John C. Lennox refers to information as a fundamental entity. Information and intelligence are fundamental to the existence of the universe and life. Lennox states that “Word” in the 4th Gospel is Logos. It is a word used by Stoic philosophers for the rational principle behind the universe. It was given additional meaning by Christians, who used it to describe the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. “Word” conveys notions of command, meaning, code and communication, thus it conveys information as well as the creative power needed to realize that which is specified by the information. The Word is therefore more fundamental than mass and energy. Mass and energy belong to the category of the created, but the Word does not. Lennox identifies a basic characteristic of information, that it is invisible and immaterial. Carriers of information may be material, but information itself is not material. Since information encodes on something physical the carriers of information are subject to the laws of physics, but information itself is not a physical entity.

John Polkinghorne has commented on divine action*.  He acknowledges that contemporary science accepts a causally open view of nature and that top-down organizing causal principles must be at work to bring about the future.  Active information brings about the formation of a structured pattern of future dynamical behavior.  The notion of information input is necessary to resolve what actually occurs.  It is the vehicle for top-down operating causality and a possibility to accommodate human and divine agency.  He concludes that there should be a flow of information from God to the universe (and to mankind) by which God guides it providentially.  As has also been stated by William Dembski in a previous blog the input of information involves no exchange of energy between God and the universe (and mankind) thus avoiding action that would violate the energy conservation laws.  Polkinghorne sees it plausible that God’s providence acts within the open grain of nature, capable of receiving pattern-forming information (including linguistic neural codes which I have discussed).  Polkinghorne is clear that God is not the active informational principle, and God is not information.  God is the agent that generates active information and transfers it into the system He created.  Polkinghorne gives no explanation for how this causality works and believes it imperative to continue the search for the causal joint where God’s action acts causally on nature’s (and on Man’s) actions, on how the divine and the creature interact.  In my two books it has been the object of my research to inquire into this very question, to conduct this very search.

*Ignacio Silva, “John Polkinghorne on Divine Action: A Coherent Theological Evolution,” Science and Christian Belief, Vol 24, No. 1, 2012

I cite Dr. James Le Fanu’s discussion of the “self” in this post which reference is included in my book, Nerve Endings of the Soul: Interaction Between the Mind of God and the Mind of Man through Neural Synaptic Networks.

“…the Self is an autonomous agent with freedom to choose, … founded upon a rich autobiographical inner record of memory, an accumulated subjective experience extending back to childhood, and that it possesses powers of reason and imagination expressed through language extending beyond the boundaries of personal experience. The Self is nonmaterial with no substance, and it cannot be weighed or measured. Its non-material attributes collectively form the “inner core” that is each unique individual. Self is grounded in the human brain which facilitates its formation through cognition and memory, but it has a coherent, durable transcendent reality that cannot be explained by ever-changing, transient electrical activity of neuronal circuits.”

Sir Karl Popper and Sir John C. Eccles defined “self” in their work published in 1977, The Self and Its Brain (1). 

“…the self is not a ‘pure ego,’ that is, a mere subject.  Rather, it is incredibly rich. …it observes and takes action at the same time.  It is acting and suffering, recalling the past and planning and programming the future, expecting and disposing.  It contains…wishes, plans, hopes, decisions to act, and a vivid consciousness of being an acting self, a center of action.  And it owes this selfhood largely to interaction with other persons….”

The highest mental experience is “knowing that one knows,” self-awareness or self-consciousness. (2)  It is the most fundamental characteristic of the human species (3) and emerges from levels of linguistic communication not shared by non-human animals. (4)  Mind and language are more than physical entities.  Distinctively human language enables Man to bridge the gulf between mind and matter, the immaterial and the material.  Human language reflects a spiritual component in humans that does not exist in other creatures and lifts them to a unique eminence in the cosmos, made in the triune image of God with spirit, soul and body. (5)  Bruce M. Miller stated that “…it may be deflating to some people that the very essence of who they are – including their beliefs and values – is merely another anatomical process.”  This statement reflects the common reduction made of the mind to the physical brain.  The sense of self according to his studies could be localized to one area of the brain. (6) 

            William A. Dembski (7) points out that a full material account of mind needs to understand localized brain excitations in terms of other localized brain excitations.  Anger, for example, has to be explained in terms of semantic contents, such as insults.  The admixture of brain excitations and semantic contents hardly constitutes a materialist accounting of mind or intelligent agency.  The human soul mediates between the spirit and body and correlates with the self, or self-consciousness, our “I.”  The self remains in continuity with the past and into the future.  No matter how extreme the circumstances of our experiences one remains the same self, durable through a lifetime. (8,9) The self makes Man distinctively human.  We are spiritual beings with souls existing in a spiritual world as well as material beings with bodies and brains existing in a material world. (10)

            Fundamental to the Gospel is the teaching from Jesus Christ that Christians need to die to self.  What does this mean?  The human self is durable and defines our unique human identity.  Dying to self as a term can generate confusion and angst among Christians.  Jan Johnson has addressed the issue of “dying to self” by explaining the term based on Scripture. 

