Reasonableness is a practical outworking of our finitude. We don’t have all the answers, we don’t have infinite knowledge, and we are sinners. In short, we can be wrong.
We live in an increasingly polarized world. Everything is binary. Nuance is suspect. Taking time to understand another is tantamount to compromise. Entrenchment is seen as best.
Social media hasn’t helped. Its faceless interface allows people to sound off without seeing the impact. Its algorithms surround us with a cheering crowd of opinion confirmers. Its instantaneous nature and characteristic brevity cater to point scoring, not persuasion.
Here is an opportunity for Christians to look and sound different. But for that to happen we need to be different. We all like to think we are reasonable, but many confuse being reasoned with being reasonable.
To be reasoned means that your opinions are well thought through. To be reasonable means you are open to persuasion.
James says the marks of godly wisdom are that it is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason…” (3:17 ESV). The word translated “open to reason” can be translated “willing to yield” or “persuadable” and has the idea of being willing to listen, to consider another person’s viewpoint, with an openness to changing your own.
Remember it is wisdom that is in view here—the art of applying biblical principles to all of life. God’s Word speaks clearly about the black and white issues—central doctrines, etc. But life isn’t always black and white; some parts are gray. Wisdom is the ability to apply God’s Word to make right decisions in the gray areas.
True wisdom is persuadable or open to reason. It recognizes that we don’t always get it right. That we haven’t necessarily arrived at our final opinion on every matter. That we have our biases, limitations, and blind spots. That situations change and new factors need to be taken into account.
Reasonableness is a practical outworking of our finitude. We don’t have all the answers, we don’t have infinite knowledge, and we are sinners. In short, we can be wrong.
I have come to value and look for this characteristic above many others—especially in church leaders. I have met those who don’t have it; for them it is their way or the highway. And at times I have failed to be reasonable too. Yet it is a key quality of leadership and Christian character.
