A young man told me, “I shouldn’t have been baptized when I was 6 years old. I was too young and didn’t understand what I was doing.” He continued to talk about how children aren’t knowledgeable enough to make a decision of that magnitude until they get old enough to understand it better. I remained quiet as he talked.
When he was finished I asked a question, “Do you understand how a microwave oven works? He replied, “No.” I asked, “Do you understand how you can take something out of a freezer, stick it in the microwave oven, turn it on and in just a minute or so can pull out a piping hot piece of food without the use of a fire or heating elements?” Again, he replied, “No.” So, I asked a third question, “Do you have to understand how a microwave works in order to use it… to take advantage of what it offers?” And again he replied, “No.”
I still had more questions to ask so I continued, “Do you understand how God raised Jesus from the dead?” He replied, “No.” I told him, “Yet, the Bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10 that a person has to believe that God raised Christ from the dead in order to be saved.” (Notice that it said BELIEVE, not UNDERSTAND). I don’t understand how HE did it either, but I do believe it, and that’s what God requires.
There is a simple reason why God tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Lean not unto your own understanding.” It’s because there are too many things we don’t understand. But, I can “believe” even when I can’t “understand.” So, I don’t walk by my understanding… I walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith puts everyone on a level playing field. A child can believe just as easily as an adult. A poor person can believe just as easily as a rich person. An ignorant person can believe just as easily as an educated person. “Faith” excludes no one. “Understanding” excludes large quantities of people. So, don’t lean on your own understanding. It’s insufficient. Instead, walk by faith! You now have permission to use your microwave oven.
Proverbs 3:5 – “lean not unto thine own understanding.”
