Logic is a basic part of life; it is also a basic part of the proper interpretation of the Bible. According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, one definition of logic is as follows: the science that studies the formal processes used in thinking and reasoning. In other words, logic is a formal way of detailing the means of reasoning to reach a conclusion. God is a Being Who respects logic. It is a fundamental part of the universe that He made and the orderliness and operation of it. Let us study in this article and some to follow a few basic matters related to logic and in the process apply them to a study of the Bible.
It is generally accepted that there are four basic laws of logic. These are the law of identity, the law of non-contradiction, the law of the excluded middle, and the law of rational inference. It is fair to say that these have received almost universal acceptance; there are but very few individuals who would deny or even question the correctness of these laws of logic. In the comments that follow, these are shown to be a clear and obvious part of the Bible.
The law of identity asserts that a statement is equal to itself and is different from every other statement. The idea of the law of identity is extremely basic; it simply asserts the absolute and unequivocal nature of a statement. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” this statement stands as what He declared. (Jn. 14:6) It is different from any other declaration that Jesus might have made. For example, Jesus did not say, I am the way and the truth; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. As correct as the second statement might be, it is not the statement that Jesus made. These two statements are obviously different; anyone who reads them can conclude that they are not the same. As simple as this concept is, it is stated formally in the law of identity. This law of identity encourages the human family to pay close attention to what God said in the Bible. Judgment will be based on what He said, not on some other statements. (Jn. 12:48) The blessed Bible is a divine treatise that can only be “rightly divided” if one respects the law of identity. Sadly, there are some who prefer to read into the Bible what it does not say or ignore what it does say. These individuals are clearly hoping that God did not mean what He said and that He said what He did not mean. Such an approach is foolishness of the highest order. The law of identity stands firm: God said what He meant and He meant what He said.
The law of non-contradiction asserts that a proper statement and its opposite cannot be both true in the same way at the same time. Again, this law is rather basic. Suppose a young boy says, “I have a pet lizard named Rex.” It follows that the following statement cannot also be true if made by the same boy at the same time: “I do not have a pet lizard named Rex.” One or the other of these statements is true, but not both of them. The chief objective of life is to “fear God and keep His commandments.” (Ecc. 12:13) This statement is exactly opposite to this one: the chief objective of life is not to “fear God and keep His commandments.” One or the other of these statements is true, but not both of them. When James wrote, “faith without works is dead,” that statement is the opposite of faith without works is not dead. (Jam. 2:26) One or the other of these statements is true, but not both of them. Clearly, the law of non-contradiction is rather easy to understand. When Jesus declared “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,” that statement stands, according to the law of identity as what Jesus said. (Mk. 16:16) The opposite statement is he that does not believe or is not baptized shall be saved. One of these statements is true, and one of them is not true. Both of them cannot be true. Jesus affirmed one of them. There is no logical means to deny or circumvent what Jesus said; logic will not allow it. May we appreciate the logic of the Bible and use it to properly interpret and apply what God has revealed.
In a future article, this discussion about the laws of logic and their application to the Bible will continue.