Mind Wars

The Battle for Truth

 

Surveying the Field

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 6:23 KJV)

 

The continuous evil acts of men are blatantly apparent to everyone, but many explanations are given for them.  It is obvious that man commits wrong, but why? An even more important question is how do we solve this problem?  Both of these questions strike at the heart of a worldview, and the answers reveal a person’s deepest beliefs. While people answer these questions in many different ways, there is one particular framework of answers that stands above the rest.

Biblical Christianity is a unique worldview in regards to its view of the nature of man. While every other philosophy gives people some or all of the responsibility to solve the overarching problems of the world, Christianity alone renders people useless and even sees each of us as a major part of the problem. According to Biblical Christianity, every man and woman is conceived in sin and totally evil at his or her core. This view makes sense out of the evil we see every day, and that is because it is the truth.

People inevitably make certain assumptions before attempting to examine their experiences. The reason for this is that at the center of each of our minds there are beliefs that we accept without regard to facts and evidence. We don’t hold to them because they are true, we believe them to be true and use them as a starting point in determining every other verity. These presuppositions deeply affect our actions and thoughts, and every one of us has them.  They form the framework that we use to understand our existence and this framework is often called a “worldview.”

Since everyone has a worldview, no one is completely impartial. None of us can look at facts without applying to those facts ideas that were formed independently and beforehand. This is why two people can look at the same evidence, and come up with entirely different ideas. As J. F. Baldwin states, “No one is neutral – everyone makes certain assumptions about the nature of man and the nature of God, and these assumptions impact the way we behave every day” (72). These assumptions “mold our way of thinking, shape our conclusions, and direct the decisions that lie behind our actions and attitudes” (Overman 16).

There is a sense in which every worldview could be called a religion. In fact, the idea of a religion is really synonymous with the idea of a worldview. This is because a person’s worldview is believed before the person encounters facts. “Every worldview begins with faith; therefore every worldview is religious” (Baldwin 74). Therefore, since everyone has a worldview and a worldview is based on faith, everyone bases their lives on faith.

 

Forming a Strategy

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

 

Though a plurality of worldviews exists, they are not all equal. The laws of logic and common sense necessitate transcendent objective truth, because without truth, everything would be meaningless. There would be no reason to communicate, because common ground would not exist. Every action, thought, and word would be completely hollow and pointless because nothing would tie them together. It is reasonable to deduce that you assume continuity between the thoughts that created these words and your own thoughts merely by the fact you are reading these words. You must acknowledge absolute truth which exists outside both your mind and these words. So the question becomes, how does one determine the true worldview? Worldviews must be tested on the basis of their consistency to reality. That worldview which conforms most closely to reality should be assumed and accepted.

Falsehood will show itself to be false. Worldviews such as atheistic naturalism can be easily tested and found erroneous because no sane person can really live consistently with this worldview. As I stated, without transcendent objective truth, everything becomes futile and our lives have no meaning. There is no way for an atheistic naturalist to explain the existence of self-evident transcendent aspects of our lives, such as thought and emotions. These things are a mystery to the atheist, because they cannot be explained by rational and empirical science. Atheists have no idea where everything came from, so they will usually put faith in the weak theory of eternal matter. In the end, every person who believes in a false worldview has to borrow from Christianity to some extent in forming their presuppositions in order to live in reality.

The truth proves itself. Since Christianity is true, human experience inevitably lines up with what the Bible teaches. The Biblical worldview is comprehensive because it alone can adequately account for evil, logic, thought, emotions, science, morality, and human nature. And it is rational because it is based on the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection. Ironically, however, the Bible itself teaches that since man is depraved and sinful from birth, he suppresses the truth that is obvious to him. Unless a person’s life is redeemed, their thoughts are naturally flawed. It is only by the grace of God that a person’s mind is opened, and the light of God’s Word is revealed to Him.

 

Knowing the War

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 

Believers in Jesus Christ have been transformed by His grace and redeemed by His blood, and we have entered into a war.  According to Bill Jack, “The Christian is in a fight – a battle – for the hearts and souls and the minds of men. We are called to fight continuously against the world, the flesh and the devil” (54). We are to put on the armor of God and take a stand against the false philosophies of the world. No matter what, we are to prepare ourselves to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). We must encourage, motivate, and inspire each other to be soldiers of Jesus Christ, prepared to defend God’s Word, and dedicated to communicate the gospel with everyone around us.

