Intellectual Arrogance (Part 1 of 2) by Stan Cox (http://www.watchmanmag.com)
A cursory reading of the New Testament reveals a distinct attitude
taken by our Lord and his apostles regarding human wisdom. James
went so far as to describe such wisdom as "sensual, demonic"
and declared that it causes "envy and self-seeking... confusion
and every evil thing..." (cf. James 3:15-16).
Jesus in his personal ministry dealt with men who were intellectually
arrogant. This was a characteristic of both the Pharisees and
the Sadducees. When Jesus had taught that eating with unwashed
hands does not defile a person, defilement rather coming from
within, his disciples informed him that the teaching offended
the Pharisees. No doubt it did, as it set aside the traditions
they held dear. Concerning them, Jesus said, "Let them alone.
They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the
blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14).
Likewise, our Lord had little patience with the sophisticated Sadducees, and admonished their "logical" dismissal of the resurrection by saying, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29). Anytime the doctrines of man (human wisdom) were imposed upon men, Jesus condemned them. "And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9).
Paul likewise had to deal with the intellectually arrogant,
as he addressed the Athenians in Acts 17. Of that group, Luke
records, "For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were
there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to
hear some new thing" (17:21).
This characteristic of the Gentile was characterized by Paul as,
"seek [-ing] after wisdom", and stated that he had none
for them. Rather, "But we preach Christ crucified, to the
Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those
who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God
and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser
than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1
Corinthians 1:23-25).
The incursion of Gnosticism into the early church is another example of intellectual arrogance. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, regarding Gnosticism, "It involves, as the name denotes, a claim to 'knowledge,' knowledge of a kind of which the ordinary believer was incapable, and in the possession of which 'salvation' in the full sense consisted." (Vol. II, pg. 40).
The apostle Paul warned Timothy, "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge" (1 Timothy 6:20). This conceivably was a direct allusion to the heresy at work in the first century church. Rather than being tolerant of such a philosophy, Paul told Timothy to avoid it.
Peter and John also warned against the Gnostic influence, Peter described the Gnostic advocate, "...Like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption... having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin... For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error" (2 Peter 2:12-18).
The Gnostics, because of their peculiar beliefs, often had both libertine tendencies, and a disinterest in their brethren. Of them John wrote, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10).
While God indeed would have us to be wise, the origin of our wisdom must be from above, that it might be "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). This in contrast to the aforementioned earthly wisdom that is "sensual, demonic" and causes "envy and self-seeking..., confusion and every evil thing" (3:15-16).
Concerning the intellectual arrogance that can beset Christians, Paul warned, "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us; a sphere which especially includes you" (2 Corinthians 10:12-13).
Paul also wrote, "...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Corinthians 8:1-2).
The preceding constitutes only a small portion of the admonitions and condemnation of intellectual arrogance. It existed in the first century and remains in our time.
Modern Examples of Intellectual Arrogance
When the modernist takes the position that the New Testament writings are full of inaccuracies and superstitions, he is indicating his intellectual arrogance. Consider John's record of the Lord's crucifixion, as the Roman centurions examined our Lord as he hung on the tree. "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out" (John 19:31-34). Though John records this as an eyewitness, and proclaims, "And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe" (vs. 35), some modernists, 2000 years after the fact, postulate that he was not dead, but in a swoon. This to deny the fact of our Lord's resurrection. "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty" (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).
The modernist does the same with the New Testament claims of inspiration, the virgin birth of Jesus, the miracles performed by Jesus and his followers, and even much of the teaching Jesus did during his personal ministry. Everything stated plainly by our Lord and his disciples is weighed through the filter of our modern day "sophistication", and appropriate changes are made. This is egregious arrogance on the part of man.
Preparing For The Problems by Greg Gwin (Reprinted from The Beacon - 2/19/02)
We can state categorically that every church has had, is having, or will have problems. This has been true ever since Pentecost. There's plenty of information in the New Testament about a host of problems that plagued the first century churches. Congregations today still struggle with a variety of problems. What should we do when these problems arise? Here are some suggestions:
1) Seriously analyze the situation. Don't just grumble and complain. Don't engage in sinful gossip and tale bearing. Really try to understand the problem. And, never forget that there are always two sides to every story! Be sure to get all of the facts before jumping to a conclusion.
2) Determine the proper solution to the problem:
-Is it a matter of doctrine? Is something ffalse being taught or
practiced? Are there specific individuals who are not behaving
properly? If so, then go to the source and address the issue directly
(Matt. 18:15-17). If you fail to do this you are compounding the
problem and actually sinning by disobeying the commands of God.
In other words, you become a part of a bigger problem!
- Or, is this problem a simple matter of juudgment? If so, then
it may be best to simply submit to the judgment of others (1 Peter
5:5) so that peace and unity can be preserved (Eph. 4:1-3).
3) Give your brethren "the benefit of the doubt." True brotherly love requires this (1 Cor. 13:4-7)
4) Pray. Faithful servants of God have always relied upon the power of prayer to deal with serious problems. Let's imitate their pattern.
Yes, there will be problems. The real question is: Will we handle our problems according to God's will?
FINAL THOUGHT
Charity sees the need, not the cause. --German Proverb
1 Jn. 3:17 - But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (NKJV)
Phm 1:14 - But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. (NKJV)
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