Our theme for this month’s Courier is faith and reason, a broad subject that encompasses more than we could possibly include in a single issue. However, our aim is to present quality and correct information that can aid our readers in their continuing development as followers of and witnesses for Christ.
Faith and reason are often the topics of debate and even controversy. While they are different, they are both gifts from God and, as such, can effectively complement each other. Reason is a creative gift from God that every human being has. Faith is a redemptive gift from God that born-again believers have. Faith does not negate reason, although there are areas where Christian faith and natural reason conflict. Real faith illumines, clarifies and uses reason.
Augustine indicated that the body of reason is empowered by the fire of faith. Reason cannot save us. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” We are not justified by reason but by faith (Romans 3:28).
Reason can be thought of as a statement of fact that explains something. Another description of reason is the forming of a conclusion based on logical thinking. The ability to think logically comes from God, but the logic goes astray if it is not anchored to faith in God and His revealed truth. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, stated, “Reason is an amazing gift, and the proper utilization of reason is essential for any education, but we are complicated creatures whose minds are never simply or purely rational.”
Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In the Holman Christian Standard Bible, the verse reads, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” The “hoped for” can be literally understood as confident expectation.
Christian faith is not a blind leap into nothing. It is not superstitious or irrational. It is a reliance on God and His truth, which is both rational and infallible. Faith pleases God. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to walk by faith. That does not preclude reasoning, but helps us realize that reason is used most effectively when it submits to the authority of faith. The two are not competitors but partners in the life of a believer.
Reason without faith leaves a person in spiritual darkness. Reason with faith gives a person the ability to know and serve God. C.S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.”
Reasoning without saving faith will always be both inaccurate and incomplete. God invites us to reason with Him (Isaiah 1:18). When we reason with God, we will experience truth we could never know by reason alone. We use our reason most productively when we reason from God’s truth.
John Piper makes an insightful point on the whole topic of faith and reason: “What should burden us on this issue is not only how to commend and defend Christianity to intellectuals, but how to proclaim it among a thousand unreached peoples around the world who cannot wait for generations of education.”
Faith and reason are gifts from God to be utilized for His glory.