Reason and Faith

"The truth is that having the right kind of faith is not an alternative to reason, but an essential element of reason."--Phillip E. Johnson, Against All Gods, p.35

I quote Prof. Johnson here not because he is an authority necessarily, but because he is a good example and also because he states this so succinctly. The dichotomy of faith and reason is a false one made too often by both ignorant people of faith and also by the enemies of faith or those who choose not to be a part of a faith movement at all. I use faith here in this context as an equivalent of religious belief, particularly Christian belief. It would be easy for me to call this a canard, but the word canard implies intent and I honestly believe that most people who make this false dichotomy do so sincerely out of ignorance.

In agreement with Prof. Johnson let me state unequivocally that faith and reason are inseparable. It is clear from Scripture that God expects for our faith to be a well-reasoned faith. God does not ask us to believe against reason or contrary to reason. Never. Quite the opposite God gives us good reason to believe. Let me give a few examples of what I am talking about.

In Isaiah 1 God invites his wayward people to reason with him. Observe:

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Pretty clear, isn't it? Now try this. When Paul is taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Greek-speaking world, in Acts 18 we find him in Ephesus and Luke records this:

19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

Later on, we read this about Paul's ministry when he returns to Ephesus some time later:

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

The ones who "became stubborn and continued in unbelief" in verse 9 were Jews in the synagogue who simply refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. When the rift became clear, Paul left the synagogue and took his teaching elsewhere. The message, however, is clear. Paul used reason wherever he went in his efforts to persuade men to have faith in Christ. The faith he wanted them to have was based on well-reasoned arguments. Elsewhere Paul writes to the church at Rome:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The footnote found in the ESV concerning the above highlighted portion "which is your spiritual worship" informs us that an alternate rendering of this phrase would be "your rational service." That, together with the next portion I highlighted make it clear that the great Apostle to the Gentiles and God for whom he is speaking expect our faith to be well-informed, well-thought-out. We are to test and discern. In short we are to think and in doing so we will see that the spiritual worship God expects of us is a rational service.

I am reminded of when Martin Luther stood trial before the Council of Worms on charges of teaching heretical doctrines. What did he say? What was that famous quotation? Oh, yes.

"Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason -- I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other -- my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."--Martin Luther, at the Imperial Diet at Worms, 18 April 1521.

The contention was a theological one. Scripture was considered authoritative by both parties. The appeal is to reason in understanding what the Scriptures say.

In spite of the canard or misconception of many atheists, Christian theism is quite reasonable and appeals to come to that faith are based in reason. I have given just a basic demonstration in this post by quoting some Scripture (both New Testament and Old), giving an example from history, and quoting a contemporary Christian apologist. In my next post I will give an argument which is even more obvious but for some reason doesn't occur to us.

Ignorance Is No Excuse - Isaiah 1:2,3

Isaiah 1:

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the LORD has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master's crib,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”

Ignorance, for the Christian, is an indictment, not an excuse. It is no different for the unbeliever. This may seem harsh (as truth often is), but, the fact that God would reveal this to us, indeed confront us with it, is an act of grace on his part. Are we not better off hearing the truth, even when we do not like it, than not hearing anything at all? Or worse, being lied to? Here God speaks plainly. Even a stupid ox knows who its owner is. But Israel does not know.

They should. They have no excuse.

According to St. Paul, unbelievers in this world are without excuse as well. Here is what he says about it in the opening chapter of his epistle to the Romans:

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

A dumb ox knows its owner. A stupid donkey knows who it is who feeds it. But human beings claim ignorance of God. God, however, does not accept that excuse as a valid one. God holds us accountable. According to God, the world around us daily demonstrates God's wisdom and goodness, his "invisible attributes," his "eternal power and divine nature." Nature points to a God. Creation points to a Creator. The fact that man ignores this evidence is prima facie evidence of his rebellion. Man is bent against God, so man demands more.

And God has given more. Much more. According to John's gospel . . .

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life . . .
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Creation by itself, and our cognizance of it--yet rejection of the Creator--is enough to condemn us. But God in his grace did more than just reveal himself in creation. God also gave us special revelation in the person of his Son. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

John makes some very important assertions in this beginning to his gospel. Let's look at three.

First, John takes the Greek concept of the "Logos"(the Word)--the impersonal force which commands order in the universe--and associates this Logos with the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe.

