1 Corinthians 1: 25 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom.”
Oswald Chambers wrote: “The simplicity that comes from our natural common sense decisions is apt to be mistaken for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to his own nature and to the work of Redemption, never to our own reason. If we try to make him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and perplexity. Fling it all overboard, trust in God, and he will give the witness.”
We need to be clear what he’s not saying: he’s not advocating an abandoning of our critical faculties, a spontaneous embarking on ill-conceived adventures, or a jeopardizing of the safety and wellbeing of others. Neither is he saying that common sense is wrong, or is to be jettisoned as conflicting at all times with the life of faith. Common sense is a God-given faculty, an endowment without which we couldn’t survive. However, common sense wouldn’t advocate sending Jesus to the cross. Common sense would preclude adhering to or implementing much of what Jesus said. Common sense rationalizes away most of the dynamics of faith, because it operates on a different plane. That’s why the message of the cross is “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). It’s quite simply an absurd message – unless it’s a historical reality.
Chambers continued: “Never let common sense obtrude and push the Son of Man to one side. Common sense is a gift which God gave to human nature; but common sense is not the gift of his Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of his Son; never enthrone common sense.”
Once we embrace the message of the cross as the absolute truth, then the call to authentic discipleship will involve reckless faith that sometimes overrides common sense.
Lord, I want to live fully surrendered to you. Show me the difference between common sense and reckless faith, which way is appropriate, and when. Amen!
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