I’ve been re-reading “Through Faith” recently (free e-book here), and came across the following quote:
Reason is the toolset for gaining understanding. Only through reason can someone gain an idea of what is right, why it is right, and what it is worth in comparison to other beliefs. (Through Faith, p. 31)
It reminded me of this scripture:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
So many people see this scripture as an invitation to consider the possibility of forgiveness—that by “reasoning” with the Lord, we will someone how be persuaded to believe that an absolution of our sins is possible. And there certainly are those who need to be persuaded of that possibility. When someone is stained with sin, it can be difficult to believe that being cleansed of our sins could ever be a reality. Ever have clothes turn pink because you had something red in the wash along with them? How easy is it to get that pale shade of red completely out of the clothes? How much more difficult would it be to believe they could be made white again, if they turned a deep scarlet or crimson? And yet, the gospel teaches us that it is possible to be made white as wool, and so many people take that verse and run with the idea that God has the ability to forgive you of your sins.
He certainly does, but the verse means so much more than that. Sanctification is better than forgiveness, and that is what Isaiah is leading our minds to. Notice that Isaiah doesn’t make a case for the Atonement in that whole chapter as much as he makes a case for righteous living. He focuses on the ability (albeit frequent unwillingness) of humans to make good choices and to align themselves with the good counsel and direction that God gives to them.
When we read “Come now, and let us reason together,” we are reading an invitation to engage in the process of sanctification—the process of being made holy, which begins with repentance and a forgiveness of our sins, but which is also meant to continue as God gives us reasons why we should continually and increasingly turn away from the beliefs, desires, and actions that are not like His and embrace and incorporate into us those that are. By seeking and yielding to him, our natures are changed. We take on his name—his character—and we are truly cleansed from all unrighteousness.
God’s ability to reason is part of what makes Him who He is, and He has given us the ability to reason to enable us to become like Him.