Second, John points out that the Creator did an astounding thing, he condescended to become a part of the creation--to "dwell" among us. This is what Jesus, himself, claimed to be--God in the flesh. He was the Creator walking among his creation, revealing himself to us. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote:

1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

God spoke to us through the person of Jesus Christ, his Son. He showed us himself, revealed himself to us personally.

The third thing John reveals about Jesus in the opening of his gospel is this:

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The coming of Jesus into the world was a light which "enlightens everyone." This is additional light, additional revelation to the light of creation. With this light comes a demand implicitly stated here--receive him. It is a condemnation that his own people did not receive him and it is a condemnation that men still reject him today.

God revealed himself in creation. Man rejects this light. God revealed himself in the person of his Son. Man rejects this light also. Is there help for man? Is there help for us? Only if we turn.

Some do receive. Some do believe. Who are they? Those who are born of God.

Where are you in this?

Guilty - Isaiah 1:2

Isaiah 1:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the LORD has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.

Every human being who has ever lived has had at least this one thing in common with everyone else. We are the offspring of God and we are fallen.

Okay, that's two things. Nevertheless . . .

According to Scripture, God has cared for and nurtured every human who ever lived, indeed, every creature. God is the source of life and apart from God there is no life. Our life is his and we only live as long as he grants it. For as long as we live, we owe our lives to him. Witness what St. Paul says in his famous speech before the Areopagus in Rome:

Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

God gives us life. God gives us breath. God gives us everything. In God we live. In God we move. In God we exist. He chose our genetic make-up, our geography, our family, our heritage, our environment. He made us who we are, placed us where we are, sustained us every moment, guided our experiences, and all with a purpose . . . "that we should seek the Lord." Yet, we haven't.

Children have I reared and brought up, yet they have rebelled against me.

This is the issue God has with us and it is a huge issue. Our very life is a gift of grace and we spend it in opposition to him--every waking moment--since the day we were born. It is not a nice thing to be told is it? No one wants to hear something like that. We all think of ourselves as pretty good and we can all point to someone else who is worse than us, can we not? The problem is that the standard by which we are to be measured is God's perfect holiness. Up against that standard we are exposed for what we really are. Rebels. Moral criminals.

But Scripture condemns us all and it does more than that, it brings forth the proof. It demonstrates our guilt. God's law shows us who we really are.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

It's like a 12-step program. We have to admit who we are in relation to God, we have to admit our guilt, before we can begin to have that relationship restored.

While this is certainly true for the unbeliever, it is also something the believer must take note of as well. Remember that in Isaiah 1 God is addressing his covenant community--professing believers. That makes this passage especially powerful and especially relevant to our 21st century culture where everyone, it seems, is a believer--but no one really knows what it means to follow Christ--nor even seems to care.

How much does Isaiah 1 pertain to us? to you? Be honest.

What's in a Name? - Isaiah 1:2

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
“Children have I reared and brought up,
but they have rebelled against me.

God is speaking. But before we go on with that, let's take a closer look and get more specific. The Hebrew word most translated God in the Old Testament is Elohim. This is a plural form of El a word thought to have originally meant "strong one". In a couple of places Elohim is translated "gods". In Isaiah 1:2, however, we are looking at a word which has traditionally been rendered "Lord" in English translations (as opposed to "Lord" which is usually how the Hebrew Adonai is rendered). It is called the Tetragrammaton and is made up of four Hebrew letters whose English equivalents are roughly YHWH. These have been transliterated as "Jehovah" and "Yahweh" at different times, but the actual pronunciation is believed to have been lost because Jews considered it too holy to pronounce. For an in-depth look at this see the Wikipedia page entry which is actually pretty good.

The first time this name is revealed to man is when Moses is before the burning bush. You know the story. God tells Moses to go to Egypt and tell his people that he has heard their cries to him and that he is going to free them from bondage in Egypt. Moses balks, he has no confidence. He asks, "And when I go and the people ask me what is the name of this God who has sent me to them, what shall I say?" (my paraphrase) God responds, "Tell them 'I AM THAT I AM' has sent you to them. That's the English attempt at a translation for the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, sometimes, but rarely, transliterated into English as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh." The actual correct pronunciation has been lost to antiquity.

The important thing for our purposes is to know that this is the name God chose to be known by in his covenant relationship with Israel. He is the never-changing, ever-living One. He is about to speak to those who are his by covenant adoption. He is making a case against them, not a formal court-case as in a criminal trial, but more like an indictment. It also serves as a warning and ends in a reminder to them that he is a merciful God who gives grace and forgives. In the next post we will look at the implications of his opening words.