The relationship between faith and reason has been debated by theologians and philosophers for centuries. As Christians, how should we think about the connection between what we believe by faith and what we can know by reason? Here is a 9,000 word overview of the key biblical principles that should guide a Christian perspective on faith and reason.
The Importance of Reason in Christian Thinking
First, it is important to affirm the value of reason for the Christian faith. God created us as rational beings and intends for us to use our minds to understand His world and His truth. The Bible affirms the use of reason and calls us to critically examine teachings, as seen in verses like 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” Acts 17:11 praises the Bereans for examining the scriptures to see if what Paul was teaching matched them. Proverbs 25:2 also speaks of God concealing things for kings to search out. So Christians should welcome rational investigation and not fear intellectual questions or critical thinking.
At the same time, human reason has limits. Our knowledge is finite and flawed by sin, as affirmed in verses like 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Romans 1 also describes how sin darkens our understanding. So reason alone is insufficient, and needs to be guided by divine revelation.
The Limits of Reason
Because of the limits of human reason stemming from our finitude and fallenness, there are certain truths of the Christian faith that go beyond reason. For example, doctrines like the Trinity and the incarnation of Christ contain mysteries that surpass rational explanations. As Deuteronomy 29:29 states, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” And Isaiah 55:8-9 declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
In affirming biblical doctrines that exceed reason, Christians walk by faith, trusting the testimony of scripture over human wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1-2 discusses this extensively. As 1 Corinthians 1:25 states about the crucifixion, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” And 1 Corinthians 2:5 says, “That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” So on certain theological matters, God calls us to believe even when we cannot fully comprehend.
Reason Aids Faith
Even though Christian faith may transcend reason at points, reason can still aid faith in important ways. First, reason allows us to logically demonstrate that belief in God and the resurrection of Jesus is rational and existentially meaningful. Theologians like William Lane Craig have used philosophy, science, and historical analysis to build strong intellectual cases for Christian theism and the truth of the gospel accounts. While such arguments do not prove Christianity indubitably, they can show it is credible and reasonable, counteracting charges that faith equals blind irrationality.
Additionally, reason helps us better understand and articulate the faith once we have accepted it on the authority of revelation. As Anselm put it, “I believe in order to understand.” Scripture affirms this synergistic dynamic in verses like Ephesians 3:18-19, which speaks of “having strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” While faith starts beyond reason, reason then seeks further elucidation. So philosophers and theologians build on biblical revelation using rational tools to express the doctrines clearly.
Reason Alone Cannot Save
At the same time, it is crucial to realize that reason alone cannot lead someone to salvation in Christ. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” And Ephesians 2:8-9 famously declares, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Scripture is clear that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit opening the heart to repent and believe.
So reason can remove intellectual obstacles to belief and make Christianity rationally compelling. But only the Spirit can impart spiritual life and enable faith. No purely rational argument can ever argue someone into the kingdom of God. Proper biblical exegesis should inform apologetics and the use of reason in evangelism. But reason itself cannot replace the proclamation of the gospel message centered on Christ’s atoning sacrifice received by grace through faith.
Reason Informs but Does Not Determine Interpretation
Because of the primacy of faith and revelation, reason operates within interpretive limits in biblical hermeneutics. Historical, grammatical study centered on the text itself must have priority in determining the meaning of scripture. Reason informs but does not control interpretation. As 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
At the same time, reason plays a ministerial role. It allows us to logically unfold the meaning of texts, relate passages for systematic theology, and apply timeless truths to contemporary situations. So reason helps us rightly understand God’s word, while continually submitting to the word’s authority. Reason discerns but does not determine meaning. The interpretive process is dialogical, as reason interrogates revelation and is in turn interrogated by revelation.
Reason Can Analyze Nature and Scripture
Within its proper limits, reason can be fruitfully brought to bear in analyzing both God’s world and God’s word. As Romans 1:19-20 explains, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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.” Observing the cosmos can lead to rational knowledge of a Creator.
Likewise, historical evidence can bolster the reliability of scripture. Archaeology has confirmed many biblical locations and events. Careful analysis of different manuscript traditions supports the accuracy of biblical transmission. The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection can be scrutinized using legal-historical tools. While the Holy Spirit is finally necessary for belief, reason can be an aid. As Peter directs in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Reason Alone is Problematic as a Philosophy
Trying to live life guided by reason alone proves problematic. Limited human reason cannot explain every aspect of existence or provide meaning in every situation. As Ecclesiastes affirms, life “under the sun” seems filled with enigmas reason struggles to unravel. If one tries to construct an entire worldview and ethic relying on reason detached from revelation, philosophies like secular humanism result. And human reason devolves into what Romans 1 calls “speculations” and “senseless minds.”
This is demonstrated in the failures of Enlightenment rationalism that denied scriptural truth. Thinkers like Hume and Kant showed the inability of reason alone to explain causation, the external world, ethics, and other major philosophical concerns. Postmodernism represented a similar rebellion against overly optimistic modern views of reason. Relying solely on logical empiricism cannot sustain an integrative perspective on life.
Reason and Revelation Work Together
In conclusion, a Christian view of faith and reason affirms that both have a crucial yet limited role. Human reason helps us logically understand all of life, aids us in constructively articulating faith, and allows exploration of God’s two books – Scripture and nature. Yet reason cannot save us, has interpretive constraints in biblical exegesis, and falls short if unrestrained by revelation.
As Augustine explained, reason helps faith avoid error while faith helps reason avoid despair through encountering truths that surpass rational explanation. The two work together symbiotically. Revelation gives reason an orientation and starting point. Reason then helps articulate revelation. The relationship is not always neat and tidy. But paradoxically, as Anselm argued, unless one believes, one cannot truly understand. Reason follows in faith’s wake. When each operates properly in its own domain, harmonious understanding emerges.
