WHY FAITH IS GREATER THAN REASON
Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Too often the idea of living by faith instead of reason is looked upon by the world to mean Christians aren’t interested in knowledge and the truth, but that we have “blinders” on and therefore just follow God blindly. But this is not the case in genuine faith.
Think of levels of thought as dimensions. Just as space has three dimensions of length, width, and height, so also our ability to think.
One-dimensional thought and actions is very linear, it is inertia. You just keep doing what you’re doing, keep going the direction you’re going, and keep getting what you’re getting. It is not thinking, not planning, but just drifting along wherever the events of life take you. Not a good idea.
If you add another dimension to your “line” of inertial thinking (or lack of thinking), you have a two-dimensional plane, where your trajectory though life has many opportunities to be changed. In other words, there are many forks in the road, many choices to make. In fact, if you go from a single line to a plane with both length and width, you increase possibilities for the direction of life to infinity. Instead of being locked into one direction and destination, you now have 360 degrees to choose from.
This is where Reason comes in. All those endless possibilities each have a probability of becoming your reality. The problem now becomes trying to plot a course, make endless choices and decisions, try to calculate probabilities, and get your best guess that your pathway is going to take you where you actually want to go. This is planning, vision, thinking, reason, math, science, imagination, calculations, running simulations, testing, process of elimination, scientific method, trial and error, gathering data and doing your best to accurately go from Knowledge (data/information/facts) to understanding (how they actually will work together to give meaning), to Wisdom (the accurate and correct application to real life in real time)…
Sound exhausting? It is! But this is what is necessary in a life and world that requires us to think, to reason, to study, to get an education, to use our God-given intelligence.
Reason is an indispensable part of life on earth for the human creature, and is also an integral part of genuine Faith. Faith isn’t “blind”; it is firmly grounded in the absolute Truths of the Word of God. Faith is our pathway that is not darkened by a blindfold of ignorance, but rather enlightened by God’s Word, “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…” (Ps 119), and where we are being led by the Living Light of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reason is important, but it has limitations.
Simply put, we cannot know enough to make absolute decisions by means of research, study, knowledge gathering, interpretation of facts, etc. We are simply too limited in our ability to know everything, to see into the future, and to take into account the endless possible variables and outcomes and the complex probabilities that affect everything in life. It’s like having a handful of jigsaw puzzle pieces and trying to put together an accurate picture of what the whole 1000-piece puzzle will be.
Consider that for something as simple as flipping a coin, which has only two possible outcomes, we still can’t accurately calculate whether it will be “heads” or “tails”. The idea that we can accurately calculate the outcome of endless circumstances of life and the infinitely complex world in which we live is ludicrous; just watch the weather on TV, or the stock market prognosticators. Reason only gives us our best guess among endless possibilities and probabilities.
Faith, on the other hand, takes into consideration all possibilities, and reduces them to one single outcome. By eliminating all other possibilities, all other probabilities are eliminated as well. Faith is believing that what God says is true, trusting Him to do what He says He will do, and acting appropriately.
Faith is not an absence of Reason; it is Reason multiplied exponentially. It is Thinking in 3D.
God tells us to move from thinking we know it all, or enough, that we can confidently answer all questions, make only good decisions, understand all we need to know in life, and live by our wits. He tells us that our understanding will always be insufficient, we will never be as wise as we believe ourselves to be, and we cannot accurately predict anything, much less everything.
He tells us instead to trust Him, to live by Faith in Him. After all, He actually does know everything, He knows exactly what is going to happen, He is not only aware of all possible variables, outcomes, and endings, but He is absolutely in control of all the above.
Just like adding an additional two-dimensional plane creates a three dimensional space and volume, so adding the infinite reasoning ability of the Almighty is what takes us beyond Reason into the realm of Faith.
By Faith, what seems not only improbable but completely impossible, becomes the actual reality.
By Faith the dead were raised, hungry fed, blind given eyesight, lame made to walk and leap, and hope given to the hopeless.
By Faith our souls are saved, our sins forgiven, and our place in God’s Kingdom, Family, and Heaven is guaranteed.
By Faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are Heaven bound. All other possibilities and probabilities have been eliminated by the One Who know all things, controls all things, and has given us His unchangeable Word on it.
By Faith, our Reason and thinking are elevated to another dimension, multiplied exponentially, and enable us to reach beyond what we know in our minds, into what we know in our hearts. We are empowered to act intuitively, trusting our God Who leads us by His own indwelling Holy Spirit, lighting our path with His Word, and showing us which way to follow our Lord, our Good Shepherd.
So think, reason, study, learn, and be involved with the lifelong process of “renewing your mind” (Romans 12:2). But remember that all you can learn, all you can know, all you can interpret into wisdom, is meant to be a stepping-stone to Faith. Remember the process: Knowledge-Understanding-Wisdom-FAITH-Action-Habits-Character-Identity.
So trust Him, all the time, in everything. After all, He is the smart One.
~Johnny
8-28-17
Blog: www.johnnydtaylor.com
Email: johnny@johnnydtaylor.com
Facebook: johnnydtaylormin
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
King James Version, public domain.
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