Reasoning with sound mindedness can help with testing prophecies
Reasoning with sound mindedness can help with testing prophecies
Summary:
We are commanded to be testing prophecies, as Paul wrote: "do not be-treating PROPHECIES with-contempt, but BE-TESTING all (things)" (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
Prophecies can be TRUE or FALSE.
One understanding of what "testing prophecies" can mean is:
Examining if a prophecy is TRUE or FALSE.
For more information:
What can "testing prophecies" mean?
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Reasoning with sound mindedness can help with testing prophecies.
You can find below evidences for that.
The need to reason with sound mindedness:
The need to reason:
The LORD said to people in Isaiah: "come, and LET US REASON together,” says the LORD" (Isaiah 1:18).
Jesus reasoned with people, saying: "even-IF you-do not believe Me, be-believing the works, IN-ORDER-THAT you-may-come-to-know and be-understanding that the Father (is) in Me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38).
It is written about "Paul" (Acts 17:2) in "Thessalonica" (Acts 17:1) that "HE-REASONED [dialegomai 1256 in Greek] (with) them from the Scriptures, opening (them), and putting-before (them) that the Christ had-to suffer and rise-up from (the) dead (ones), and that “This (One) is the Christ — the Jesus Whom I am-proclaiming (to) you”." (Acts 17:2-3).
It is written about "Paul" (Acts 17:33) in "Corinth" (Acts 18:1) that "HE-WAS-REASONING [dialegomai 1256 in Greek] in the synagogue on every Sabbath, and persuading Jews and Greeks" (Acts 18:4).
It is written about "Paul" (Acts 19:6) in "Ephesus" (Acts 19:2) that "having-entered into the synagogue, he-was-speaking-boldly for three months, REASONING [dialegomai 1256 in Greek] and persuading (as to) the (things) concerning the kingdom (of) God" (Acts 19:8).
The need for sound-mindedness:
Jesus commanded: "YOU-SHALL-LOVE (the) Lord your GOD [...] WITH YOUR WHOLE MIND" (Matthew 22:37).
Paul wrote "TO-BE-THINKING so-as TO-BE-SOUND-MINDED [sо́phroneо́ 4993 in Greek]" (Romans 12:3).
Paul wrote "(that) OLD-MEN be sober, honorable, SOUND-MINDED [sо́phrо́n 4998 in Greek]" (Titus 2:2) and "OLD-WOMEN similarly (be) reverent in behavior [...] in-order-that they-may-train THE YOUNG (WOMEN) to-be [...] SOUND-MINDED [sо́phrо́n 4998 in Greek]" (Titus 2:3-5) and "Be-exhorting the YOUNGER (MEN) similarly TO-BE-SOUND-MINDED [sо́phroneо́ 4993 in Greek] with-respect-to all (things)" (Titus 2:6-7).
Peter wrote to "Therefore BE-SOUND-MINDED [sо́phroneо́ 4993 in Greek]" (1 Peter 4:7).
The Greek words for "TO-BE-SOUND-MINDED" [sо́phroneо́ 4993 in Greek] and "SOUND-MINDED" [sо́phrо́n 4998 in Greek] both come from the base of "to-be-sound" [sózó 4982 in Greek, verb] and that of "mind/thinking" [phrén 5424 in Greek, noun].
Sound-mindedness and TRUTH can be linked:
It is written that "Paul says, “I-AM NOT MAD, most-excellent Festus, BUT I-am-declaring words (of) TRUTH and (of) SOUND-MINDNEDNESS [sо́phrosuné 4997 in Greek]" (Acts 26:25).
Here Paul mentioned "words (of) TRUTH" (Acts 26:25) along with "SOUND-MINDNEDNESS" (Acts 26:25).
One understanding of what "testing prophecies" can mean is:
Examining if a prophecy is TRUE or FALSE.
For more information:
What can "testing prophecies" mean?
Click here
Click here
Reasoning with sound mindedness can help with examining if things can be TRUE or FALSE.
Faulty reasonings:
It is possible for someone to not reason with sound mindedness. Such reasoning would be faulty. A word that could be used to describe faulty reasonings could be fallacies.
You can find below examples of faulty reasonings that can lead to making incorrect conclusions. Avoiding faulty reasonings can be especially useful when trying to examine if a prophecy may be TRUE or FALSE.
