Reason Versus Faith

What is reason, and what is faith? Is there a difference between them? Can reason and faith be reconciled and harmonious, or are they eternally at odds with each other? Could we think of their association as reason and faith, or must we be resigned to the outlook of reason versus faith?

Webster’s defines reason as, “…a statement or fact that explains why something is the way it is, why someone does, thinks, or says something, or why someone behaves a certain way; a statement offered in explanation or justification; a rational ground or motive; the power of comprehending, inferring, or thinking especially in orderly rational ways.”  It means to think clearly, rationally and logically.

Reason is one of the chief operations of a person’s mind, given to us by God when He created Adam. The ability to reason has provided to mankind important principles and disciplines such as architecture, medicine, engineering and philosophy. Adam was intelligent, to be sure, but he was also able to employ reason in how he related to the world around him.

Webster’s also provides a definition for faith as, “…strong belief or trust in someone or something; belief in the existence of God; a system of religious beliefs.” It means to accept something as factual, real, expected and/or anticipated. The implication is that there may or may not be evidence to support someone’s faith.

At first glance it seems that there’s no way faith and reason can coexist. People often assume that to have faith you have to abandon reason and logic. In fact, atheists and agnostics claim to rely upon materialism and reason alone to guide them. Is that really the case? Does it come down to reason versus faith? No, it doesn’t. Reason and faith aren’t mutually exclusive. Despite what atheists and agnostics claim, it isn’t true at all. The reality is that faith is built upon reason, not in spite of reason.

To understand how this is so, we need to find out what God’s Word has to say about the state of Man and how (and why) he was made. Once we get a proper perspective of how things operate we can see how reason and faith are interconnected.

The beginning of the human race started with the creation f the first man Adam, along with his wife Eve. While it’s true Adam was given a mind capable of reason (and consequently his offspring, meaning us), in essence he was created as a spiritual being. He was made in the likeness of his Father – God;

Gen 1:26

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

By God creating Adam as a spiritual being he was able to communicate (fellowship) with Him, because Adam was made “according to [God’s] likeness.” God formed Adam’s body from the dust of the ground, making him able to interact with the rest of God’s natural creation surrounding him. To bridge the gap between his spiritual and natural state, and to help him operate in the world he had been placed in charge over, God provided Adam with a mind. Adam’s mind was meant to be a tool to assist him in interacting with creation and in how he administered his duties as Earth’s steward.

This is Part One of a multi-part series. Keep watch for the next installment!