13 Nov 2022
The series on the book of Ecclesiastes, in some ways, bring into prominence the subjects of human wisdom, reason, logic and their inter-relationships with Faith.
For the preacher in Ecclesiastes, all his observations and experiences of life on earth have only led to one conclusion – all is meaningless, without meaning, and cannot be comprehended (i.e. understanding and reasoning do not seem to apply and explain the conclusion ). There are certain occasions when some semblance of meaning seems to be present but on deeper probing, they also appear meaningless and cannot be explained as far as reasoning and logic are concerned.
Although the preacher was probably Jewish and had some appreciation and knowledge of God, he still harboured some ‘doubts’ and ‘uncertainties’ as to what life on earth is all about, even if God were brought into the picture.
In reality, Christian Faith is not a rebellion against reason and logic. Logic and facts can only ‘take us so far; then we have go to the rest of the way toward belief and faith. Human logic may be rationally adequate, but it is also existentially deficient – it cannot explain the meaning of our existence. Faith does not contradict reason but transcends it. It elicits and invites rational consent, but does not compel it.
What is it that causes us to trust and follow the leading of human reason in religion, rather than be content simply to take God’s word for things? From where comes the impulse to exalt reason over revelation, and the sense of anger which is so widely felt when the authority of reason in religion is challenged? Such a spirit actually springs from sin. The impulse to indulge oneself in believing something other than what God has said is an expression of the craving to be independent of God, which is the essence of sin (remember the devil asking Eve – did God say…?).
The attempt to know all things, including God, by reason, without reference to revelation, is the form this craving for independence takes in the intellectual realm, just as the attempt to win heaven by works and effort, without grace, is the form it takes in the moral realm. Pride prompts fallen mankind to go about, not merely to establish their own righteousness, but also to manufacture their own wisdom. The quest all along is for self-sufficiency; our sinful arrogance prompts us to aspire after independence of God in the realm of knowledge. We want to be intellectually autonomous, intellectually self-made people, governed by our reason, logic, and wisdom rather than subjecting ourselves to the wisdom and revelation of God.
The gospel tells us that it is useless to seek for truth about God by our own speculation, reasoning and wisdom; the gospel commands us to put faith in what God has said, simply on the ground that He, the God of truth, has said it. In other words, the gospel rejects absolutely the authority of reason and demands implicit subjection to God’s revealed truth. Hence, those who pride themselves in their wisdom, reasoning, and logic find it hard and almost impossible to accept that they cannot contribute anything to earn their salvation and way to heaven – surely, they have something valuable to contribute, they may think, and surely they cannot be as bad as others who are downright foolish, illogical and without any tinge of wisdom or ‘righteousness’.
The preacher in Ecclesiastes helps us to see that whoever we are, whatever our status in life, whatever our plans are, we are not masters of time and chance. If we just restrict ourselves to observations and experiences in life, there is a limit to our reason, logic and wisdom. Everything, apart from God and His revelation, would be meaningless – reason, logic and wisdom cannot explain it satisfactorily. We may have some glimpses of what appear reasonable, and wise, but they are illusory and still end in vanity.
C.S. Lewis has this to say:
“Now what was the sort of ‘hole’ man had got himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realising that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor – that is the only way out of our ‘hole’.
This process of surrender – this movement full speed astern – is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death…”
We need to acknowledge that all our logic, reason, wisdom we have accumulated over many years – they need to be unlearned and even abandoned so that we can truly surrender to God in repentance. And repentance is life-long; each time we question God, His authority, and wisdom, as understood by our own thinking, reasoning, logic and so-called wisdom, and we turn away from Him in doubt and pride, we need repentance and surrender, subjecting ourselves again to His sovereignty, perfection and authority. And this continues in our pilgrimage on earth, in the process of our transformation, until we see Him face to face, and our reason and wisdom become united with His, and we no longer have to cry, “all is meaningless and a chasing after wind”.