How Do We Fail to "Prove All things?" [6 Ways]

1. Willful Unbelief

We don't have to believe secular ideas to displease God
—all we have to do is not believe Him.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, (Heb 11:6).

Conflicting persuasive claims of truth make it is easy to remain undecided, but it is dangerous to believe this is a safe position.

If God has told us something and has revealed His times and His ways, then we need to believe Him because unbelief is optional for only a brief time. What we won't believe, we will soon find we can't believe. Every opportunity to believe that we reject increases the consequence —blindness.

Unbelief is a slippery slope —with our direction predictable and in latter stages inescapable. Unbelief hardens into a position where we can't see how anyone can know the truth.

To Scripture we always come as a learner —never an expert.

When the Creator visited earth, He would deliberately confuse unbelieving "experts" while instructing believers with the same words.
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And He answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.“For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Matt. 13:10-13

2. Insistent Open-mindedness

Unbelief Can Masquerade as Open-Mindedness
Openmindedness may be a virtue in the halls of learning where man's knowledge is negotiated, but insisting on openmindedness after God has spoken is rebellion. Sometimes an open mind needs to be closed for repairs. Healthy openmindedness argues against preconceptions and bias that prevent an impartial search for truth. Persistently rejecting conclusive arguments to remain undecided and avoid being anyone's enemy is the dangerous position of unbelief that only leads to more blindness.

Discern Genuine Open-mindedness

Origins views carry more significance than mere scientific correctness. Every social science discipline now stands on an evolutionary foundation, confirming the life-implications of that origins view. Origins are foundational root beliefs in 7 areas of truth. 7 facets must be defended for any origins view to stand:

Science
Bias
Polemics
Hermeneutics
Philosophy
Theology
Self-Concept

The interpretation of physical evidence
The underlying presuppositions
The logic/honesty of its arguments
The Biblical mutilation it requires
The Worldview it defines
The God-concept it dictates
The Life-meaning it dictates

Is our position or non-position open to examination in all 7 facets or do we emphasize only some facets. We will recognize truth when it resonates in all seven areas. Mono-dimensional searches for truth can't bring closure. If we are stuck on physical evidence we are prey to profound prestidigitators. If we ignore our own presuppositions we are bigots. If all we can do is find fault with our opponent then we don't have the truth either. Few people who reject the Bible's plain meaning can correctly report this view.

Genuine Openmindedness on 7 Sides
To know the truth of origins (that accurately reports our past history) and to experience the freedom and zest for living contained, we should reject any origins belief that contradicts the life-meaning, the God-concept, or the worldview we hold from good sources. Of course we could wag the dog and form our life-meaning from current scientific anomalies. Or can we? War inside our head is self-defeating —especially in those too young to have the skill or reason to challenge indoctrination.

3. Downplay The Conflict

There is much more to the Origins Conflict than a mere squabble over scientific interpretations.
There are many persuasive influences wanting to shape our view and there are life-shaping consequences from the view we choose, right or wrong.

Underestimating the Conflict

Careless Definitions
The "evolution" in dispute here is the belief that changes in nature are upward, additive and are the ultimate cause of all reality. Labeling CHANGES seen in nature as "evolution" helps to confuse .

Failure to See Consequences of Believing Error
Misrepresented as a neutral and harmless explanation of science, one View of Origins begins to win our favor. Then, right or wrong, this foundational belief begins to shape our entire worldview.

4. Second-Hand Faith

It is dangerous to completely trust other fallen humans to interpret God's revelations —either Scripture (Bible teachers) or physical evidence. (Scientists) While both of these interpreters may be helpful at times, no man has all of the truth. Sometimes we are shown their clay feet to help us remember that. The best practice is to go personally and directly to the highest authority —Scripture. Even when the apostle Paul was preaching he commended those who:

"received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily,
to see whether these things were so." (Ac. 17:11)

5. Rebellion

Rebellion is wanting to be equal with authority.

Satan rebelled by wanting to be "like God" not above Him.

If we reject Scripture as the highest truth authority and claim that man-made knowledge about damaged evidence is equally truthful we become blind to the flaws in our logic and the perfection in Scripture.

Scripture calls them "willingly ignorant" because they choose the first step away from truth.

We will begin to find "all kinds of contradictions." Rebels are skilled in fault-finding.

6. Compromise

There is no greater struggle for truth than the origins conflict. Both sides claim the vital life-meaning that lies there. The war for our minds is intense. Shrill voices with compelling arguments compete against the still small voice of Scripture. The temptation is great, but so is the reward if we are faithful.

Careless compromise is the greatest danger. Unaware of the concealed deeper meanings behind arguments we can favor some passing new "discovery." We do not have the time or skill to check it out ourselves.

Peter says our best protection from compromise lies in holding one fact —God's view of time. (See 2 Pet.3:1-8) "Don't let this one fact escape your notice" (v8) —God's time is pivotal. You can't believe supernatural creation with any other time frame and you can't believe naturalistic creation if you hold fast to it.