Appeal to authority:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE solely because an authority figure said it.
For example: If a prophet says it, then it MUST BE TRUE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, a prophet is able to say something that can be FALSE, as for example: "the LORD has commanded me by word, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread there, and you shall not drink water there, and you shall not return by the way by which you came by it.’” BUT he said to him, “I ALSO AM A PROPHET as you (are); AND AN ANGEL SPOKE TO ME by (the) word of the LORD, saying, ‘Return him to yourself into your house, and let him eat bread and let him drink water.’” BUT HE LIED TO HIM" (1 Kings 13:17-18).
Nathan the prophet said something that was incorrect to the king David, as it is written: "the king said to NATHAN THE PROPHET, “Behold, now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God sits in the midst of the tabernacle!” And Nathan said to the king, “All, as many (things) as (are) in your heart, BE PROCEEDING AND BE DOING, FOR THE LORD (IS) WITH YOU.” BUT it happened in that night, that (the) word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Be going, and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD, “YOU WILL NOT BUILD A HOUSE FOR ME to dwell (in)" (2 Samuel 7:2-5).
This is why even if a prophet is speaking something, people are still commanded to test their prophecies (without assuming that their prophecies MUST BE TRUE), as it is written: "let two or three PROPHETS speak, and let the others DISCERN" (1 Corinthians 14:29).
Appeal to emotion:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE or MUST BE FALSE solely because they feel a certain way about it.
For example: This prophecy made me feel bad, therefore it MUST BE FALSE.
Or for example: This prophecy made me feel good, therefore it MUST BE TRUE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, it is possible for a TRUE prophecy to be spoken, which made the person hearing it feel generally bad: "the vision of the evening and morning was found to be TRUE; and now, having shut the vision; for (it is) yet for many days.” I, DANIEL, HAVING BEEN SICK MANY DAYS, then having risen, was again doing royal business; but I WAS FAINTING AT THE VISION" (Daniel 8:26-27).
In the Bible, it is possible for a FALSE prophecy to be spoken about peace, which probably would have made people feel good probably (even perhaps to feel peace about it): "from priest and as far as false prophet, they all did FALSE (things). And they were healing the ruin of My people superficially, despising, and saying, ‘PEACE, PEACE!’ But where is peace? [...] in (the) time of their visitation they will perish,” said the LORD" (Jeremiah 6:13-15).
Appeal to ignorance:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE or MUST BE FALSE solely because they do not understand it.
For example: If a prophecy is too difficult to understand, then it MUST BE FALSE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, prophecies are not necessarily understood automatically.
And yet prophecies which may be difficult to understand can still end up being TRUE.
For example Revelation contains many prophecies that can require having understanding, as it is for example written: "no one should-be-able to buy or to sell except the (one) having the mark: the name (of) the beast or the number (of) its name. Here is wisdom. Let the (one) HAVING UNDERSTANDING calculate the number (of) the beast" (Revelation 13:17-18).
And yet the words of this prophecy are declared to be TRUE, as it is written: "Blessed (is) the (one) reading, and the (ones) hearing the WORDS (of this) PROPHECY" (Revelation 1:3), "THESE WORDS (ARE) trustworthy and TRUE. And the Lord, the God (of) the spirits (of) the prophets, sent-forth His messenger to-show His slaves (THE THINGS) WHICH MUST TAKE-PLACE IN QUICKNESS" (Revelation 22:6).
Appeal to popularity:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE solely because the majority of the public opinion determined it to be true.
For example: If the majority of people hearing a prophecy believe it to be true, then it MUST BE TRUE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, it is possible for a majority of people to be wrong while a minority of people is correct. For example, in 1 Kings 22 the king Ahab of Israel and the king Jehoshaphat of Judah decide to go to war against Ramoth-Gilead, a city that is under the control of the Syrians. Before making this decision, the king Ahab gathers around 400 prophets to ask whether they should go to war, and all of them unanimously tell him to go, saying that God will give him victory.
King Jehoshaphat, however, is uneasy about the situation and asks Ahab if there is another prophet of the Lord they can consult. Ahab reluctantly mentions Micaiah son of Imla. Micaiah is brought before the kings, and when pressed to tell the truth, Micaiah reveals God's true message: the battle will end in disaster for King Ahab, as it is written: "the king said to him, “How often will I adjure you, that you speak to me TRUTH in (the) name of the LORD?” So Micaiah said, “Not so! I have seen all Israel having been SCATTERED on the mountains as a flock to which is not a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘(There is) NOT A MASTER TO THESE’”" (1 Kings 22:16-17), "And now, behold, the LORD put a FALSE spirit in (the) mouth of ALL THESE YOUR PROPHETS" (1 Kings 22:23).