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). Instead we fight in the nonphysical, mental and spiritual realm.  The battle lines have been drawn, and everyone has taken sides.  Each person is either on the side of truth, fighting for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, or suppressing the truth and fighting for evil.  There is no in-between or neutral.

Once the battle field is surveyed, the strategy must be laid out. Speaking from the Christian perspective, our call is to rely upon our faithful God and communicate His truth with love. This is the strategy God has given us in His Word, and it will be successful.

First, and foremost, we have to trust in the God of our faith. He alone can and will win the mind wars. Our faith starts with the fact that we are, in ourselves, hopelessly flawed so that we produce no positive eternal good.  But the joy of our salvation is that through Christ’s work on the cross, our lives are redeemed and transformed so that we are able to produce positive eternal good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” (James 1:17) so we have to rely upon Him moment by moment for everything, if we are to have a positive impact upon those around us.

Though God alone can change people’s hearts and He will win the battle, He has amazingly chosen to use us in completing these tasks.  It is through the communication of truth that God calls people unto Himself.  Specifically, it is the “feet of them that preach the gospel of peace” (Romans 10:15) which are called beautiful and which are necessary for the building of God’s Kingdom.

But what is the truth, the good news? And how do we communicate it? The truth is found in the Holy Scriptures. In a Biblical worldview, the Bible is the only reliable source of absolute truth. And this is the central message of the Bible: In the pivotal point in all of history, God’s love was manifested in Jesus Christ when He willingly gave his life for us on the cross. He died a horrible, painful, death so that we didn’t have to. Then He proved that He was God by rising from the death, giving us hope for the future resurrection. It is that message that Christians bring to the world.  The gospel command is to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life. Relying upon His sufficiency and submitting to His leadership form the essence of becoming a Christian.

 

Preparing for Battle

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

 

The remembrance of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the hope of everlasting life is what should motivate the believer to hold nothing back and give everything they have in service to Christ. It is vital that Christians apply a distinctly Biblical worldview to every area of their lives. “The Christian is called to think, and act, in accord with his worldview all the time. We must learn to apply our faith to every arena, not just the so-called ‘sacred’ arenas” (Baldwin 103). Colossians 3:17 in the NIV states that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, [we should] do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Since the Bible should be applied to all of life, Christians must live, speak, write, work, and study from the perspective of a Biblical worldview.  As we do every little task, we must be mindful of the truth and be willing to change our behavior based upon what God has said. Not only must our behavior change, but our thoughts as well. We must “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). In whatever we do, we are to “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” In this way, we communicate to the world of the power of the truth of God’s Word.

Finally, and most importantly, we must “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Giving an answer for our hope should always be done with “meekness and fear,” because only as we show compassion for the lost and truly learn to love them wholeheartedly does God’s Word ring true in their hearts. Since God’s kindness “leads us to repentance,” (Romans 2:4) we ought to be spreading His goodness and kindness to those who need to repent. “Speaking the truth” is our goal, but doing it “in love” is our method (Ephesians 4:15).

The strategy of reliance upon God, and communicating His truth to those around us in love will be successful because God Word commands and affirms it. Now we must commit ourselves to this task. Fulfilling this mission is the most important thing we can do in life; in fact, it should consume our entire life as Christians. The battle for truth is so vital because the outcome lasts for eternity. Has this battle consumed your life? Are you living life from a Christian worldview?  Are you spreading the message of hope in Christ? The time is now; the battle has already begun. I know not what course others may take; but as for me, I have been given liberty so I choose to live for Christ until death.

 

 


Works Cited

 

Baldwin, J. F.  The Deadliest Monster.  New Braunfels, TX: Fishermen Press, 1998.

 

Foster, Marshall, and Mary Elaine Swanson.  The American Covenant.  Thousand Oaks, CA: The Mayflower Institute, 1983.

 

Jack, Bill, et al.  No Retreats No Reserves No Regrets.  St. Paul, MN: Stewart House Press, 2000.

 

Noebel, David A.  Understanding The Times.  Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1991.

 

Overman, Christian.  Assumptions That Affect Our Lives.  Simi Valley, CA: Micah 6:8, 1996.