A few months ago I was visiting with another pastor in our area. The pastor is a big fan of the book of Romans. He preached through it in his first couple of years here, and now several years later he is preaching through it again. He used to be among many other things, a computer programmer. When we talked about why he like Romans, he talked about how it breaks down spiritual truth into something resembling binary logic.
I had a hard time agreeing with my friend. I had a hard time because I am not sure the book of Romans is really about a binary approach to faith. More importantly, I am not sure the spiritual realm follows the rules of mathmatics and scientific method.
It is interesting. The first five books of the Old Testament are called "The Law". Yet, a good portion of that "law" is written not in the form of legal code, but rather in the form of a story.
When we reduce the spiritual realm to scientific method or binary logic we reduce it into something we can quantify, understand, control, and manipulate for our own benefit. Yet, in fact, spriritual life is less about an equastion as it is about a relationship. Relationships are dynamic, not very easy controlled, and often completely unpredictable. Yet, at the same time relationships are emotionally renewing, beautiful, powerful, and things we cannot live without.
The spiritual life, I believe, is as much of an art as it is a science. As much a relationship as it is a to do list. As much a matter of the heart as it is of the mind. What do you think?
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