Chapter 3: “The Nature of Unbelieving Thought” or What is neutral thinking really like?

• The intellectual thinking of those who are not saved is characterized by:
• A vain mind and darkened understanding (Eph 4:17-18)
• God makes their reasoning useless (Rom 1:21)
• Treating the commandments of God as idle, empty words (Deut 32:47)
• Engaging in fruitless philosophical discussions (1 Tim 1:6)
• Speak in irreverent babble, contradictions and empty chatter (1 Tim 6:20) which leads to ungodliness and spreads like gangrene (2 Tim 2:15-18)
• God has purposely made their thoughts and reasonings useless (1 Cor 3:20) therefore the things they design, systems of thought, ways of living, etc, are futile (Acts 4:25)
• Have an evil, unbelieving heart as a result of the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:12-15)
• As a result of their choice not to believe the truth, God sent a strong deluding influence upon them so that they would believe what is false (2Thess 2:10-12), therefore they enjoy their deception and try to entice others to join them (2 Pet 2:13)

• Paul characterizes their philosophy as being according to the traditions of men and based on the fundamental principles of the world (Col 2:8)
• This sets aside God’s word and considers it useless (Mark 7:8-13)
• This way of thinking follows the presuppositions or elementary assumptions of the world and therefore is not according to Christ

• Therefore, a Christian that tries to be neutral with respect to philosophy is
• Not neutral after all and
• In danger of unknowingly encouraging ideas and assumptions in his own life that are actually hostile and in opposition to faith in Christ.