Summary
Prepared with a Reason
Christians live in a world saturated with assumptions—about truth, reality, human nature, value, morality, and pleasure—that are quietly absorbed unless they are tested against Scripture. Drawing its title from 1 Peter 3:15, this series equips believers to recognize common worldly assumptions and to see clearly how God's Word answers them. The aim is not merely intellectual; it is so that the people of God can stand firm, confess Christ confidently, and love their neighbors well by speaking the truth.
Epistemology: What Is Truth, and Can We Know It?
When Pilate asked, "What is truth?" John 18:38, he voiced a question the world still asks. Three assumptions dominate today: that there is no objective truth, that all truth is merely relative ("you have your truth, I have mine"), and that truth is a social construct formed by majority consensus. Each is shaped by humanism—the worldview that makes the human being the measure of all things, the same lie Satan whispered in the garden Genesis 3:1–6.
Scripture answers decisively. Jesus declares Himself "the way, and the truth, and the life" John 14:6, and promises that abiding in His Word brings knowledge of the truth that sets us free John 8:31–32. Truth is objective because it is rooted in the eternal God through whom all things were made Colossians 1:16 and whose Word stands forever (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24–25). Believing a falsehood does not make it true, no matter how many believe it. See Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 1 (3-30-25).
Ontology: What Exists and Where Did It Come From?
Ontology asks about the nature of existence. The world offers three answers: there is no God (naturalism); matter has always existed and organized itself through a "big bang"; and the universe balances itself out through karma. Scripture confronts each. God created the heavens, the earth, and humankind in His image (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7). Nothing pre-existed God; He alone is eternal and laid the foundations of the earth Job 38:4. His invisible attributes are made plain through what He has made, leaving humanity without excuse Romans 1:18–20.
Karma, drawn from Hinduism and Buddhism, is thoroughly works-righteous and foreign to the Gospel. Jesus Himself warned against linking suffering to a person's standing before God Luke 13:1–5. What we sow we do reap—but that is the moral order of a holy God, not an impersonal cosmic force. See Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 2.
Anthropology: What Is a Human Being?
Two assumptions dominate the cultural air: that humans are merely the product of evolution, no different in kind from animals, and that human identity is principally defined by sexual preference, orientation, gender choice, or self-identification. Scripture answers both. Human beings are God's special creation, formed in His image and given dominion over creation Genesis 1:26–27. After the fall, that image was lost; in Christ, it is being restored Genesis 5:1–3. We are not evolving; if anything, we are de-evolving from the perfection of our first parents.
Identity is not self-constructed. "In him we live and move and have our being" Acts 17:28. God created humanity male and female (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4–5; Mark 10:6), and the church must not relinquish this teaching. Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14 and called to present that body to God in worship Romans 12:1. The Christian's deepest identity is baptismal: died and raised with Christ Romans 6:1–4, counted among His sheep, His priests, and His chosen, beloved before the foundation of the world. See Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 3.
Axiology: What Is Important and Why?
Axiology asks how we determine what to value. The world says: prioritize what feels right in the moment, and treat every set of beliefs and values as equally valid—even when they contradict each other. Eve's reasoning in the garden shows where "if it feels right, do it" leads Genesis 3:2–6. The rich young man's grief reveals that emotions cling to lesser treasures rather than submit to Christ Mark 10:17–22. When everyone "did what was right in his own eyes," the result was lawless chaos Judges 21:25. Scripture instead calls us to guard our hearts and walk straight (Proverbs 4:20–27; 1 Timothy 4:6–10).
Biblical priorities are clear: bear witness as God's royal priesthood 1 Peter 2:9–10, love God and neighbor Matthew 22:37–39, seek first His kingdom Matthew 6:33, deny self and follow Christ Matthew 16:24–26, and aim to please Him 2 Corinthians 5:9. And contradictory faiths cannot all be true: Islam denies the Trinity and the deity of Christ; Judaism denies Jesus as Messiah; Christianity confesses Him as the crucified, risen Son of God. The law of non-contradiction stands. Jesus prayed that His own would be sanctified in the truth John 17:13–19, and Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds Romans 12:2. See Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 4.
Hedonism: Pleasure, Pain, and the Glory of God
Hedonism defines good as whatever brings pleasure and evil as whatever brings pain. Its roots run back to Eden, where Eve saw the fruit was "a delight to the eyes" Genesis 3:6—and reaped shame, conflict, and suffering (Genesis 3:7; Genesis 3:16). The hedonist's paradox is that failure to attain pleasure produces frustration, while attaining it produces boredom; either way, the pursuit ends in pain. Pressed to its logical end, hedonism becomes tyranny, where one group maximizes its pleasure by inflicting pain on others.
Jesus was no hedonist. He spoke openly of His coming suffering (Luke 9:22; Luke 22:15; Luke 24:45–47), and He grants His followers the privilege not only of believing but of suffering for His sake (Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 2:20; 1 Peter 4:16). Christ "gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age" so that all glory belongs to God forever Galatians 1:3–5. As Augustine confessed, our hearts remain restless until they rest in God; true pleasure is found not in evading pain but in glorifying and enjoying Him forever. See Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 5.
Standing Firm in Christ
Each of these worldly assumptions—about truth, existence, humanity, value, and pleasure—collapses when held up to the mirror of Scripture. The Christian is not called to a defensive crouch but to a confident witness: rooted in the objective truth of God's Word, anchored in the identity Christ
Video citations
- Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 1 (3-30-25) — We give you thanks for calling and gathering us in this year's house to receive word and sacrament and then to be sent forth. We give you thanks for the Scripture, for we can turn to that and we…
- Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 2 — O mighty God, you spoke all things into existence by your mighty Word. Fusur of us and the children you entrust to our care from the errors of our age. Keep us vigilant against the enemy who seeks…
- Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 3 — Heavenly Father, you created us in your image. Though we humans fell into sin, you chose to redeem us through your Son. As we study your Word and your world today, open our eyes to the truth of who…
- Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 4 — Heavenly Lord, we thank you. We thank you for your word, your word is truth. We ask that you would use this time of study to lead us by your word that we would know you, that we would know your will…
- Prepared with a Reason: Lesson 5 — Thank you. Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to be in your house. We thank you, O Lord, how you feed us through word and sacrament and then send us forth to be missionaries.…