In Acts Chapter 17, we find Paul encounting two groups of people during his mission journey spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in Athens. The two leading schools of thought were the Epieurean and the Stoic philosophies.
Both of these schools of thought derived certain theological kinds of thinking from physics and cosmology.
The Stoics generally held a cosmological view of an eternal cycle of identical world-revolutions and world-destructions by a universal conflagration. Absolute necessity governs the cyclic process and is identified with divine reason (logos) and providence. They believed that men need to live in harmony with nature, practicing self-discipline and virture. And strive to deny the flesh.
The Epicureans, on the other hand, were skeptical, materialistic, and anti-dogmatic. It is not clear if they were theists at all, though at some points they seem to be. They did speak of the gods as living in a blissful state in intermundial regions, without any interest in the affairs of humans. There is no relation between the evils of human life and a divine guidance of the universe. At death all human perception ceases They believed and were taught that the flesh should be ignored and no one should become a slave to it. And although gods exit, they were not interested in human affairs. Denying the future life, freedom from fear, pain, believed that mental tranquility, was the highest goal in life. Not only pleasure, but mental pleasures is to be the high goal in life.
Paul does not condemn the Greeks, but he does say that they are too "supersitious" or "religious", and commends them for having a zeal for worshiping THE UNKNOWN GOD. Then he tells them the true about the God they should be worshiping...the TRUE GOD>
Taking into account the Epicureans and the Stoics philosophies in Acts chapter 17, Do you see a conflict between FAITH and REASON? Or do the two work together for good?
2sparrows, you are so right. And this is why Paul had to start out with the basic teachings of faith , because he knew that had he tried to reason with these two groups t make them understand the gospel, he wpuld not have been able to get into the truth about God and the Lord Jesus Christ and what was accomplished on the cross with certainty. Faith is the tool to accepting truth that God is who He says He is, and there is evidences all around us without asking why a person should believe.
Faith is believing in the unseen which gives us hope for the future. As the scripture says, if you must see the evidence that is present before you, then faith is void and there is no hope.
I think, Had Paul used reasoning/ logic to explain God and what Jesus did on the croos for the remission of sins, he would have had need to explain God with uncertainty and without evidence in a mystical way, and answered why God even exist. Reason needs a cause, wherein faith has a purpose.
This is why I feel many people are not sensitive to the hope that is found in Christ Jesus because they are tyring to use their reasoning(their own minds and thoughts) to understand God and the importance of why they should believe, and the two don't mix, faith and reasoning can't mix.
Faith is a known fact of truth, and the evidence proves its self with Certainty wihtout being seen.
Reasoning is an unknown fact and needs evidence that is seen to be proven. Uncertainty
Those who believe by faith know that God is alive and well, and Jesus Christ is seated on His right hand by faith.
Those who reason and must try to think it all out, don't understand how this can be...They need a sign...
Good response PJ...:applause::glow: God is Spirit and we are spirit, in a clay body, and we MUST communicate with Him though our spirit, to His Spirit.
Reasoning is of the mind and always seeks to understand and to know the what's why's, where's, how's and how comes of everything.
Wherein Faith accepts it things at face value, and leaves the rest for God to figure out.
The mind cannot discren our spirit or the Holy Spirit. It is our spirit that discerns what in in our mind, and the the presences of the Holy Spirit. Paul teaches us this in I Corinthians chapter 1-3, aboutthe carnal mind that hinders the spiritual growth of our spritis in the things of God.
I sure wish I could have enough Faith to learn how to type without mistakes, instead of reasning as to why this is hindering me from doing so:ROFL:
