44
might be reasonable.
00:11:55.44\00:11:57.85
Now, I have been raised
in a church going family,
00:11:57.85\00:12:00.18
but I'd also gone to a
public high school where matters
00:12:00.18\00:12:03.02
of faith were challenged
on almost a daily basis.
00:12:03.02\00:12:07.36
And now at the university,
I was suddenly hearing voices
00:12:07.36\00:12:11.56
that consistently
attacked the worldview
00:12:11.56\00:12:13.73
of all my religious
ancestors every single day.
00:12:13.73\00:12:17.37
Even though ironically enough,
that old biblical worldview
00:12:18.80\00:12:23.07
was the reason that
universities even exist.
00:12:23.07\00:12:26.91
You see way back
when, once upon a time
00:12:28.88\00:12:31.35
there was a consistent belief
that the universe is orderly.
00:12:31.35\00:12:36.02
And people assume that God
must be out there somewhere.
00:12:36.02\00:12:40.19
So, universities
were kind of made up
00:12:40.19\00:12:42.49
of different colleges.
00:12:42.49\00:12:44.19
A college to study math,
another one to study biology,
00:12:44.19\00:12:47.20
and other one to
study astronomy and so on.
00:12:47.20\00:12:51.53
And the idea was, that all
of these different disciplines
00:12:51.53\00:12:55.60
would individually shed
light on the nature of God's
00:12:55.60\00:12:59.61
universe and teach us
something about who God is.
00:12:59.61\00:13:04.58
So theology was said to
be the queen of the sciences
00:13:06.05\00:13:09.78
and every new discovery
added to this universal
00:13:10.99\00:13:13.25
body of knowledge about God
is hence the name University.
00:13:13.25\00:13:18.26
Now, in some places that
universal science was actually
00:13:19.63\00:13:22.73
said to be
philosophy not theology.
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.50
But it all amounts to
pretty much the same thing.
00:13:25.50\00:13:28.84
The universe back then
was considered to be orderly.
00:13:30.31\00:13:33.41
And you could learn a lot
about the nature of reality
00:13:33.41\00:13:37.05
and the nature of God, simply
by studying the natural order.
00:13:37.05\00:13:42.05
So there I was, in an
institution that for the most
00:13:43.65\00:13:47.26
part, ironically denied
the reason that it existed
00:13:47.26\00:13:50.16
in the first place.
00:13:50.16\00:13:51.76
And I had people
telling me on a daily basis
00:13:51.76\00:13:54.30
that faith is
nothing but superstition.
00:13:54.30\00:13:57.57
They were telling me that
reason will always be better
00:13:57.57\00:14:00.14
than faith any day of the week.
00:14:00.14\00:14:03.20
But then I read
Descartes, and I realized
00:14:04.51\00:14:08.28
that some of the
greatest minds in the universe
00:14:08.28\00:14:11.78
have wrestled
with the same things
00:14:11.78\00:14:13.45
that you and I wrestle with.
00:14:13.45\00:14:15.38
And for the most part up until
the postmodern philosophers,
00:14:15.38\00:14:19.29
and the Nihilists
of the 19th Century,
00:14:19.29\00:14:21.99
most of those brilliant
people found that faith
00:14:21.99\00:14:26.53
was utterly
compatible with reality.
00:14:26.53\00:14:30.67
The universe they said
is orderly and predictable,
00:14:30.67\00:14:33.87
and there's a
reason for its existence.
00:14:33.87\00:14:36.50
And if you and I just
apply our God-given brains
00:14:36.50\00:14:39.64
in a reasonable manner, there's
a lot for us to discover.
00:14:39.64\00:14:44.65
And if you had no senses
at all, Descartes argued,
00:14:46.08\00:14:49.82
you would still
have your thoughts.
00:14:49.82\00:14:51.79
And where in the world
did those thoughts come from?
00:14:51.79\00:14:55.02
Is it possible that apart
from your sensory perception,
00:14:55.02\00:14:59.33
God put those
thoughts in your brain?
00:14:59.33\00:15:03.57
Now, to my 17 year old mind,
00:15:03.57\00:15:05.37
this was all a
very beautiful thing.
00:15:05.37\00:15:08.04
And again, I know
that Descartes thinking
00:15:08.04\00:15:09.74
has been challenged.
00:15:09.74\00:15:11.07
I get that thousands of times.
00:15:11.07\00:15:13.27
And like any human philosophy,
00:15:13.27\00:15:15.61
there are plenty of
logical flaws to be found.
00:15:15.61\00:15:18.68
But still it demonstrated
one really important idea,
00:15:18.68\00:15:23.55
faith does not have to be blind.
