Ground of Certainty: A dear brother recently shared a concern that I think many of us can relate to, the fear of being carried away with our own thoughts, and the desire not to mistake our own reasoning for the truth. The following are a few thoughts that came to mind in response.
Amen brother, I think I understand what you’re getting at. There is a real danger there, none of us want to be carried away with our own thoughts or imaginations. There’s something in a man that makes him cautious when the truth of Scripture begins to open up in Christ, especially knowing how easily we can deceive ourselves or try to smooth over things we don’t understand. I’ve prayed along those same lines many times, asking, “search me, O God, and know my heart… and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24.
At the same time, I’ve been helped in remembering that the gospel doesn’t call us to trust our own persuasion, but God’s. It’s not so much, “am I making this up” as it is, what has God said concerning Christ?” When that becomes a little clearer, it has a way of settling things in a way our own reasoning never really can. Thankfully, the LORD hasn’t left us to sort this out on our own, but has given a clear testimony in His Son. John 6:45. And when that’s made known, it’s not something we’re trying to produce, but something we receive. That’s where I’ve found a bit of rest from those “what if I’m making this up” thoughts. If we stay there too long, we can start measuring things by how sure we feel, instead of by what God has actually said. Scripture doesn’t point us inward for that, but keeps bringing us back to His witness: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” I John 5:11-12.
We all have our experiences and perspectives, and those things can pull on us in different directions. But like you said, if Christ is not both the beginning and the end, it really does come to nothing. At the same time, it’s helpful to be reminded that this isn’t something we’re striving to make true – Christ is that already. Revelation 22:13. He is the foundation, whether we see it clearly or not. That brings a kind of rest our own efforts could never produce, because it shifts everything from what we’re trying to hold together, to the ONE who already holds all things together. Colossians 1:17. MPJ
PostScript: Thank you. Yes, both dangers are real, and I’ve seen each of them play out. What I was aiming at in the post was not to move a man away from thinking, but away from making his own thoughts, whether independent or borrowed, the ground of certainty. Because as you said, a man can drift by trusting himself, but he can also become captive by leaning on others. I think where it all settles is what you said at the end, Christ is the rest from both. Not just correcting our thinking but removing it as the foundation altogether. The Spirit doesn’t teach us to trust our thoughts more, or distrust them more, but to bow to what God has testified of His Son.