Bulletin Articles
Faith is Reasonable
Faith is often represented or defined by unbelievers as believing something without evidence. Some think it refers to belief in spite of evidence, that faith is believing something just because, even when the evidence says otherwise. This is a misrepresentation.
Faith should be thought of as trust, not merely belief. Belief might be mental assent, but faith goes much deeper. It is a trust that includes a willingness to live by that trust. That does not mean that one has no good reasons to trust that something is true. To say that one has faith that God is, and that God rewards those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6), is not to say that one accepts these things as true without any solid reasons for doing so.
Scripture teaches, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 30:5). When Hezekiah became king, “he trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Kings 18:5). This is the same word used in Proverbs 31:11 of the virtuous woman: “The heart of her husband trusts in her.” Just as a husband ought to be able to trust his wife, for good reason, so ought we to trust God. Faith is not baseless.
This is not to say that faith must be based upon scientific demonstration. Most will accept by faith their parents are who they say they are without needing scientific proof. If there is a reasonable basis upon which we can say that we trust in someone, then that is enough. When it comes to the existence of God, for many it is enough that they can look at the creation and know that there is a Creator (without having to go through detailed arguments). This is not belief without evidence, for the evidence is all around us. The heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 119:1-6; Rom 1:20).
Some, however, need more convincing. Of course, if one decides before investigating that there is no God or that the Bible cannot be true, then no evidence will convince this person until there is a change of attitude (one must be open-minded). A good question is, “What are you prepared to accept as evidence of the truth of God?” The idea is to get one to look deeper and see if the necessary sincerity and honesty is there. Some who say, “prove it to me,” may have already decided that it cannot be so proved, so arguments fall on deaf ears. If people need more convincing, then they will at least have to be open to the question. We cannot argue into faith one who is not open to the possibilities. Yet when one is not open, we must ask, is that person showing a reasonable attitude?
We all have faith in something. We think of faith as a religious word, but we all exercise faith every day. We trust our cars to start. We have faith in the banks into which we put money. I trust that computers will allow me to finish this bulletin (and if you have this in your hands, then my faith was vindicated!). Faith is not inherently religious. It is just a trust that we have that things will be, or will continue to be, a certain way. This doesn’t mean that it always is, in terms of the practical world. It just means that we live our lives by trust. The question is, on the grander scale, what is the proper faith by which to live our lives?
Even scientists operate by faith. For example, scientists trust that their senses are giving proper information about the world, even though it cannot be proved by the scientific method (without begging the question). The scientific method itself is based upon assumptions that cannot be proved by the scientific method. Yet, there is a reasonable basis upon which the method operates.
The believer’s position is that faith in God is reasonable. It is not just a baseless assumption that there is a God or that the Bible is true. Some accept these things without needing a lot of argument, but that does not make it unreasonable. If one thinks that more evidence is warranted, then there is plenty of it out there. In this case, it will serve to solidify faith, and perhaps remove some of the stumbling blocks that stand in the way of biblical faith.
There is not a person in this world who does not live by some kind of faith. The question is, which faith is the best one by which to live? Of course, Christians will point you in the direction of God and the Bible. We do it with full trust that it is not merely a good way, or even the best way, but ultimately it is the only way (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
