Here’s a fact you’ve known for years, but probably never noticed: baseball runs counter-clockwise. The ball is hit and the runner takes off to his right. They make left turns at each base. From the fielder’s perspective, the baserunners are also moving counter-clockwise.

Why go contrary to the beloved clock? The answer lies in the fact that most people are right-handed. Right-handed fielders do not have to turn to make a play at first if the runner is going counter-clockwise. Left-handers get advantages in the batter box since they are a half-step closer to first base and their swinging momentum is sending them in that direction.

While we’re on the subject, why do clocks go one direction around the circle and not another? The answer here goes all the way back to ancient times. In the Northern Hemisphere, the shadow on a sundial moves around the circle in the direction we call clockwise. Clockmakers imitated the direction of the shadow with the movement of the hands. That is the arbitrary reason for clocks running “clockwise”.

Sometimes our reasons make sense. At other times, we have forgotten the “why” behind the things we do. When it comes to what we do as God’s church, we cannot afford to ground ourselves on vague or random purposes.

More than 200 years ago, the Restoration Movement began when men and women looked at the state of the church and wondered how it could have strayed so far from the New Testament. They recommitted to making God’s Word the foundation for what the church practices and believes. Paul urged Timothy to do the same:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

II Timothy 3:14-17, ESV

The church is on the right track when it can answer why questions by pointing to Scripture. We don’t rely on taste, opinion, trends, or the customs of generations past. We look to writings that we believe were inspired – breathed out – by God.

The commands and examples we find there carry an authority that lasts throughout the centuries. The training we receive there is capable of equipping us for any good work God has planned for us. The truth we discover there will serve to deepen our appreciation for God as He makes His will clear.

The foundation upon which the church stands is more secure than the conventions of clock-makers who trace shadows. It is more reliable than the official rules of baseball that can change by committee vote. The reasons behind our faith and practice can be found in a clear reading of God’s Word… as long as we keep reading.