Looking at Common Sense versus Faith
He leads me …
Do we follow God based upon our common sense or our faith? Jesus does tell us through the Gospels to follow Him. And remember Paul’s instruction in 2 Corinthians 5:7 said, ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (NKJV)
If we do this are we ignoring common sense? If we do, where does common sense fit in a Christian’s life?
Basically it comes down to exercising common sense in the practical areas of life. But when it goes against how we follow the Lord, we do not do it. To continue would be to live in disobedience to Him.[1]
But what is common sense? It is when certain decisions become automatic once actions or decisions have been repeated several times. This is common sense. These decisions are confirmed when others experience the same things.
Common sense is largely influenced by one’s own experiences in the world. However, everyone’s experiences can be different, so the assumption that common sense is common for everyone is not always correct.”[2] Common sense for most people walking into a building is a simple procedure. We make sure that there are no hazards and we watch out for other people wanting to enter at the same time. This is common sense. But for someone in a wheel chair it is a different process. They have to check that there is wheel chair access in terms of whether the doors are wide enough and whether they can get over any lip in the doorway. For them this is common sense, but others do not have to think about it.
When we fill up our vehicle with petrol it is common sense to put the cap back on the fuel inlet on the vehicle. Otherwise there could be spillage which should be avoided when we pay so much to fill up in the first place. This is standard common sense for everyone who refuels a vehicle. Faith is not required here, just some practical thinking.
Some people say that common sense requires us to understand everything. No it does not. There is no way that anyone can understand everything. However, these days we can use our common sense and contact the people who do know, or see what Google has to say. Then we can make our best decision based on the information that we have at the time.
Other folk will tell us that if we have the faith, love and peace of God, we do not have to use any common sense. Instead we simply walk with the Lord in divine faith, and He will show us what we should do.
Most people depend on common sense because it is a part of their human nature, and also how they have been bought up. When our mother told us not to put things down, but to put them away, we probably thought that she was just fussing. But when we see that we can actually find what we are looking for more easily when it is put away in the same place each time, we realise that what our mother told us made sense, and at that point it becomes common sense.
Some Christians will argue that all Christians should do as the Bible says and, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT). It is clear that we are to trust Him with our whole heart. He may show us which path to take, but we should be prepared that it may not have been the one we would have chosen. His path may be really hard, but God has lead us there to develop us in some way, which one day we will be grateful for. It will also make us more like Jesus.
As far as this Biblical verse goes it is obviously correct, because it is from the Bible, but the Lord still expects us to use our common sense as well.
The story is told of someone who was really struggling to live a reasonable life, so they prayed about it, asking the Lord to help them win some money through Lotto. Weeks went by and they did not win anything but the prayers continued. It got to the stage where the person was getting desperate, and they asked the Lord why they had not received any money yet. God responded by saying, ‘Well, you have not bought a ticket yet.’ They may have had the faith to believe for finance to come, but they had not used their common sense.
There will be those who read this and ask where in the Bible does God say anything about common sense? The answer is that it might not be obvious, but there are verses that refer to common sense. Like these for example –
· All wisdom comes from the Lord, and so do common sense and understanding. God gives helpful advice (or wisdom) to everyone who obeys him and protects those who live as they should. (Proverbs 2:6-7 CEV)
· God blesses everyone who has wisdom and common sense. (Proverbs 3:13 CEV)
· Let wisdom be your sister and make common sense your closest friend. (Proverbs 7:4 CEV)
You may ask why the CEV version of the Bible was used when most Christians use other versions like the NIV, NKJV and the NLT. It is because the Contemporary English Version (CEV) is the only version that makes it clear. What happens when we look at The Source version which is translated directly from the New Testament Greek, and compare it with the Amplified Bible (AMP) and the New King James Version?
· he also gave us all types of wisdom as well as common sense (Ephesians 1:8 Source)
· … He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] (Ephesians 1:8 AMP)
· … He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence (Ephesians 1:8 NKJV)
We see that the NKJV uses the word prudence instead of common sense. If we look at similar words (synonyms) for common sense in something like the Merriam-Webster Dictionary we find words like prudence, wisdom, intelligence, and understanding are given as alternatives for common sense. We will then see that several of these words are used in the place of common sense in the Bible too.
There is a biblical common sense which is more than being practical regarding our current circumstances. It should have a biblical world view together with biblical faith. James 3:15 shows us that there is a Godly wisdom as well as an earthly wisdom, and in the same way biblical common sense is not based on values and perspectives of the worlds standards. Biblical common sense is the combination of knowledge, wisdom, and discretion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (Proverbs 3:5 & 2 Corinthians 5:7) It requires having a heart open to the Holy Spirit, combined with God’s wisdom and biblical knowledge.[3]
In the story of the Lotto ticket we saw how faith and common sense work together and this is the way it should be in a Christians life so that we properly understand what God is saying to us either personally or through His Word. If common sense is applied first to look at what makes practical sense, we can then see what we should have faith to ask the Lord for. After all He gave us a brain and He expects us to use it.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] Faith, Not Common Sense. Kevil First Baptist Church, Kentucky;
https://www.bible.com/events/7171308
[2] What Is Common Sense… Really? John Staughton, ScienceABC;
https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/what-is-common-sense.html
[3] Knowledge Wisdom Common sense – what they are – how to get them, Bruce Edwards, Breakthrough for You and Bruce Edwards Ministries;
https://www.breakthroughforyou.com/knowledge-wisdom-common-sense-what-they-are-how-to-get-them/
