What is the relationship between faith and reason? Are these two realities polar opposites? Is Christianity a religion of faith apart from reason; in other words, are faith and reason mutually exclusive with respect to Christianity? Can both faith and reason be practiced at the same time, or must we choose one or the other in order to follow Jesus and believe the Bible? These are important questions that need answering; that is the aim of this article.
Truth
Before we begin, let's define what truth is. There are many theories of what truth is, but the most convincing theory or definition (although it is incomplete) is that truth is what corresponds to reality. For example, in a court of law, prosecutors must prove that the purported events actually took place—they must align to reality. A religion that claims to be true must, therefore, make true statements about reality: who we are as humans, who God is, and how we relate to Him. A religion that doesn't do this is worthless and a lie.
Knowing Reality
Now, how do we come to know that things are the way they seem to be as they relate to reality? Well, our five senses help us discern the reality of the external world; we can come to know many things through our senses. Although some would say that we cannot ever trust our senses, there is no basis on which to seriously doubt them, unless we were under the influence of a substance, or fooled by an illusion.
But reason helps us come to know how those things (our senses, including what we hear, e.g., the truth claims of Christianity) correspond to the actual state of affairs, whether in the past, present, or future. We use our reasoning capabilities to gain new truths: one thing builds upon another, and our understanding builds upon itself; this is how we learn that 2+2=4 once we learn what the number one means, and on to calculus we go—well, maybe not so quickly!
Belief in God is said to be a properly basic belief (according to Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga). This means that belief in God is foundational and grounded in our experiences in the world through our senses and through reason. Also, since believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, He is the ultimate defeater of any arguments against the truth of the Gospel, so that even if one cannot present an impressive apologetic case, the presence of the Holy Spirit would be enough to confirm to that person that he or she is still in the truth—that he or she truly knows the reality of God.
Aspects Of Reason
The dictionary definition of reason is: "the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic." Reason, therefore, involves:
- Apprehending (appreciating, perceiving, grasping) something in the mind,
- Judging (deciding, concluding) that it either is, was, or will be, and
- Reasoning, which is moving from a known truth to a new truth.
These three aspects of reason almost always happen simultaneously—our minds are brilliantly created!
Faith: A Working Definition
Now, let's talk about faith. Some people insist on defining faith (as it relates to religion) as "believing something when common sense tells you not to"; or "to believe in something when the evidence points to the contrary, or without any evidence at all," i.e., a blind faith. But is that the kind of faith we Christians have or are called to have? Is that the kind of faith that the people of the Bible had?
Biblically speaking, faith is a personal trust in someone or something. Saving faith is a personal trust in God, who is true to His Word. In other words, faith is a firm certainty grounded in the faithfulness of God and a certain expectation of the fulfillment of all the promises which God has made to those who would trust in Him. It's important to realize that faith is not contrary to reason, nor is it irrational. In fact, faith is more than reasonable, for God has shown Himself in history, again and again, to be faithful and trustworthy. It would be unreasonable not to trust in Him. For a more thorough survey of what faith is and is not, click here.
Aspects Of Faith
There are three aspects of faith:
- Emotional: characterized in the Bible as hope (Hebrews 11:1); not just wishful thinking, but the confident expectation of ultimately receiving that which has been promised (e.g. Salvation and future glorification)—this is strengthened by prayer.
- Intellectual: the stable and unchanging commitment that is grounded in truth. Although we may not feel strong in faith, our minds can remain committed to trusting in God because of what we know to be true about Him (2 Timothy 2:13)—this is one of the benefits of studying apologetics.
- Volitional: the act of the will by which we make a commitment to live, think, and act on the basis of God's Word—this aspect strengthens our faith (Matthew 25:21; Joshua 24:15).
There is one thing, however, we have not yet mentioned regarding faith. There is a term in theology that is often repeated: the "object" of our faith, which is the person or thing in which one trusts. The unchanging and always faithful object of our faith is God, Jesus Christ—and this includes His Word (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17).
However, the ultimate object of our faith is not the Bible's propositions themselves, but God, whose very nature insures the truthfulness of the propositions He asserts. It is important to notice that simply accepting propositions to be true is not the same as trusting in the one who makes the assertions. We must come to personally trust in the One who has given us His Word, the Creator and Author of life (Hebrews 10:23).
Something worth mentioning is the fact that reason alone cannot produce faith, but our faith is not unreasonable. The best way, therefore, to understand the relationship between faith and reason is to see that each has its proper role to play, and that faith and reason complement each other in their respective roles.
Reflection
While it is the Holy Spirit who enables someone to believe, He may sometimes use the presentation of evidence for the Christian faith (e.g., apologetics) as the means whereby someone can come to see the truth of the Gospel. Nevertheless, a person is still free to choose whether or not to believe, for reason will not coerce them to believe.
Also, those who do not have the resources nor the education to have all the facts and evidence about Christianity would still be reasonable to believe God's Word when they read it or hear it. Why? Because the Holy Spirit would testify and confirm to them that what they have come into contact with is, in fact, true.
We are not called to have blind faith, but to use our God-given minds to apprehend the truths of the Gospel. God's greatest commandment, which Jesus affirms in Matthew 22:37, reminds us that: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
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