Micaiah ended up being TRUE, and the 400 other prophets ended up being FALSE. Indeed later during the battle, "the king has died" (1 Kings 22:37).
Appeal to the person (ad hominem):
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE or FALSE solely based on who said it.
For example: If someone who does not believe in Jesus is prophesying something, then it MUST BE FALSE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, people who did not believe in Jesus were able to prophesy things that were TRUE, as for example it is written: "some of them went to the Pharisees and told them (the things) which JESUS did. So the chief-priests and the Pharisees gathered together (a) council. And they-were-saying, “What are-we-doing? Because this man is-doing many signs! IF WE-TOLERATE HIM IN-THIS-MANNER, EVERYONE WILL-BELIEVE IN HIM, and the Romans will-come and take-away both our place and nation”. But (A) CERTAIN ONE OF THEM, CAIAPHAS, being (the) high-priest (of) that year, said (to) them, “You do not know anything, nor do-you-consider that it-is-better (for) us that one Man die for the people, and the whole nation not perish”. Now he-did not say this from himself, but being (the) high-priest (of) that year, HE-PROPHESIED THAT JESUS WAS-GOING TO-DIE FOR THE NATION" (John 11:46-51).
Someone merely being in the new covenant is able to prophecy things that are FALSE.
For more information:
Is it possible for someone in the new covenant to prophesy from another source than God?:
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Argument from repetition:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE or MUST BE FALSE solely because it has been repeated several times.
For example: If a prophecy is repeated several times, then it MUST BE TRUE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, it is possible for a prophecy to be repeated several times to someone and yet be FALSE. For example, it is written that a first person said to a second person: "Come with me, and EAT BREAD" (1 Kings 13:15). The second person responded: "the LORD has commanded me by word, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread there" (1 Kings 13:17). But the first person repeated the statement again, saying: "An angel spoke to me by (the) word of the LORD, saying, ‘Return him to yourself into your house, and LET HIM EAT BREAD" (1 Kings 13:17-18). This ended up being false as it is then written: "BUT HE LIED TO HIM" (1 Kings 13:18).
Begging the question:
This faulty reasoning occurs when THE CONCLUSION of an argument is assumed in one of its premises.
For example: A person claims that God revealed something to them. If now the person asserts that they know that God is the One Who revealed something to them BECAUSE GOD REVEALED THAT TO THEM, there is an issue. Indeed, the fact that God would actually be the One who is revealing something to them IS ASSUMED HERE TO BE TRUE THE WHOLE TIME, when it is precisely what needs to be proven. The solution is then BEGGING THE QUESTION: is it God revealing something to them?
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, if a statement cannot be TESTED to be TRUE or to be FALSE, it needs to NOT be believed. For example, if something is assumed to be TRUE or FALSE WITHOUT yet having been TESTED, we are to NOT BELIEVE IT.
Indeed, prophecies SHOULD BE BELIEVED ONLY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN TESTED and found to be TRUE, otherwise they must not be believed until having done so.
For more information:
Not every prophecy is to be believed or trusted:
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Hasty generalization:
This faulty reasoning occurs when someone claims that a statement MUST BE TRUE or MUST BE FALSE based on insufficient evidence.
For example: Prophecies that come to pass CAN BE described as TRUE, therefore ALL the prophecies that come to pass MUST BE TRUE.
In contrast to that:
In the Bible, a prophecy can come to pass and yet be FALSE (if it ends up for example leading to other gods). It is written: "if there should arise among you a PROPHET, or one dreaming a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and THE SIGN OR THE WONDER CAME (TO PASS) WHICH HE SPOKE TO YOU, saying, ‘Let us go and serve different gods,’ which you have not known; you will not listen to the words of that prophet, or the one dreaming that dream, because the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul. [...] And that prophet or that one dreaming a dream, will die; for HE SPOKE TO LEAD YOU ASTRAY from the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
Basic ways to test prophecies?
There can be basic ways to test prophecies.
For more information:
Basic ways to test prophecies:
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