Samuel Butler, 17th-century English poet, wrote:
A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.
American social psychologist Leon Festinger, the first to develop Cognitive Dissonance Theory, co-authored the book When Prophecy Fails. (1956) In it, they wrote:
“A man with a conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree, and he turns away. Show him facts or figures, and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic, and he fails to see your point.” (The above quotes are from Microsoft Copilot)
In this so-called information age, with all the technology at our fingertips, we are witnessing greater conflicts between opposing groups and increasing cognitive dissonance.
Paul wrote:
Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. (1 Cor 8:1-3)
Between Butler and Festinger, there was a decline of Western culture known today as postmodernism. How does Paul’s view differ from the previous two? The key phrase in Paul’s quote is love edifies (agape oikodomeo).
I have written extensively regarding the biblical meaning of love. It differs dramatically from the definition of love in our present culture. Biblical love is an act of the will. It involves choosing to obey God and to do what is right by God’s standard in every relationship, every day. This requires being continually bathed in the wisdom God has revealed in His Word. This wisdom can be defined as seeing things from God’s point of view. It involves humility. James wrote:
“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:6-10)
The second term in the phrase “love edifies” is oikodomeo. It comes from the term oikos, meaning “to build.” Putting the terms together, we see that instead of seeking to “puff up” (KJV phusioo) ourselves, we should strive to understand and obey our Lord Jesus Christ and let God exalt us. In this way, we become edifiers, being built up in His Word and building up others.
We need to develop abiding principles from God’s Word, not rigid dogma. Rigid dogma leads to the inability to see reality. Such dogmatism is the charge that Festinger and his colleagues made against Christianity. It fuels the firestorm of cognitive dissonance so prevalent in postmodernism. It is the postmodernists who are rigid in their persistent denial of genuine reality.
Biblical love, being born of God, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, enables us to see reality as it is and live in it.