“Jesus described the dying-to-self process (to ‘deny self’ is the exact scriptural phrase) as part of following Him: ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me’ (Matthew 16:24, NASB). Sometimes people mistake dying to self for death of self. But self-denial is not self-rejection. God treasures your divinely created self. He doesn’t want to obliterate the part of you that makes you uniquely you. God works within you and reshapes you into the person your renewed-in-Christ self is meant to be.” (11)

The following teachings of the Apostles Peter and Paul are representative “scriptural phrases” alluded to by Johnson:

1 Peter 2:24 …and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Galatians 5:24-25 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

            It is of unique importance that human beings can communicate with their Creator God through the human spirit and receive Counsel from the Holy Spirit restored to repentant mankind by the sin sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  We remain distinct human selves in interactive harmony with God’s Spirit by His grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus, His Son.

References

1.      Karl R. Popper and John C. Eccles. The Self and Its Brain (Berlin, Heidelberg, London, New York: Springer-Verlag International, 1977), 120.

2.      John C. Eccles. Evolution of the Brain: Creation of the Soul (London and New York: Routledge, 1989), 224.

3.      T. Dobzhansky. The Biology of Ultimate Concern (New York: The New American Library, 1967).

4.      Eccles, Ibid, 71.

5.      Joseph W. Poulshock, “Language-Wonder: Theory, Pedagogy, and Research,” Christ and the World, the Journal of Tokyo Christian University, 8 (1998).

6.      Bruce L. Miller, “Finding One’s Self,” Presented at the American Academy of Neurology, 53rd Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, P/a, May 5-11, 2001.

7.      William A. Dembski, “Are We Spiritual Machines?” First Things, 96 (1999), 25-31.

8.      Henry Margenau, The Miracle of Existence. Woodbridge, Connecticutt: Ox Bow Press, 1984).

9.      John C. Eccles, “Do Mental Events Cause Neural Events Analogously to the Probability Fields of Quantum Mechanics?” Proc. Royal Soc. London (Biol), 227 (1986), 411-428.

10.  Eccles, Ibid, 241.

11.  Jan Johnson, Dying to Self and Discovering So Much More, August 25, 2011       (https://decisionmagazine.com/dying-self-discovering-much-more/)

July 6, 2020

My friend and former colleague, Ken Samples, posted an article on the Reasons To Believe website entitled, “What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel?”  He identified the traditional Christian view as Exclusivism which asserts that the unevangelized are lost because they have sinned in Adam.  However, he goes on to state that they will be judged by the general revelation God has given to all human beings. (1) 

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

            A question has been asked by countless generations, can the revelation of God in His creation prepare one for salvation in Jesus Christ?  Is there no hope for people across the world in all of history who never heard the Gospel?  After all, it was Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Let us examine this important question in the context of the covenant made by God with Abram and by the blessing of Abram by the Canaanite king and high priest of Salem, Melchizedek.  He knew Yahweh, the God of Abram, by His general revelation.  General revelation prepares one to receive the Gospel through the eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek, Jesus Christ. (2)

            Abram of Ur was given a promise by Yahweh 4000 years ago if he would obey His command to leave his people and country and go to a foreign land. (Genesis 12:1) He would be blessed by his obedience, and all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him since in his lineage was to be Jesus Christ the Messiah. (Genesis 12:3) Upon his arrival in Canaan Abram entered Salem and encountered the king who reigned over it, Melchizedek.  He was the king of righteousness, the priest of El Elyon, the God most high.  El Elyon was the Canaanite name for Yahweh. Melchizedek saw that Abram worshipped Yahweh/El Elyon and blessed him.  Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had recovered in the rescue operation of Lot from Kedorlaomer and his allied kings. (Genesis 14:18-20) In this ancient culture the blessing by Melchizedek identified him as the greater of the two, and the lesser represented by Abram was obligated to give gifts to the greater.  As was the custom in that time Melchizedek was also the high priest of Salem.  When King David conquered Salem in later years he became its priest – as was Melchizedek before him – and renamed it Jerusalem.  King David prophesied that the Messiah who was in the lineage of the House of David would be an eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4) “in which membership is . . . not restricted to one particular lineage.” (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:1-22) (3) The priestly tribe of Levi that was descended from Abram (renamed Abraham) was not to be a permanent priesthood.  The prophecy by David foretold the change in the priesthood order that was to come with the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. (4)

