Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.  Romans 12:1-2

In all aspects of our walk with Christ, we hear that a believer often needs to accept the information in Scripture with “blind faith.”  While faith in God’s word is one of the most important aspects of our biblical worldview, it often allows us to adopt the attitude that Scripture is correct, and there is no reason for it to be tested. This permits an inability to defend and discuss certain difficult Scriptures as they have been bypassed due to “blind faith,” and a subsequent lack of familiarity.

If we look at Romans 12:1-2 very closely, we see that Paul is inviting the reader to test the things contained in Scripture to verify its reliability and truth.  He is confident that the things he has seen and recorded will pass all tests, but the necessity remains for his audience to reason these details out for themselves. The idea that we are to reason through the things that we have read and been taught serves a variety of purposes in the maturity of those who are studying.

One of the many ways this process is valuable is that it further educates the Christ-follower in all aspects of Scripture, and it will eliminate the idea that verses are too hard to explain or impossible to defend.  The Bible contains miracles, the most important being that of the Resurrection, which require us to reason out our faith.  The difficult verses should not and cannot be bypassed due to difficulty.

Finally, a well-reasoned study will enforce the power of the message contained in these verses. As we see the meaning of God’s word revealed in the “renewing of your mind,” we can be confident that it can be held as infallible and true.

Have a great week.

~Danny