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Is Faith Reasonable?
Hank Hanegraaff
Christians are often accused of having “blind faith.” Is faith reasonable, and how are faith and reason related? The CRI Perspective in a moment.
Biblical faith is not a blind faith but is, in fact, faith in evidence. First of all, the Bible is very clear that faith is based on truth. God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17), and God cannot lie, or contradict this Truth (Titus 1:2). Thus, the whole Bible presupposes the validity of reason.
The Bible also presents reasons for faith, or evidences supporting its truth-claims. For example, Paul sets forth a list of people who saw Jesus Christ after His resurrection to remind the Corinthians that the resurrection was a proven fact (1 Cor. 15:3-8). In the Old Testament the prophets and psalmists frequently pointed to the impotence of idols as evidence that the gods of the nations were, in fact, false gods. And throughout the Bible the fulfillment of prophecy is emphasized as proof of the true God’s sovereign control over the universe.
To say that faith is reasonable is not, however, to assert that faith must submit to the dictates of fallen man’s anti-Christian reasonings. When skeptics rule out the miraculous as impossible or as unthinkable, for example, they may be using their intellects but they are not being truly reasonable. Non-Christians naturally reason in sinful, unbelieving ways. In fact, a Christian is someone who has had their thinking transformed according to the power of God (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:17-24). And God often uses evidence and sound reasoning, through the witness of well-taught Christians, to break through the unbelieving mind-set of skeptics and turn their hearts and minds to the Truth.
In short, faith is, indeed, reasonable and there is no conflict between faith and reason for Christians. But non-Christians will rationalize their unbelief until God’s Holy Spirit, often working through sound apologetic arguments, opens their minds to see the Truth of the Gospel. Truly, the heart can only rejoice on what the mind comprehends.
On faith and reason, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.
Hank Hanegraaff
Christians are often accused of having “blind faith.” Is faith reasonable, and how are faith and reason related? The CRI Perspective in a moment.
Biblical faith is not a blind faith but is, in fact, faith in evidence. First of all, the Bible is very clear that faith is based on truth. God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17), and God cannot lie, or contradict this Truth (Titus 1:2). Thus, the whole Bible presupposes the validity of reason.
The Bible also presents reasons for faith, or evidences supporting its truth-claims. For example, Paul sets forth a list of people who saw Jesus Christ after His resurrection to remind the Corinthians that the resurrection was a proven fact (1 Cor. 15:3-8). In the Old Testament the prophets and psalmists frequently pointed to the impotence of idols as evidence that the gods of the nations were, in fact, false gods. And throughout the Bible the fulfillment of prophecy is emphasized as proof of the true God’s sovereign control over the universe.
To say that faith is reasonable is not, however, to assert that faith must submit to the dictates of fallen man’s anti-Christian reasonings. When skeptics rule out the miraculous as impossible or as unthinkable, for example, they may be using their intellects but they are not being truly reasonable. Non-Christians naturally reason in sinful, unbelieving ways. In fact, a Christian is someone who has had their thinking transformed according to the power of God (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 4:17-24). And God often uses evidence and sound reasoning, through the witness of well-taught Christians, to break through the unbelieving mind-set of skeptics and turn their hearts and minds to the Truth.
In short, faith is, indeed, reasonable and there is no conflict between faith and reason for Christians. But non-Christians will rationalize their unbelief until God’s Holy Spirit, often working through sound apologetic arguments, opens their minds to see the Truth of the Gospel. Truly, the heart can only rejoice on what the mind comprehends.
On faith and reason, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.
