faith and reason

this is in a sense the continuation of a previous post on philosophy and theology. i've been thinking about what separates a believer from an unbeliever. must you shun philosophy, go hide in a cave (not plato's cave) and hold that 1+1=3 in order to believe in God? is faith really opposed to reason?

note: believing that God exists and believing in God are two separate things.

no one can believe in God without believing that God exists.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

on the other hand, someone can believe that God exists without believing in God.

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." - James 2:14-19 (NIV)

reason is neutral with respect to belief in God

it is possible for a believer not to have reason, just as it is possible for an unbeliever to have reason. a believer might not have reason, just as an unbeliever might have reason.

reason (or the lack thereof) does not distinguish between believers and unbelievers. properly conceived, reason simply grounds believers in their belief (making their belief reasonable to them) and unbelievers in their unbelief (making their unbelief reasonable to them). to this end, reason is neutral with respect to belief in God.

nevertheless, although reason is neutral with respect to belief in God, it still points towards the belief that God exists (through apologetics). it is able to remain neutral with respect to belief in God - while pointing towards the belief that God exists - because believing that God exists and believing in God are two separate things.

faith is the very condition for belief in God

it is impossible for a believer not to have faith, just as it is impossible for an unbeliever to have faith. a believer must have faith, just as an unbeliever must not have faith.

faith (or the lack thereof) distinguishes between believers and unbelievers. belief comes from faith and the lack of belief comes from the lack of faith. at the same time, faith results in belief and the lack of faith results in the lack of belief. to use propositional logic, faith is both a necessary and sufficient condition for belief.

if and only if!

reasonable believers, unreasonable believers, reasonable unbelievers and unreasonable unbelievers

reasonable believers are true believers who will never fall away. they do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but are transformed by the renewing of their minds.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

unreasonable believers are believers in name, but not in nature. they have yet to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." - 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 (NIV)

reasonable unbelievers are like the demons in James 2:19. they believe that there is one God - and shudder. they shudder because they believe that God exists without believing in God.

unreasonable unbelievers think that whether or not God exists, they do not have to believe in Him. in reality, God does exist and calls each one of us to believe in Him. the lack of belief does not come from the lack of evidence (the Bible itself is sufficient, not to mention apologetics) but from the lack of faith.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." - Romans 1:18-20 (NIV)

however, this does not undermine the basis for evangelism.

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"" - Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

salvation by grace through faith

the good news is that God does offer all men salvation by grace through faith, as well as the ability to respond in faith which accompanies it.

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - John 20:31 (NIV)

faith and reason are not in perfect opposition to each other, but in perfect harmony with each other.