Reason and Faith

The Apostle Paul stated, “For what can be known about God is plain to them [the people in the world]. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world” (Romans 1:19-20). He also made clear, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). In these 2 quotes Paul understands that God can be discovered and known through science and the human mind in the general way God reveals Himself, but to truly know God in a deeper more intimate way, a person must come to know God’s written word, His special revelation.

As Paul points out in the verse above and as King David also points out in many of his Psalms, God can and will be known through his creation. This means that humanity can discover and come to know the things about God through the study of the sciences, both in nature and social fields. As human’s reason or as Webster’s defines, “exercising the faculty of logical thought”, mankind can come to a logical conclusion that God is real and is active in the world.  Reason and the study of God in a logical way is also very important in the field of apologetics. As William Craig asks in his early thoughts on the topic of apologetics, “what rational warrant can be given for the Christian faith”. Craig is pointing to the fact that God can and will be known through rational thought.

But human reason and the general revelation of God is not enough for salvation. Yes, human thought and logic can lead to a knowledge and understanding of God, but without the Word of God made known and His special revelation, humanity can’t know the saving and graceful work of God. As Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” . This means that man will never know or come to have a heart that understands, the work that God is doing for the salvation and reconciling of the world to Himself. Only special revelation, through the word of God, will do this, not simple rational thought or reason.

Special revelation is the revelation of God that He gives in a special or unique way. The special revelation of God in all history has been through miracles, visions, dreams, His audible Word, and special messengers. In the church and world today 99.9% of God’s special revelation is through His written Word to His people. So when God specially reveals Himself through His Word, then and only then can humanity and the hearer come to know what God is intimately, lovingly, and graciously doing in the world, especially in redeeming a people to Himself. A person needs this true knowledge of faith found in the Word of God. This special revelation of God gets beyond thinking logically and rationally and comes to feel and sense the true nature of God.

Jonathan Edwards said, “There is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and precious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace”.  Edwards makes the point then that having reasons and knowledge of God is nice, but without the special knowledge and faith of God, a person cannot taste and see that the Lord is good. So Christians must come to realize that reason and logic, especially in apologetics, is a good thing and can lead others to God. But without the special revelation and true faith of God, God will never be fully discovered. A Christian must use reason to introduce others to God. But to fully lead others to a saving, knowing, and sensing of the beauty of God, a Christian must use the special revelation and faith that God brings in clear ways outside of reason and the general logical understanding of God. This is why Christian need to understand the relationship between reason and faith.