Many times in my walk with God, I've been accused of not being reasonable. I've taken some stands that I know are the Word and I will not compromise those things. I am willing to listen to what others think and I try to get along with other Christians (as long as I don't have to compromise what I know the Lord has shown me). I will try explaining what I know to others and will go through the scriptures with them. If I am wrong, then I'm perfectly willing to change, but only if I'm wrong.
Many doctrines or teachings we have in today's Church, are based on reasonings of men and not necessarily the revelation of the Word. Just like they did in Jesus' days, we've hung onto our own truth (or what we believe to be truth) and haven't allowed the Holy Spirit to show us the true meaning of the Word. Jesus could only show them a limited portion of the new covenant for many various reasons. He taught about putting new wine into old wine skins because the people couldn't or wouldn't accept His new teachings.
The people's ideas of "reasonable," was debating the Word and coming up with something to appease everyone (something we can all agree on or that will please the majority). God's Word is not debatable and isn't always something that will please all people. Those who aren't saved today, aren't pleased with the things the Word says to do. Before I became a Christian, I didn't want to live the way God's Word laid out. I wanted to live the way I wanted to live. I "reasoned" with the Bible and used others to justify my position about certain things in the Bible. If I wanted to drink, then I could find Christians who drank and could justify my own "reasonings" by watching them. This didn't make what I was doing right, but by reasoning it out, I considered myself okay.
In today's Church, we're so willing to get along with everyone, that we will allow reasoning to justify almost anything. It still isn't right according to the Word, but we try to reason with it to the point of acceptance. We are in this world, but not supposed to be of this world. We're not called to "go along just to get along," but we're called to be different. I don't mean to be obnoxious, but to stand firm in our belief.
We're not to be Bible thumping people and hit them in the head with scripture, but to stand firm in what the Word says. The Church isn't a democracy, but a body. We don't vote or ask for the majority rule, because even if it's not popular, God's Word is still true. Jesus said that, "When we see Him, we have seen the Father." It's safe to say, then, that God's Word is true.
We should be able just to watch Him and know what the will of God is. If Jesus was healing people, then it must be God's will today. If Jesus was casting out devils, then it must be the will of God. If He was showing mercy to the unsaved, then it must be God's will. The persons Jesus had a problem with, were the ones who tried to "reason" out what He was doing (even to the point of condemning Him for proclaiming Himself to be God's Own Son). Even in today's Church, we still have those who by reasoning, will tell us we're not yet God's sons and that will only happen once we get to heaven.
They will reason that because we still sin and make mistakes and aren't perfect, we can't be His sons and daughters. Even when we read in the Word how "Jesus was made sin for me so I could be made righteous and in right standing with God, reasoning will hold back this truth. This leaves us in the condemnation of the old man we were instead of the new man we are. This type of reasoning will leave you in bondage of sin, even though you are free in Christ.
We are not going to be God's sons and daughters. If we are saved, then we already are God's sons and daughters. When we make up creeds an doctrines in today's Church, we "reason" with one another as to what we believe. Then we proceed with rules against what we won't believe and this leaves very little room for God to show us the true Word.
If we've already decided that tongues have ceased by reasoning, then how can we accept what we've already decided is gone? We went through the Word accepting and discounting what we can and cannot do, then we reasoned If we're only going to accept what God is doing in my life, then I have limited the power of God in everyone's life. If I reason that because I don't speak in tongues, then no one does. That's setting myself up as the great example of God's covenant instead of Jesus.
Since I didn't get healed, does that mean healing is not for today? I know many people who fail to see others and themselves not healed, then reason that healing isn't for today. I happen to know many people who aren't saved, but that doesn't mean that salvation isn't for today. God is still God and "Jesus is still the same yesterday, today and forever." If Jesus did it, then He still does it today.
We need to stop "reasoning" about the Word and accept it. When it comes to the Word of God, I am not a reasonable man. If He said it is true, then it is true (even if I'm not walking in it for myself). We need to let "God be God and every man a liar."
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