Correlation Between Faith and Rational Thinking

For generations great religious minds have been discussing the relationship between faith and reason. Is one's faith even valid if they are supporting their beliefs with rational thinking? Is faith even necessary? Or, is a balance between the two the ideal? These are just a few of the many questions that are asked in regards to this topic. I hold that Christian beliefs, in order to be rationally justified, must be supported by faith, and reasons for that faith. I believe that one's Christian beliefs should be backed by faith.

Faith is a fundamental part of Christianity. The Bible states repeatedly that one must have faith in order to be saved. For example, the apostle Paul writes, "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:10). Here, Paul commands Christians to outwardly express the faith that is inside of them. This is a requirement of being saved. Therefore, faith is necessary for belief in Christianity. Galatians 2:20 reveals what one must have faith in, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." In other words, one's faith is defined by having trust in the Bible and Jesus's story.

Now that we have established the necessity of faith, and the substance of faith in regards to Christianity, we must investigate the need for reason. Reason is, "the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic" (Oxford Dictionary). Many times throughout the Bible, Christians are called to use their minds. For example, Jesus calls us to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27). Here, Jesus distinguishes one's mind as a necessary component of loving God. The mind represents one's intellect. Jesus is saying that in order to love God, one must love him through their thinking and reasoning. Therefore, since Jesus not only calls us to believe, but also to love God with our intellect, we conclude that reason is a necessary part of Christianity. That is, one must not only trust in the Lord, but also have reasons for why they trust in the words of the Bible. Peter calls Christians to this idea, commanding them to, "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Peter is saying that to reach people who question Christian beliefs, one must be able to give reasons for why they believe what they believe. Therefore, reason is essential to believing in Christianity.

For me, faith and reason have both been vital to my belief in Christianity. I have faith that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died and was resurrected for my salvation. I believe this because I have found the words of the Bible to be true in my life. Outside of the Bible, the most convincing argument for the existence of God is C.S. Lewis's Moral Argument given in his book, Mere Christianity. The argument states that there is a moral standard that is instilled in every human, and because of this, there must be a being that established this law, and that being, God, must be outside of the universe. These reasons, along with my faith encompass my belief in Christianity.

In contrast to holding the view that faith and reason are necessary components of one's religion, some dismiss the need for reason and see faith as the only essential part one's belief. One philosopher that famously held this point of view was Søren Kierkegaard. He believed that there was a distinction between hope and faith. He considered hope to be believing when one found that there was some probability that what they believed in was true. True faith, on the other hand, is when one believes in something that they know is impossible and that has no reasoning behind it. Kierkegaard held that true belief in Christianity demanded true faith. (Faith and Truth)

I object to Kierkegaard's view. Faith and reason are both required for Christian belief. I think Kierkegaard neglects one of the most important parts of Christianity, evangelism. In Mark 15:16, Jesus commands his disciples to, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation". Here, Jesus tells his followers to evangelize to others. Of course, there are many different minds that one must appeal to in order to bring others to Christ. Some will hear the story of Christ, learn about his love, and believe. Others will find it hard to believe in a god, let alone the God of Christianity. Thus, we must be able to convince them of the legitimacy of Christianity. Paul is seen doing this throughout the book of Acts. Acts 18:4 speaks of Paul in Corinth, stating, "he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks." Paul is appealing to the minds of the Jews and Greeks in order to bring them to believe in God. Christians should not only be telling people the Gospel, but also reasoning with others. Therefore, since evangelism is an essential part of Christianity and persuasion is a part of evangelism, reason and faith are both required for belief in Christianity.

Faith and reason are both necessary components of Christian belief. The necessity of faith was seen through the fact that the Bible explicitly states that in order to be saved, one must place their faith in Jesus Christ. Reason is an important part of Christianity because we are called in the Bible to worship God with out intellect and because reason is a necessary part of bringing others to believe in Christianity. Today, truth is scarce. Christians that can appeal to the minds of others while keeping the faith will be used by God to reach the many who are starving for authenticity.