And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.  For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:15-17) . . . and a better hope is introduced by which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:19)

            It is unknown how Melchizedek received his knowledge of Yahweh, whom he called El Elyon. (5) God has the power to interact with people who have no access to the knowledge of Jesus Christ or of His special revelation in the Bible. (Romans 1:20) In Acts 10:34-35 Peter said, “I now realize how true it is that God . . . accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right” as led by their conscience, itself a manifestation of God’s general revelation.  General revelation is older and has influenced 100 percent of mankind in all of history. (Psalm 19) The Belgic Confession of 1566 makes the following statement:

We know Him (God) by . . . the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: His eternal power and His diversity, as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.

            “. . . the Messiah who came among men in fulfillment of every spiritual reality foreshadowed by the Levitical priestly system was also at the same time ‘a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’ (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:4-10; 6:20; 7:15-22) Christ . . .  is Lord of both general and special revelation . . . The true light (Jesus Christ) that gives light to every man (through general revelation) was coming into the world (to shine upon men in special revelation).” (John 1:9) (6)

            The redeeming grace of God has been revealed to mankind in His dual revelation, giving all people hope for salvation through Jesus Christ the Messiah, eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek.

References

1.    Kenneth R. Samples, “What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel?” Reflections, June 9, 2020 https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/reflections/read/reflections/2020/06/09/what-happens-to-those-who-never-hear-the-gospel

2.    Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), 30.

3.    Ibid.

4.    Xenos Christian Fellowship, “Old Testament Teachings,” http://www.xenos.org/teachings/ot/genesis/gary/gen14-1.htm.

5.    Richardson, 30.

6.    Ibid, 156-57.

[calvin] “miller addresses the holy communion of prayer, emphasizing that it is ‘two-way.’ meaningful communion with god through the holy spirit is not only a voice but also an ear. listening is the most valuable part of prayer. our focused silence is key to blocking out the inner and outward chatter (noise) . . . that surrounds us so we can commune with god and perceive his communion with us in the several forms it takes, such as dreams, visions, words, intuition and discernment. the holy spirit wants us to be open to him. our silence is a door for him to enter into our souls. our silence is an ear for us to hear. . . . it is important to understand that god permeates all that surrounds us, including our very selves, so that he hears every word we speak or think. miller points out that all of life becomes communion, ‘for he fills the very crannies of our minds and bodies.’ . . . by his indwelling holy spirit god continuously accompanies us, pervading the entire world of cognition. miller states that we should not ‘act as though he is somehow ‘out there’ and that we must ‘go’ to talk to him.’”

“Jesus said in john 14, ‘on that day you will realize that i am in my father, and you are in me, and I am in you.’”

in this blog post i am including comments by ken samples, theologian and philosopher with reasons to believe (WWW.REASONS.ORG). i have cited his work a number of times in my books and blogs and have highest respect for his teaching. excerpts in this blog come from the book, testabe faith: a reasons to believe anthology and the chapter, “isn’t faith incompatible with reason?”

“in historic christianity, reason and faith function in a complementary fashion. . . . both scripture and long-standing tradition teach christians to seek rational understanding of their faith. . . . the expression ‘faith seeking understanding’ best captures the spirit of the consensus of christian philosophy.”

samples cites three “great christian thinkers’ perspectives ON THIS POINT:

“augustine: ‘believe in order that you may understand.

“anselm: ‘i believe in order that i might understand.

“thomas aquinas: ‘i understand and i believe.