00:15:23.55\00:15:26.69
And you and I were
brought into existence
00:15:26.69\00:15:28.79
with orderly logical minds.
00:15:28.79\00:15:32.23
And I guess the
reason I'm emphasizing this,
00:15:33.43\00:15:35.06
is because of the way that
so many people ridicule matters
00:15:35.06\00:15:38.17
of faith in this
post-modern world of ours.
00:15:38.17\00:15:41.74
I mean, all you have
to do is hop on Twitter
00:15:41.74\00:15:44.17
for a few minutes and you'll
find lots of angry atheist,
00:15:44.17\00:15:47.61
mocking Jews and Christians
for believing in what they call,
00:15:47.61\00:15:51.75
an imaginary friend in the sky.
00:15:51.75\00:15:54.85
And these people are quite
adamant that the only reason
00:15:54.85\00:15:57.89
you and I believe in
God is because we read
00:15:57.89\00:16:00.22
about it in an old
book of fairytales.
00:16:00.22\00:16:05.13
And what happens to a
lot of people of faith,
00:16:05.13\00:16:07.30
is that they find
themselves trying to respond
00:16:07.30\00:16:09.30
to that accusation with a
bunch of people who have no idea
00:16:09.30\00:16:13.47
what this book is all about.
00:16:13.47\00:16:14.67
They have no idea
what it actually says.
00:16:14.67\00:16:17.97
I can assure you, that
most of the armchair critics,
00:16:17.97\00:16:21.78
I mean, not all of them,
but most, are largely ignorant
00:16:21.78\00:16:26.58
of what the Bible actually says.
00:16:26.58\00:16:28.92
Most of them are
just repeating stuff
00:16:28.92\00:16:30.59
they've heard, or
they're actually copying
00:16:30.59\00:16:32.85
and pasting the
ignorant memes created by people
00:16:32.85\00:16:35.82
who have no real
understanding of this topic.
00:16:35.82\00:16:40.26
Now, I wanna be
fair because there really
00:16:40.26\00:16:42.86
are some intelligent
well-informed critics of faith.
00:16:42.86\00:16:45.97
And I personally
have a lot of respect
00:16:45.97\00:16:48.17
for people who
have honest questions.
00:16:48.17\00:16:52.14
but at the same time, I've
seen that most of the armchair
00:16:52.14\00:16:55.64
critics on social
media quickly fall apart,
00:16:55.64\00:16:58.51
or just go out and block
you if you ask them a few
00:16:58.51\00:17:01.52
simple questions, or
sometimes they double down
00:17:01.52\00:17:05.25
on their mockery because they
don't have a logical argument.
00:17:05.25\00:17:09.46
As a preacher
friend of mine used to say,
00:17:09.46\00:17:11.69
these people are down
on what they're not up on.
00:17:11.69\00:17:15.23
So now let me show you
something that the Bible
00:17:15.23\00:17:18.67
actually says.
00:17:18.67\00:17:20.20
And I think you're gonna
find this kind of interesting.
00:17:20.20\00:17:23.10
We know historically
that the apostle Paul
00:17:23.10\00:17:26.37
was a student of Gamaliel.
00:17:26.37\00:17:28.98
A famous and well-respected
teacher of the law.
00:17:28.98\00:17:32.41
So Paul was known for
having this razor sharp mind
00:17:32.41\00:17:36.58
capable of producing
these irrefutable arguments.
00:17:36.58\00:17:41.09
And at one point, as Paul is
writing to the early Christians
00:17:41.09\00:17:44.59
who lived in the city of Rome,
00:17:44.59\00:17:47.03
this is what he says,
it's found in Romans 12:1.
00:17:47.03\00:17:51.37
"I beseech you
therefore, brethren,
00:17:52.73\00:17:54.40
by the mercies of
God, that you present
00:17:54.40\00:17:56.91
your bodies a living sacrifice."
00:17:56.91\00:17:59.91
Now we might have to come back
00:17:59.91\00:18:00.91
to that statement another day,
00:18:00.91\00:18:02.24
cause it's kind of cool.
00:18:02.24\00:18:03.45
"A living sacrifice,
holy acceptable to God,
00:18:03.45\00:18:06.98
which is your
reasonable service."
00:18:06.98\00:18:10.32
Notice, it's not irrational,
it's not blind he says,
00:18:10.32\00:18:14.46
it's reasonable.
00:18:14.46\00:18:15.96
Verse two, "And do not
be conformed to this world,
00:18:15.96\00:18:20.26
but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind,
00:18:20.26\00:18:24.57
that you may prove what
is that good and acceptable
00:18:24.57\00:18:27.54
and perfect will of God."
