Monday 23 September 2013

Ours is a thinking religion

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3: 20-21 (NIV)

"We should also contemplate God's power. The beginning of the doxology (v20) is in essence an invitation to consider how great God's power is. Again we see how much Christianity is focused on the mind. Ours is a thinking religion. Its goal is not abstract reasoning or academic pursuits separated form practical doing, but an informed mind that shapes life. The message of Ephesians requires heart, mind and hands. Christians need time for reflection, for remembering, for searching into matters too deep for knowledge. The suggestion not to bother with subjects too grand for comprehension is ill-advised. In being stretched by what is beyond us we grow. Inquiry after the unknowable God provides the wisdom and knowledge we need for life.
"Christians need a regular schedule of reading, thinking, discussing and praying that informs them about faith and life and helps them grow a soul. Most of us think we are too busy for such time-consuming exercises, but the inner being is not strengthened by osmosis. Our busy schedules are often filled with secondary - if not needless - concerns. Some activities may need to be laid aside, but the contemplative part of faith is not one of them."
Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians (NIVAC: Zondervan, 1996), p.190. 

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