“the christian worldview offers a plausible explanation for affirming an objective source for knowledge, reason, and rationality. that explanation is found in a personal and rational god. christian theism affirms that an infinitely wise and all-knowing god created the universe to reflect a coherent order of laws and logic. . . . he also created humans in his image . . . and endowed them with rational capacities to discover that coherent order.”

by the grace of god and his bounDLESS love for fallen mankind the sin sacrifice of his son, jesus christ, has provided for the restoration of the intimate communion with his indwelling holy spirit sent as jesus promised after his resurrection to repentant sAINTS. GOD DESIRES THIS COMMUNION, LOST AT THE FALL, BUT RESTORED AND FULFILLED IN OUR TIME. OUR FAITH SEEKS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE “HOW” OF THIS COMMUNION, AND THIS HAS BEEN THE FOCUS AND OBJECTIVE OF MY RESEARCH FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS. THE HOLY SPIRIT SEEKS TO COMMUNE WITH US AND HAS PROVIDED THE MEANS FOR IT. A RATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROCESS ONLY GROWS FAITH IN THOSE WHO SEEK IT. I THANK KEN SAMPLES FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANCE TO FAITH COMPATIBLE WITH REASON.

i am reading the latest book by dr. hugh ross, founder of the now global ministry, reasons to believe (www.reasons.org). its title is rescuing inerrancy: a scientific defense, RTB press, covina, ca, 2023. i wish to share excerpts from chapter 11 that are relevant to what i am sharing in my blog posts concerning the personal interaction between the holy spirit and the spirit and mind/soul of mankind:

“the 39 human writers of the bible’s 66 books understood that the holy spirit was the guiding voice behind everything they wrote. in many biblical passages, the human authors explicitly declared that what they were writing was inspired by god himself. the phrase ‘thus says the lord’ appears 427 times in the old testament. . . . the apostle paul assures the early christians, ‘all scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness’ (2 timothy 3:16), and the apostle peter affirmed that ‘prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from god as they were carried along by the holy spirit’ (2 peter 1:21). . . . the bible’s redemptive theme is sustained by the record of nature. that god began his work of redemption before he created anything implies that all of nature is designed to make possible not only the existence but also the redemption of a vast host of humans. [the neural synaptic networks of the human brain have been so designed by god to provide a personal means for counsel and redemption.] . . . the holy spirit knows the meaning of what has been written and promises to guide us toward ever-deeper understanding. he uses genre and prayerfuly discerned interpretive principles to help us today [bold type added], just as he helped ancient peoples of the world and will help future generations.”

Dr. wesley pinkham opens his book, Relational christianity, with these stATEMENTS IN HIS INTRODUCTION:

“THERE IS A LACK OF SELF-UNDERSTANDING IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. THE WEST IS FACING A CRISIS OF MEANING, AND CHRISTIANITY IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PROVIDE A CREATIVE ANSWER. HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO DO SO, CHRISTIANITY MUST FIND ITS DEFINING, UNIFYING CENTER. TO RESPOND TO THE OVERARCHING CRISIS OF MEANING, CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND THE TRUE NATURE OF THEIR BELIEF.

THIS BOOK SEEKS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: ‘WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY?’ ANOTHER WAY TO ASK THIS QUESTION WOULD BE: ‘WHAT IS THE UNIFYING HEART OF JESUS’ LIFE AND TEACHINGS, AND HOW CAN wE LIVE ACCORDINGLY? WE SUGGEST THAT THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY IS INTERPERSONAL ONENESS. . . . THE TRINITY IS QUINTESSENTIALLY INTERPERSONAL AND INDIVISIBLY ONE (DEUT 6:4; 1 JOHN 5:7). FURTHER, THE INTERPERSONAL CREATOR HAS CREATED INTERPERSONAL BEINGS AFTER HIS KIND, HAVING MADE HUMANS IN HIS IMAGE (GEN 1:26). WE SUGGEST THAT THE CENTER OF CHRISTIANITY REFLECTS THE VERY NATURE OF GOD - THE TRINITY - HIMSELF: LIVING IN PERSONAL ONENESS.” . . . THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE HUMan being - that is, our anthropology - will be incomplete if it is not defined by its godward orientation.”

pinkham speaks to the mutual indwelling that is the model for christian doctrine:

“in john 5:19-27 and 16:13-14, we see that the relationships between the trinity are self-emptying and self-giving. the father gives his authority AND POWER TO JESUS. YET JESUS GIVES IT ALL BACK BY REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING APART FROM THE FATHER. FURTHER, THE HOLY SPIRIT [INDWELLING THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND SOUL IN OUR TIME] SPEAKS ON BEHALF OF JESUS, AND GIVES GLORY TO JESUS IN THE PROCESS. THE MODEL HERE IS THAT OF INTERDEPENDENCE, UNEQUIVOCAL TRUST, MUTUAL INDWELLING, AND LOVING UNITY. THIS MUST BE THE MODEL FOLLOWED IN CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE, AS WELL AS IN THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.”