00:18:27.54\00:18:31.04
Now, that short passage
assures me that something
00:18:31.04\00:18:34.61
is wrong with our human minds
the way they are right now.
00:18:34.61\00:18:37.85
We have a serious
mental deficiency.
00:18:37.85\00:18:41.78
And that really
shouldn't come as a surprise
00:18:41.78\00:18:43.72
because the misery
of living in this world
00:18:43.72\00:18:46.39
with 7 billion other
people should tell us something
00:18:46.39\00:18:49.99
is wrong with the way
that we're running this planet.
00:18:49.99\00:18:53.96
So what Paul is
saying is that our will,
00:18:53.96\00:18:57.13
our minds have
fallen out of harmony
00:18:57.13\00:19:00.17
with the will of
God, and our minds need
00:19:00.17\00:19:03.14
to be renewed or renovated,
00:19:03.14\00:19:06.61
But still, I want you to
notice that he doesn't say,
00:19:06.61\00:19:09.18
please shelve your
intellect and empty your mind
00:19:09.18\00:19:12.18
and just blindly
accept whatever I tell you.
00:19:12.18\00:19:14.82
Hmm, on the contrary, he
saying that discovering God
00:19:14.82\00:19:19.82
and following God
is a reasonable act.
00:19:20.99\00:19:24.29
In other words, there
is order to this universe.
00:19:25.49\00:19:29.03
And if there are big problems
with the way that my life
00:19:29.03\00:19:31.73
presents itself in
this world, then the problem
00:19:31.73\00:19:34.94
lies with faulty reasoning
on the part of human beings.
00:19:34.94\00:19:39.41
The problem with
this world boils down
00:19:40.51\00:19:42.31
to a flaw with humanity.
00:19:42.31\00:19:44.71
Not with the God who
established the world
00:19:44.71\00:19:47.28
in the first place.
00:19:47.28\00:19:48.75
So we're gonna take another
quick break, and I'm gonna come
00:19:48.75\00:19:52.25
right back, and you don't wanna
miss where we're going next.
00:19:52.25\00:19:55.36
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:19:57.09\00:19:59.53
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:19:59.53\00:20:02.86
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:20:02.86\00:20:05.30
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:20:05.30\00:20:08.37
Here at the voice of prophecy.
00:20:08.37\00:20:09.90
We've created the discover
Bible guides to be your guide
00:20:09.90\00:20:12.74
to the Bible.
00:20:12.74\00:20:14.18
They're designed to be
simple, easy to use and provide
00:20:14.18\00:20:16.68
answers to many of
life's toughest questions.
00:20:16.68\00:20:19.21
And they're absolutely free.
00:20:19.21\00:20:21.22
So jump online
now, or give us a call
00:20:21.22\00:20:23.55
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:20:23.55\00:20:25.79
- The real problem in this world
00:20:26.69\00:20:28.82
is that you and I
are fatally flawed.
00:20:28.82\00:20:31.59
There's something wrong with us.
00:20:31.59\00:20:33.90
But it's a flaw that you
can actually fare it out.
00:20:33.90\00:20:36.33
You can discover it, and you
can correct it by allowing God
00:20:36.33\00:20:40.60
to renew your mind.
00:20:40.60\00:20:42.04
Now, I wanna be careful that
I don't now reduce the words
00:20:43.54\00:20:46.91
of Bible to some kind of
cosmic philosophy proof book.
00:20:46.91\00:20:50.61
Because much to the
chagrin of the ancient Greeks,
00:20:50.61\00:20:54.08
this book is not really
a list of logical proofs.
00:20:54.08\00:20:58.05
I mean, you can draw
lots of logical arguments
00:20:58.05\00:21:00.72
out of the material in this
book, but that's not what it is.
00:21:00.72\00:21:04.46
That was actually
something that early Christians
00:21:04.46\00:21:07.56
excelled at.
00:21:07.56\00:21:09.03
They tried to make this
a list of proofs because,
00:21:09.03\00:21:11.77
after Jews and
Christians had established
00:21:11.77\00:21:14.44
themselves in North Africa
and in the city of Alexandria,
00:21:14.44\00:21:18.04
believers took pagan
philosophy and they tried
00:21:18.04\00:21:20.64
to harmonize it with a
biblical point of view.
00:21:20.64\00:21:23.65
They were trying to
prove that the Bible
00:21:23.65\00:21:25.61
is also a book of logic.
00:21:25.61\00:21:28.85
But it's important to
remember that this book
00:21:28.85\00:21:31.65
is more than that.
00:21:31.65\00:21:32.92
It's not just a
list of logical options,
00:21:32.92\00:21:34.52
this is a relational book.
