Psychology is the study of the human brain. Philosophy descends from 2 Greek words- i.e.-"Philo" or "love", and "Sophe" meaning "wisdom", or, better translated, "deeper understanding". Therefore, the true "philosopher" is simply one who has a love to search the deeper matters of thought. It could then be said that just as Psychology is the study of the brain, philosophy is the study of the "mind". The scriptures indeed have much to say about the mind. The "faithful" Christian should not abandon intellect, and nor should the thinking mind abandon faith. God has created the human mind with the capacity to reason, think, and come to conclusions based upon evidence, and desires us to employ these intellectual faculties for his honor and glory(iJohn4:1). He desires that we come to the conclusion of "faith", and has bestowed upon us "reason" and "deduction" which allow us to come to conclusions. We may therefore "conclude" that reason, if exercised properly, leads us in the direction of belief. It may therefore also be stated that because of mans inbred desire to "know", that satisfaction may be found, and hence freedom, when our intellectual pursuits lead us to the foot of the cross (John 8:32).
The Spirit of a "Sound Mind"The Lord does not intend that forsake intellect in exchange for faith. He gave us the "Spirit of a sound mind" (iiTim.1:7) that we might "test" (or "prove"-KJV) all things (iThess.5:21). He commands us to "search" (John 5:39), to "Study" (ii Tim. 2:15), to "Consider" (Ps.8:3, Luke 12:27), and to "Muse"(or, think) as in Ps. 143:5; and then beckons us to "Come now, let us reason together" (Is.1:18).
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Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ~ Col. 3:2PHRONEO (here translated as: "Set your affection") literally means "to exercise the mind, i.e. entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication, to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensively, to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience)" (Strong's Concordance). In this verse, PHRONEO means "to direct one's mind to a thing, to seek or strive for" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon). http://www.awmi.net/bible/col_03_02
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The Human MindThe quote provided on the left was penned by Galileo himself, a brilliant philosopher, and devote Christian man. He saw the ignorance in leaving reason behind in our pursuit of faith, and even today this is general misconception; that paleontological debate is one between "science" and the Bible. Our misunderstanding of this greater concept has led to educational institutions disregarding creationist viewpoints. It has led to the nonexistent "debates" between science and "religion". If it were true that reason was not welcome in the family of faith, than indeed the family of reason should not welcome faith. In this case, a public school should discourage, in fact bar, the employment of the holy scriptures in classrooms; for this is an "educational" environment, and to blindly follow after a book which demands the abandonment of logic should be disallowed from an institution which teaches it.
We must therefore make the scriptures a point of intellectual argumentation, to pose for the common eye, and public mind evidences of the grand design; revealing to a dark and blinded world that the "light bulb" in their head shines the light of truth toward the paths of scripture, and "be ready always to give an answer"(iPeter3:15)!
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Think (if I may employ such terminology) of the passage of Daniel chapter 5 in which the LORD had just showed himself to King Belshazzar. The Kings initial response was neither to discredit the vision he had received nor to drop all intellect and blindly follow an outlandish vision on mere faith. He contemplated the vision, putting thought into the information his mind was receiving, and finally, after "his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed" (Dan. 5:6), he extrapolated truth from faith through the spirit, and found the LORD.
God intended the mind and the scriptures to be co-existant, with one depending on the other. The mind without the bible is as a sounding brass, or tinkling symbol, echoing a false intelligence void of spiritual understanding. The Bible without the mind is an archaich script of pointless sayings paining a blurred picture of an empty religion void of reason. The Bible with the mind, however is a "two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder of the soul and spirit, and joint and of marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart".
God intended the mind and the scriptures to be co-existant, with one depending on the other. The mind without the bible is as a sounding brass, or tinkling symbol, echoing a false intelligence void of spiritual understanding. The Bible without the mind is an archaich script of pointless sayings paining a blurred picture of an empty religion void of reason. The Bible with the mind, however is a "two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing assunder of the soul and spirit, and joint and of marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart".
Let us therefore say in boldness with King David as is recorded in Ps.119:59...
"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies."
"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies."