In my last post, I wrote about biblical faith, its importance, and how it connects believers to Jesus, to each other, and provides hope. In this post, I want to focus on reason, or as many people think of it, intellect. I want to show that these two ideas are not in opposition to each other in the life of a believer, but work together.
What is Reason?
Reason is “the guiding principle of the mind in the process of thinking.”1 When we think, we generally use a process. Most of us do not just think of things randomly. While it is true that thoughts randomly enter our minds, we process these thoughts logically, and reason enables us to make sense of them. One thing that sets humanity apart from the rest of creation is that humans are made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 states that God created man and woman in His image. Because God created us in His image, we can know that we possess several traits of God within ourselves. Padgett states, “While some Christian groups are highly suspicious of human reason, the Bible sees learning, reason, and wisdom as gifts to be used for God’s glory. Thinking is natural to humanity, a normal part of our created abilities.”2 God has created humanity in His image, and one of the biggest blessings from Him is the ability to think about the things present in life.
Reason Engages the Mind
Whereas faith is seen as a primarily emotional trait in Christians that engages the heart, reason engages the mind. Padgett also states, “Using their God-given powers of thinking, human beings are able to learn and become wise, to think and to grow in knowledge and understanding of themselves, of God and of the world around them. Yet like everything human, thinking has its limits and inherent dangers as well as its joys and triumphs.”3 The ability of human beings to grow in their wisdom and understanding is a central thought of the Bible. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied in Matthew 22:37 to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. The inclusion of the mind in this verse is important. God does not want people who mindlessly follow Him. God wants the whole being: heart, soul, and mind. To completely love Him, one must use their mind to understand Him.
Reason Allows Understanding
When the mind is actively engaged, understanding occurs. This is evident in humanity from the earliest days of childhood. A baby, while growing, engages its mind to understand the world around it. Once the child reaches a certain age, they move into a school where formalized training begins. The whole point of education is to help people grow and understand the world and how to live. This is also true with the Bible. By giving humanity the ability to reason and learn, God gave them the ability to experience not only the world around them but God Himself.
Reason Allows Humanity to Experience God
The Bible is God’s Word and a tool to help humanity understand and know Him. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is breathed by God and is useful to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness so that man can be knowledgeable and equipped for every good work. Proverbs 9:10 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Holman Christian Standard Bible). God has provided us with reason so we can know Him. This does not negate the role faith plays in the process. Faith in God underlies the understanding of God.
The Importance of Reason
The importance of reason in the life of a Christian today cannot be overstated. Christians in the Western world find an increasingly hostile environment in which to live. While there has always been opposition to Christianity, social media and the interconnected world have allowed those who oppose Christianity to quickly gather in larger groups more than they could have in the past. Because the opposition to Christianity is strong, the importance of Christian reasoning has grown.
Reason and Christian Apologetics
Peter tells Christians in 1 Peter 3:15 to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason why they have hope in their hearts. This verse is the basis of Christian apologetics, or defense of the faith. When engaging in apologetics, reason is of extreme importance because many who oppose Christianity use the same argument presented by Bill Maher in ridiculing faith. These opponents will discount faith but have more difficulty disproving reasonable arguments presented with facts as to why Christianity is true. Hübenthal states, “The primary goal of Christian apologetic communication is not missionary in the traditional sense of the word, it is not about making as many new Christians as possible. Rather it aims at bringing humans to a point where they can make a reflected and well-considered decision on how to deal with the fact that ultimate human fulfillment is possible only if God exists.”4
If the ultimate goal of Christian apologetics is to lead people to a “reflected and well-considered” decision, then the heart of Christian apologetics must lie with providing examples and data so one may reach the intended conclusion. For those who discount faith, appealing to reason with well-delivered illustrations and supporting data is the only way Christians can adequately defend their faith. Once a person understands the facts and the evidence, faith will help fill in knowledge about other parts of Christianity and the Bible.
Reason in Evangelism
In the same way that reason and intellect can help with Christian apologetics, they can also help with evangelism. Jesus gave what is known as the Great Commission in Matthew 28, calling on his followers to make disciples of all nations. Many people do not focus on Jesus’ command in verse 20, where he tells the disciples to teach the nations to observe what He has commanded. Teaching requires reason so one can learn and understand what they are being taught, and the church today has the call of the Great Commission Jesus gave to His disciples. J.P. Moreland states, “the church must see herself as an educational institution, and the development of the Christian mind will be at the forefront of the church’s ministry strategy of equipping the saints.”5 If the church does not make disciples for Christ or teach the nations, Satan and the world will make disciples against Christ. Once again, the driving force of reason is to help people have faith in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Again, this post is not meant to be a philosophical treatise on the idea of reason. What I hope you get from these posts on faith and reason is that both are necessary in the life of a Christian. Each one helps us through difficult times in our lives. Faith can help us when we don't have an understanding of our circumstances and reason can help us make sense of things when our faith struggles. For many people in many churches, there are times when they are facing a crisis and the response from their pastor or Christian friends is, "Just have faith." While this is well-meaning it can come off as a slap-in-the-face as someone making light of a bad situation. We know God is in control, but when we are facing a crisis the idea of just sitting back and resting on our faith does not cut it. That is when we need reason to cut through our emotions and help us see that the person in whom we place our faith, Jesus Christ, is faithful. Our reason allows us to recount all the times when He has been faithful in our lives and make the conclusion that He will continue to be faithful. In turn, this will help to bolster our faith because faith and reason work together, not against each other. In the final part of this series, I will explain how faith and reason relate to each other and how we, as Christians benefit from both.
Oxford English Dictionary, “‘reason, n.1,’”https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/159068.
Alan G. Padgett, “Chapter 2: Faith Seeking Understanding: Collegiality and Difference in Theology and Philosophy,” in Faith and Reason: Three Views, ed. SteveWilkens, Spectrum Multiview Books (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 89.
Ibid., 91.
Christoph Hübenthal, “Apologetic Communication,” International Journal of Public Theology, 2016, 22.
J. P. Moreland, LoveYour God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), 224.