00:21:35.76\00:21:38.16
It's the story of a creator,
God and his relationship
00:21:38.16\00:21:41.06
with the human race.
00:21:41.06\00:21:42.70
An account of how God has
been interacting with a planet
00:21:42.70\00:21:46.47
that has essentially
turned its back on him.
00:21:46.47\00:21:49.90
This is the story of a real
thinking, feeling personal God,
00:21:49.90\00:21:54.68
who interacts with real
thinking, feeling people,
00:21:54.68\00:21:58.31
no matter how
flawed we happen to be.
00:21:58.31\00:22:01.35
Now like any story
that doesn't necessarily
00:22:01.35\00:22:04.05
lend itself well
to just making lists
00:22:04.05\00:22:06.29
of philosophical logical proof.
00:22:06.29\00:22:08.19
So I wanna be careful here.
00:22:08.19\00:22:11.23
And yet the Bible does emphasize
00:22:11.23\00:22:14.20
that we can have
reasonable thought,
00:22:14.20\00:22:16.73
while it teaches us
that God's ways are too high
00:22:17.93\00:22:20.37
for me to fully grasp.
00:22:20.37\00:22:22.27
It also teaches me
that I can understand God
00:22:22.27\00:22:25.87
more than I might first suspect.
00:22:25.87\00:22:28.58
Let me show you an
interesting statement
00:22:28.58\00:22:30.31
from the book of
Jeremiah, because this is really
00:22:30.31\00:22:33.31
kind of profound.
00:22:33.31\00:22:34.45
This is from
Jeremiah chapter nine.
00:22:34.45\00:22:36.12
"Thus says the Lord,
let not the wise man glory
00:22:37.32\00:22:40.99
in his wisdom.
00:22:40.99\00:22:42.22
Let not the mighty
man glory in his might,
00:22:42.22\00:22:44.26
nor let the rich man
glory in his riches."
00:22:44.26\00:22:48.03
So here you have a
caution toward humility.
00:22:48.03\00:22:50.33
And I suspect that a
lot of Greek philosophers
00:22:50.33\00:22:52.57
would agree with this.
00:22:52.57\00:22:53.84
When it says, do not
glory in your wisdom,
00:22:53.84\00:22:56.20
you can almost
hear Socrates saying,
00:22:56.20\00:22:58.54
"I know that I know nothing."
00:22:58.54\00:23:01.38
Because the beginning
of wisdom is to admit that,
00:23:01.38\00:23:03.71
well, you don't have any.
00:23:03.71\00:23:05.65
But the Bible teaches
that wisdom is possible.
00:23:06.82\00:23:09.08
You and I can have a real
understanding of the world,
00:23:09.08\00:23:13.66
and at the same time
00:23:13.66\00:23:14.86
we shouldn't let
that fluff up our egos.
00:23:14.86\00:23:16.52
Here's what it says,
"Let not the wise man glory
00:23:16.52\00:23:19.73
in his wisdom.
00:23:19.73\00:23:20.96
Let not the mighty
man glory in his might,
00:23:20.96\00:23:22.66
nor let the rich
man glory in his riches.
00:23:22.66\00:23:25.43
But let him who
glories glory in this."
00:23:25.43\00:23:28.04
Now, don't miss what
this is about to say,
00:23:28.04\00:23:31.04
"That he understands and
knows me, that I am the Lord,
00:23:31.04\00:23:36.04
exercising lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness
00:23:37.48\00:23:40.75
in the earth."
00:23:40.75\00:23:42.35
Now, I hope that made sense.
00:23:42.35\00:23:43.85
The of the Bible
is a reasonable faith.
00:23:45.05\00:23:47.56
In fact, faith lives right
up here in your God-given mind.
00:23:47.56\00:23:51.69
And there is order to the
universe because an orderly God
00:23:51.69\00:23:56.30
created it for a purpose.
00:23:56.30\00:23:58.93
And by exercising your
God-given reasonable mind,
00:23:58.93\00:24:02.64
you are meant to
discover who God is.
00:24:02.64\00:24:06.31
And that's the
reason you were born
00:24:06.31\00:24:09.04
with this
insatiable sense of curiosity.
00:24:09.04\00:24:12.91
Now, to know God is not
just a matter of knowing stuff
00:24:12.91\00:24:16.35
about him, it's not
just a list of facts.
00:24:16.35\00:24:19.35
To know God is to
actually know him as a friend,
00:24:19.35\00:24:22.99
to experience of
relationship with him.
00:24:22.99\00:24:25.83
Which takes me back to the
very beginning of the Bible
00:24:27.23\00:24:30.10
where God creates the
world in the first place.
