I take the train to work. Most days, there is a man playing the saxophone near the staircase at the depot. He always displays some sort of message to the passerbys, usually of a religious or philosophical bent, and not always profound. Today’s message struck me as particularly dumb: For every question, personal experience is the final test of truth.”
Really? I wanted to ask him if he had ever been to Naples. I would expect a negative answer, at which time I would respond, “So I assume you don’t believe Naples exists, then, right?” If personal experience is the final test for truth, and we have not experienced it, then it cannot be true. In my own life, a whole host of things cannot be true: murder, wealth, and the like. Very dumb. And yet, empiricism is how many people go about determining truth.
July 1, 2008 at 8:04 am
Jason,
Consider the teachings of pentecostal soteriology. It appears that particular teaching (as indicated on your website with your articles), it appears that particular teaching accurately reflects the experience of the apostles and the early church manifested at Pentecost. Now we know that what they experienced is indeed truth for it the Word. Even is if someone has not experienced salvation in that manner, it is truth as noted in the scriptures.
Now here is my question/assumption: I am thinking that perhaps there are those who reject pentecostal soteriology mainly becasue they lack the experience for themselves. Since they have not had the experience, their rejection of it can go as far as to say pentecostal soteriology is therefore not truth.
What do you think?
LikeLike
July 2, 2008 at 12:15 am
Michael,
I think you are right. People doubt that this Pentecostal experience is still available today because they have not experienced it, and no one in their church has either. They know they are Christians, so they assume that either the experience is not real, or it’s not meant for everyone.
People reason this way regarding miracles too. Many cessationists are being honest these days that there is little Biblical support for cessationism, but they hold to it because they have never experienced, or known anyone who experienced a genuine miracle.
To a certain extent I understand this line of thinking. Indeed, we are prone to be skeptical of that which we have not experienced, unless…unless there is good evidence to believe it is true regardless of our lack of experience.
Jason
LikeLike