Why do you go to church? (part two)

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:20)

Why do you go to church?

Some people go to church for answers. Life is confusing and they need help making sense of things.  How did the universe come to be?  Why is there chaos and evil in the world?  Does their life have a purpose?  What happens when death puts an end to things?  Questions like these are troubling.

But what happens when the message of the church doesn’t make sense to human reason?  How do thinking people reconcile the Biblical account of a six-day creation with the teachings of evolutionary theory?  How can they accept Jesus as a miracle worker when everything in their lives is routine and ordinary?  After years of emotional pain and repeated disappointment, how can they believe that God has a special purpose for their existence? When the church does not answer these concerns to their satisfaction, will they abandon religion for science or philosophy?

We are rational beings.  We tend to judge the truth based on whether or not it makes sense to us.  The trouble is, our understanding of things is limited.  Human life is relatively short—no one has enough years to learn everything there is to know.  There’s also the problem of how we filter information—we interpret what we see and hear according to our values and personal history.  On top of that, some of the information we have is faulty—we accept lies as fact, we misunderstand what we see and hear.  Worst of all, our ability to make good decisions is hindered by sin; it’s hard to look at a situation objectively when you are influenced by anger, fear, or desire.  We are rational beings, but our reasoning is sabotaged by any number of factors. 

God made us rational beings.  Yet because of our limitations, the Almighty LORD has give out information in such a way that we are not overwhelmed by it.  Sadly, we take what little we know and behave is if we are smarter than God.  Time in church should help you make sense of life, but God does not connect every dot for us.  First and foremost, worship is about understanding your relationship with God’s beloved Son.