Faith versus Reason?

When dealing with unbelievers one will usually hear, during the course of the conversation, something to the effect that they simply cannot accept this “faith” so blindly. They are “forced” to use their reason which, to them, rejects any and all aspects of faith. They often resort to stating that believers are blindly following a “faith.” They insist that faith and reason are not compatible. Are they not compatible? How does one respond to some of these charges?

 

Actually, the Bible makes it plain that God has given us our reasoning abilities and He expects that we use them. Nowhere does it say, or even imply, that one has to leave their brains at the door of the church. In fact, it is just the opposite.  

God, throughout the Bible appeals to mankind to reason His existence and His Word. He pleads with the people of Isaiah's time to "Come now, and let us reason together..." (Isaiah 1:18) Paul, as he stood before Felix, the governor, he "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come..." (Acts 24:25)  

In Acts 17:2, “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures”, Paul’s manner was to reason with those he was preaching to. As has been stated before, in many different ways, this actually has the meaning of:  

(1) to think different things with one's self

(2) to mingle thought with thought

(3) to ponder, revolve in the mind

Vine’s even goes so far as to state that this has the meaning to “argue” and to “dispute.” In fact it is translated various times as dispute.  In Acts 17:17, “Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him”, Paul actually “disputed” with people. He argued. He debated. He reasoned with them. He attempted to get them to see the truth claims of the gospel. 

Now look at the results of Paul’s use of reasoning.  In Acts 17:4, “And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few”, some believed, or were convinced in Paul’s reasoning. They believed. They put their faith in the truth claims that Paul was arguing about. This word believed has the connotation of: 

(1) being convinced by argument

(2) to assent to the evidence, or authority, being presented

(3) to rely by inward certainty of the truth claims presented

In Acts 18: 27-28, “And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ”, notice that Paul “mightily convinced” the Jews. He convinced them by reasoning with them. He convinced them by arguing with them. He convinced them by disputing with them. His attempt was to get them to see the truth claims of the gospel. 

God has always asked mankind to "mingle thought with thought" when determining where to place our faith.  The Bible is full of condemnation and warnings to those who do not "mingle thought with thought" or to "ponder in our minds" the truth. It even goes so far as to say that those who refuse to look at the validity of absolute truth are blind. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 mentions that the "god of this world" has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Jesus Christ had His harshest criticisms for the religious leaders of His time because they were "blind guides." In His denunciation of them in Matthew 23 He called them "blind" five separate times. In Matthew 15:14 Jesus calls them "blind leaders of the blind." What has been written in Ephesians 4:17-18 almost two thousand years ago is still very applicable today. There are people who walk in "the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart."  

Christianity is predicated upon absolute truth claims. It is predicated upon “evidence.” This evidence can be gleaned from all of creation, from mankind, from history, from human nature, and from every part of this created world. All of these evidences need to be "mingled together" and then "pondered" to come to a realization, or a rejection of absolute truth.  

One of the major objections cited to this position is Christ’s admonition that those who would enter heaven must do so as a little child.  In Matthew 18 where Christ said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” What exactly did He mean by “becoming as little children?”  The context talks about humility. Christ said in the next verse, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child…” Children are naturally humble, especially in contrast to adults. The attitude of little children that Christ identifies here is that one must possess humility to “enter into the kingdom of heaven.” He did not list other attributes of children. Nor did He identify their so-called lack of reasoning abilities. 

Here are a few commentaries on this passage:   

Albert Barnes – “Children are, to a great extent, destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness. They are characteristically humble and teachable. By requiring his disciples to be like them, he did not intend to express any opinion about the native moral character of children, but simply that in these respects they must become like them. They must lay aside their ambitious views and their pride, and be willing to occupy their proper station - a very lowly one.” 

John Wesley – “The first step toward entering into the kingdom of grace, is to become as little children: lowly in heart, knowing yourselves utterly ignorant and helpless, and hanging wholly on your Father who is in heaven, for a supply of all your wants.” 

John Gill – “… it being common to children to behave towards one another, as on a level; not to envy one another, or to set up one above another, or be vainly elated with the distinctions of birth and fortune.”  

Matthew Henry – “Children, when very young, do not desire authority, do not regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents. It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are marks of childhood, and render them proper emblems of the lowly minds of true Christians. Surely we need to be daily renewed in the spirit of our minds that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all.” 

Adam Clark – “Be as truly without worldly ambition, and the lust of power, as little children are, who act among themselves as if all were equal.” 

Charles Spurgeon – “Children do not try to be humble, but they are so; and the same is the case with really gracious persons.” 

The Fourfold Gospel – “Jesus told them plainly that they must turn from their sin of personal ambition or they could not be his disciples--part of his kingdom--and he pointed them to a little child as the model in this particular, because the humble spirit in which the child looks up to its parents stood out in sharp contrast with their self-seeking, self-exalting ambition.” 

The Pulpit Commentary – “The special attributes of children which he would recommend are humility, unworldliness, simplicity, teachableness,—the direct contraries of self-seeking, worldliness, distrust, conceit.” 

Even though the thrust of Christ’s teaching in Matthew 18 is the necessity of humility, it still does not teach, even by inference that one’s reasoning is not needed in faith.  Children do not believe simply because they are told. The authority of the one telling the “facts” plays an important role of whether or not the child believes what is being said. So, even a child weighs the “evidence” before actually believing one way or another.  Again, it was not the purpose of Christ’s words in Matthew 18 to outline the lack of reasoning abilities of children. It was the humility of a child and not the naivety of the child that was the focal point of His teaching. 

Nowhere is it stated that the Holy Spirit is not active in conversion. In fact, without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit all we have is an intellectual assent to the gospel facts; hardly what one would call saving faith.  Even though Paul sought to convince by arguing and by disputing with others of the truth of the gospel, he did not downplay the necessity of the Holy Spirit in conversion. 

The primary focus of this post is to simply point out that this faith in Christ is reasonable. It is not contrary to our God-given reasoning abilities. Reason can only take us so far.  There comes a time when we are forced to place our faith in something; every single human being. There is not a person that does not live by faith; in something whether in theistic or non-theistic worldviews. 

The overwhelming evidence points to the reality that faith in Christ is the most reasonable.