1 John 1:1-2
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us …”
What is the origin and nature of life? By what standards should I live my life?
Yesterday we looked at rational materialism, which is the belief that the universe is comprised only of physical laws and matter/energy. According to this worldview, there is no design or purpose in the universe. Life is an accident that arose by chance, and mankind is simply a highly sophisticated biological machine that evolved randomly over time.
The problem with rational materialism is that it is not consistent with what we see and experience. When we look at the world, we see design. We long for meaning and significance. We don’t experience life as impersonal and without purpose. We know that we are more than an accidental collection of biological components. Rational materialism might appeal to the mind, but it doesn’t satisfy the spirit.
Since rationalism fails to provide purpose and significance, many people make a nonrational leap of faith and embrace subjective mysticism. It is mysticism because it seeks meaning for life in the nonphysical realm of the spirit. It is subjective because it is based on how one “feels” and cannot be logically defined or objectively verified. Its proponents can claim virtually anything and tell others simply to “believe.”
Subjective mysticism sometimes includes some notion of “god,” though not the true God of scripture. It offers hope without substance. It is not faith directed toward something that is objectively true. It’s really just faith in faith.
Subjective mysticism is self-legitimizing and seeks no objective reference points to validate its claims. Psychologically this is known as the “affect-as-information model.” It describes people who construct their beliefs chiefly from experiences and feelings, and who will not accept anything (including objective data) that conflicts with their personal experiences and emotions.
People are hungry for hope and meaning, even if it is based in non-rational, unverifiable claims that are disconnected from reality and the true message of scripture. That makes these people vulnerable to false teachers.
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23.16)
More tomorrow …
