2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
The Greek noun translated here as “sound mind” is translated in other English versions as self-discipline, self-control, sound judgment, good judgment, and wise discretion. Human beings, made in God’s image, possess a quality that spectacularly separates us from all other creatures on earth: our reason.
Certain atheists (self-named “brights”) who consider themselves the arbiters of rational thinking, accuse Christians of being unscientific and nonsensical. Certainly some are. But true Christian thinking is always rational, logical, and sound. How could it be otherwise? God created a world that conforms to physical laws, that we can explore and examine, and that produces data we can analyze. And we can trust the operations of our minds on this data because we emerged not from randomness, but from the hand of a rational Creator. Jesus demonstrated rational thinking repeatedly in the way he spoke to others, by his questions, and in his response to accusations.
Yet we live in a world that, largely, does not want to think. It’s far easier to be told what to do, to heedlessly follow whoever is in authority, or to merely go along with the crowd. Thinking is hard. We get entangled in our own contradictory points of view. We readily ignore facts and willfully blind ourselves to truth. We are lazy about digging into issues and weighing alternate points of view. Thinking well is careful and demanding work.
Which brings us, yet again, to this on-going worldwide phenomenon of COVID-19. As more data arrive in the weeks and months ahead, we’ll learn what is real and what is exaggerated, if we’ve been acting sensibly or hysterically, and which leaders have led wisely or exploited their power. The important thing is to use our minds – to not immediately accept as truth what we hear in the media, to exercise self-discipline and good judgment, to gather data for ourselves, and to think deeply about the happenings in our world. Most importantly, we must pray for wisdom which God promises to give: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5).
The apostle Paul wrote his letter to Timothy, his friend and mentee, to encourage Timothy to use the gifts God had given him, to have courage in the face of persecution, and to be willing to suffer for the truth of the gospel. He also emphasized love toward those who have different opinions: “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone.” (2 Timothy 2:24). And he urged Timothy: “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13).
Wise exercise of the mind, along with faith and love in Christ Jesus. That is how a Christian should think about COVID-19 … and about everything else.
Father, please give me greater wisdom for how to think about and respond to the many changes happening around me – at work, in my community, and across the world. Help me to act with love and kindness toward everyone, including those I meet who have very different perspectives on current events. In all things, may you be glorified!
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This week: If you’re not already studying a book of the Bible, start every morning by reading through 2 Timothy. There is much to think and pray about in Paul’s letter of guidance and advice to a young leader.
And if you’re looking for a good book to stretch your thinking, consider reading (or re-reading) The God Who is There by Francis Schaeffer, Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Love God With All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland, What We Can’t Not Know by J. Budziszewski, The Reason for God and Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller, and Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. Along with Scripture, these are just a few of the excellent books you can find from Christian thinkers to help develop a sound mind and good judgment.