At the end of Article VIII of the Solid Declaration, there is this little admonition: And we admonish all Christians, since in the Holy Scriptures Christ is called a mystery upon which all heretics dash their heads, not to indulge in a presumptuous manner in subtle inquiries, concerning such mysteries, with their reason, but with the venerated apostles simply to believe, to close the eyes of their reason, and bring into captivity their understanding to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. 10:5, and to take comfort [seek most delightful and sure consolation], and hence to rejoice without ceasing in the fact that our flesh and blood is placed so high at the right hand of the majesty and almighty power of God. Thus we shall assuredly find constant consolation in every adversity, and remain well guarded from pernicious error. (Solid Declaration, Article VIII.96) As with seeking to understand how the humanity and divinity cohere in the one person of Christ, so also with the rest of theology. It is possible to over-think the faith and get caught up in questions that Scripture doesnt provide answers to. Its not that were anti-intellectual in saying that reason needs to close its eyes - rather, we simply hold that reason has its limits and is as capable of mis-leading as it is capable of leading. So, we start with faith and with what we are given in Scripture - and let our understanding be held captive by that. If greater insights come, well and good - but we dont let faith wait on understanding - any more than you would test yourself to see if you are alive before you get up int he morning. That said, we do rejoice to use our brains to delight over the mysteries that are revealed to us, and as St. Augustine once noted: faith seeks understanding....
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:18:17 +0000
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