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When Truths Collide-Part 3

by William Ryzek  
7/18/2009 / Christian Living

You will recall in part 2 of this series that reason and rationalism were the focus of attention. We established first that reason, as a part of the mind God has given us, is necessary for knowing the Truth when truths collide. We then argued that rationalism, which depends exclusively on reason, is to be rejected as the sole arbiter of truth. In this third installment, the place of experience and intuition in deciding the Truth will be presented.

Romanticism, which is one major reaction against the Enlightenment’s obsession with reason, claims that knowledge and truth are not confined to just what can be logically demonstrated. It takes into account our capacity for feeling and emotion in not only establishing truth but experiencing it as well and argues for the importance of intuition as a way of discerning truth.

Now, intuition means more than just having a ‘hunch’ or ‘feeling’ that something is true. Intuition is an immediate knowing without the usual processes of deductive and inductive reasoning or logical argument. It is capable of affirming claims as true or false that lie beyond reason’s capability to demonstrate. A simple example is this: proving the truth of your own existence. Whatever means you use (generally some combination of sensory and mental perception accompanied by logical argument) presupposes that you exist already and therefore renders the proof invalid (i.e. a circular argument). Yet, you intuitively know you exist and go merrily on your way not in the least bit bothered about such questions.

Intuition is related to and strengthened by our experiences. The longer we serve God, for example, and witness His work in our lives, the more unshakeable our conviction that He exists even when seemingly airtight rational arguments try to convince us otherwise. Our rational minds might be confused by this sort of barrage, we might even suffer moments of doubt but in the end we know that we know He exists and He loves us even when all other indicators, even our circumstances, suggest otherwise. This is the case because the roots of our convictions are deep in the experiences we have with God, experiences upon which our intuition is built and can no more denied than we can our own existence!

For our purposes, then, deciding the Truth when truths collide includes our capacity to intuitively know Truth without the mediation of reason, to ‘feel’ it directly so to speak. The truth that Jesus loves me, for example, is not just something I understand with my mind but also something I ‘feel’ with my heart and, interestingly enough, I feel it before I understand it. Truth affects us physically and emotionally; it can set us to laughing, crying, trembling, being indignant or compassionate, having boldness in adversity and humility in prosperity. By embracing the truth, and remaining in it, our experience of day-to-day affairs takes on a certain tone, a flavor, a consistency that is disturbed by the epidemic lying, cheating and deception that surrounds us. And this disturbance and uneasiness, although we can’t always rationally articulate it, is a warning that things aren’t right; we ‘know’ this intuitively.

So determining the Truth when truths collide requires the cooperation of reason and intuition because relying on the head alone leaves us with a cold intellectualism while relying on the heart alone leaves us with a dangerous emotionalism where ‘feelings’ dictate our actions and beliefs. The tension between the head and the heart has existed since of the very beginning of Christianity. Peter, for example, was definitely the emotional type and was ready to believe and act at the drop of a hat, yet denied Jesus three times. Thomas, on the other hand, would not accept Christ’s resurrection as true until he was given ‘proof’. But Peter’s heart and Thomas’ head suggest that balance is needed when matters of Truth are decided. And balance, or in Biblical language, moderation, is always difficult to achieve because sin makes us unbalanced and, as I’ve said in another article, sometimes quite insane.

It is the Holy Spirit that brings the necessary equilibrium between reason and intuition. He illuminates reason and affirms the insights of intuition thereby guiding us into the Truth that lies behind all the other ‘truths’ colliding around us whether they are attacks against the faith or divisions within Christianity. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter who teaches us, causes us to remember what He has already said to us (John 14:26) and guides us into “all the truth” as He, the Spirit, glorifies Jesus who is the “way, the truth and the life” (John 16:13-15). We are not alone in this sometimes confusing, contradictory world as we search out the truth and if we know Jesus then we know the Truth that underlies all truth, no matter whether sacred or secular, spiritual or scientific, and our reason and intuition will serve us well when submitted to His guidance.

William Ryzek, PhD has been both a pastor and academic for several years. He has published articles in various magazines and newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected]

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