00:24:30.10\00:24:32.27
And then he steps back
and says, that is very good.
00:24:32.27\00:24:36.40
And that thought takes
me back to the eighth song,
00:24:36.40\00:24:39.34
where the poet looks
up into the night sky
00:24:39.34\00:24:41.31
and he's blown
away by what he sees.
00:24:41.31\00:24:43.41
He has this sense of awe
when he sees the universe.
00:24:43.41\00:24:47.65
And it's a sense of awe
for the one who made it all.
00:24:47.65\00:24:50.89
Listen, I know
that you've been told
00:24:52.02\00:24:54.49
that the world just came
into being all by itself.
00:24:54.49\00:24:56.62
Even though we know that's
a scientific impossibility.
00:24:56.62\00:25:00.80
And I know that you've
been told that the Bible
00:25:00.80\00:25:02.73
is nothing but magical
thinking that this book
00:25:02.73\00:25:05.00
doesn't make sense.
00:25:05.00\00:25:06.84
And I also know that,
some of you have been told
00:25:06.84\00:25:10.57
that if God does exist,
00:25:10.57\00:25:11.91
he is so far
beyond comprehension,
00:25:11.91\00:25:14.71
that He exists in this
strange realm of mystery
00:25:14.71\00:25:17.11
and a place that you're feeble
human mind simply can't go.
00:25:17.11\00:25:21.02
But that is not
what this book says.
00:25:21.02\00:25:24.49
There is order to the universe,
00:25:24.49\00:25:26.49
and there is something
solid there for you to discover,
00:25:26.49\00:25:30.93
maybe the medieval
Jewish philosopher Maimonides,
00:25:30.93\00:25:34.00
said it best when he
confronted the people
00:25:34.00\00:25:35.80
who argued that God's
interactions with humanity
00:25:35.80\00:25:38.33
were beyond comprehension.
00:25:38.33\00:25:40.60
That can't be true, he said.
00:25:40.60\00:25:42.00
His argument was that we were
created in the image of God.
00:25:43.44\00:25:46.71
And if human beings do what
they do for logical reasons,
00:25:46.71\00:25:50.61
are we really going to say
that God acts irrationally?
00:25:50.61\00:25:53.98
Are we really
going to say that God
00:25:53.98\00:25:55.78
doesn't have a reasonable
purpose for his actions?
00:25:55.78\00:25:59.19
That just doesn't make sense.
00:25:59.19\00:26:02.99
So it stands to
reason that if God exists,
00:26:02.99\00:26:07.10
and if he is infinite, the way
00:26:07.10\00:26:08.66
that people who have interacted
00:26:08.66\00:26:10.17
with him in
history have described,
00:26:10.17\00:26:12.67
then there's just no
way you're gonna understand
00:26:12.67\00:26:14.60
everything about him.
00:26:14.60\00:26:16.77
But to suggest
that God is irrational,
00:26:16.77\00:26:18.97
or that you can't
understand anything about him,
00:26:18.97\00:26:21.78
that's not true, and it's
not what this book teaches,
00:26:21.78\00:26:24.58
not even clips.
00:26:24.58\00:26:27.05
This ancient record
teaches that God is good.
00:26:27.05\00:26:30.29
And this book teaches
that the world he made
00:26:30.29\00:26:33.22
was originally good.
00:26:33.22\00:26:34.89
And this book teaches that
you and I were made in his image
00:26:34.89\00:26:38.03
to fulfill a purpose.
00:26:38.03\00:26:40.10
A purpose that you can
understand, and least enough
00:26:40.10\00:26:44.37
to start living an
authentic human existence.
00:26:44.37\00:26:48.74
I'll be right back
00:26:48.74\00:26:49.64
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, Cryptic statues.
00:26:51.54\00:26:55.81
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:26:55.81\00:27:00.45
If you've ever read
Daniel or revelation
00:27:00.45\00:27:02.58
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:27:02.58\00:27:05.65
Our free focus on
prophecy guides are designed
00:27:05.65\00:27:08.56
to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:27:08.56\00:27:10.79
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:27:10.79\00:27:13.26
for you and our world.
00:27:13.26\00:27:14.86
Study online or
request them by mail,
00:27:14.86\00:27:17.30
and start bringing
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00:27:17.30\00:27:20.17
- Hey, take it from
me, a recovering heathen,
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a guy whose first year
college textbook suddenly
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showed me that
the existence of God
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is a reasonable proposition.
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And you really don't
have to put your brain
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on a shelf to experience him.
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I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been Authentic,
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thanks for joining me.
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[upbeat music]
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