Reasoning to Christ

And he [Paul] entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:8-10, NAS).

I had a very disheartening conversation the other day, in which I was told you can’t reason your way to Christ. Unfortunately, many people feel this way. Notice from the above text how Paul expected people to come to truth; Luke wrote that when he taught people about the gospel, he “reasoned and persuaded.” Paul did this with both the Jews and the Greeks at Ephesus.

What does it mean to reason? The Greek word here for reason is dialegomai, and Strong defines it [1256] as “to say thoroughly, i.e. discuss (in argument or exhortation):—dispute, reason (with), speak.” This is something that Paul spent months and years doing. Why? Because a person must, by means of sound reasoning, come to the knowledge of truth; otherwise, why would Paul spend years reasoning with the people of Ephesus?

God draws people by His teachings (John 6:44-45), but coming to God is also dependent on the individual accepting the truth (John 8:31-32)—not from the erratic feelings of a deceitful heart, which is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), or from one’s own personal understandings (Pr. 3:5)—but of correct and objective reasoning. This is how Paul expected people to come to Christ; so should we. Paul was fruitful in his efforts at Ephesus; Luke wrote: “So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” (Acts 19:20). And because he approached them through correct reasoning, he helped produce a church that would last many years, even long after his death.

Are You Willing?

Miyamoto Musashi lived from 1584-1645 and is considered one of, if not the greatest, Samurai warrior of all time. In his book, The Book of Five Rings, he writes of the Way of the warrior, which encompasses the attitude, philosophy, and martial tactics a warrior must possess. In his book he writes that “the way of the warrior is the resolute acceptance of death.”

We can all plainly see the benefit of possessing this attitude. On the battlefield, when you are called to fight for your Lord, you must be willing to lay down your life for Him. You cannot be distracted by the thought of being slain by your enemy. You must give your all without a second thought. This is an attitude that perhaps only our military men can fully appreciate.

Christians know that this idea was promoted 1500 years earlier by Jesus, as He taught His disciples. Within the Gospel accounts we have this statement recorded five times in various ways, such as in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” What does it mean when Jesus asks us to take up our cross? Historically speaking, it was common for individuals sentenced to crucifixion to be seen carrying their own crosses to the place where they would be executed. It was the equivalent of making someone dig their own grave.

Well, why would Jesus tell us that, if we want to follow Him, we need to carry our own cross? Because as the warrior resolutely accepts his own fate, so should we. Christians of the early church often were signing their own death certificate by committing their lives to Christ. Every moment of every day they had to be prepared to die, and many did for the cause of Christ.

Though the life of a New Testament Christian in the United States is relatively soft in comparison to the Christians of the early church, this attitude of carrying our own cross must still be kept. We may never have the privilege of glorifying God with our deaths, but we must be prepared in case we do. And even if our sacrifice may never be as great, whatever we must sacrifice along the way will be much easier with this mindset. If we have the courage to carry our own cross, all other trials will pale in comparison. For those who endure, Christ has promised us a home with Him; “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev. 3:21, NAS).