Defining the Proper Relationship
Between Faith and Reason
Arrie Elizabeth Harlan
APOL 550: Faith and Reason
June 30, 2023
Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Categories of Faith and Reason..................................................................................................1
Faith and Reason are Antithetical.......................................................................................1
Aquinas and the Complementary Relationship..................................................................2
Faith and Reason as Synthesis............................................................................................3
Christian Faith Defined...............................................................................................................4
Faith and its Many Meanings.............................................................................................4
Battling the Issue of Trust..................................................................................................5
The Doctrine of Saving Faith.............................................................................................7
The Proper Relationship Between Faith and Reason...............................................................7
Gospel Promises.................................................................................................................7
Covenant Promises.............................................................................................................8
Man’s Moral Attributes......................................................................................................8
The Believer and Faith.................................................................................................................9
The Righteous.....................................................................................................................9
The Sanctified...................................................................................................................10
The Commitment..............................................................................................................10
Social Institutions ............................................................................................................11
The Family, the Government, and the Church......................................................11
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................12
Bibliography................................................................................................................................13
ii
1
Introduction
The relationship between faith and reason has been the focus of debate among leading
theologians of all generations in the history of the Christian church. Views on this topic can be
narrowed down to three general areas, (1) belief and reason in conflict (opposition), (2) non-
conflict (complementarity); and (3) faith and reason working together (synthesis).1
Because valid reasoning is dependent upon the revelations of God contained in his Word, this
author subscribes to the opinion that saving faith must precede reason. To establish a proper
philosophical relationship between faith and reason, a theological foundation is a necessary
prerequisite. With this in mind, this paper will discuss the characteristics of faith and reason to
show the proper relationship between them as well as how that relationship is apparent in the
believer’s life.
Categories of Faith and Reason
Faith and Reason are Antithetical.
Commonly associated with worldviews based on unbelief in relation to Christian Theism,
is the view that faith and reason are antithetical. There are those in the scientific world who
advocate some form of material realism and dismiss the notion that faith has any role in
schematic assumption. Some of these proponents are hostile to any idea that advocates religion
as part of an investigation that distinguishes justified belief from opinion and is capable of
working successfully. Wilkins, in his work on faith and reason, states, “Many who line up on the
‘reason’ side of the line assert that theology and faith are antithetical to clear thought and are
inherently hostile to science ... They argue that reliance on faith and the revelation upon which it
1 Rich Holland, “Faith and Reason.” (video lecture in APOL 550 at Liberty University,
Lynchburg, VA, June 16, 2023.)
2
rests tangles humanity in hopeless and outmoded superstitions that hinder progress … faith is not
benign but dangerous, and thus should be relegated to the dustbins of history.”2
Regrettably, this line of thinking has crept into the modern-day evangelical population.
This infringement is mostly the result to the evangelical community adopting a mindset of anti-
intellectualism. First appearing during the turn of the nineteenth century when the fundamentalist
church removed itself from the intellectual defense of the faith in the marketplace of ideas and
shifted its focus to internal matters that focused on the laity and unnecessary doctrinal interests.3
A byproduct of this move was a slanted view of faith and reason, not unlike the views held by
secular scientists. Moreland, writing on the effects of anti-intellectualism, states,
Believers grew suspicious of the importance of historical study in understanding
the Bible and in defending its truthfulness. An increased emphasis was placed on
the Holy Spirit in understanding the Bible as opposed to serious historical and
grammatical study … Instead of responding to these attacks with a vigorous
intellectual counterpunch, many believers grew suspicious of intellectual issues
altogether. To be sure, Christians must rely on the Holy Spirit in their intellectual
pursuits, but this does not mean they should expend no mental sweat of their own
in defending the faith … Unfortunately, our contemporary understanding of these
important concepts treats faith and reason as polar opposites.4
Aquinas and the Complementary Relationship
In the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas, theologians of the era held a second view. St.
Thomas believed that faith and reason were complementary to each other, with each having a
different purpose within the economy of God’s kingdom here on earth. He held to a dual
metaphysic which arguably borrowed its foundations from the form/matter dichotomy of
2 Steve Wilkens, et al., Faith and Reason: Three Views (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press,
2014), 9.
3 J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
(Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), 18.
4 Ibid., 18-20.
3
Hellenistic thought.5 It was Aquinas’ belief that faith and reason are two separate outlets for
knowledge, if you will, with the source for both being the Christian God. The spiritual and the
natural were distinct. While faith was concerned with heavenly and spiritual concepts that reason
cannot obtain, reason pertains to the temporal matters that can be observed through the five
senses. According to Strauss et al, “Hence between the truths of Revelation and the knowledge
acquired by the sole use of reason and experience, there is a distinction but there can be no
fundamental disagreement.”6
Faith and Reason as Synthesis
Another view of the philosophers in the evangelical movement of the modern world
holds to the idea that faith and reason work together in synthesis as a part of the natural order in
the administration of the kingdom of God. However, faith and reason are not separate entities
working in their designated lanes differing from the view held by Aquinas. Rather, faith and
reason work in conjunction with one another in the life of the believer life. Reason is an
ontological starting point for the believer because God made all men in his image.7 The ability to
reason, then, is a contagious characteristic of God that is only affected by the fall in an
ontological sense, not an economic one. Moreland put it this way,
. . . the doctrine of total depravity does not mean that the image of God is effaced,
that sinners are as evil as they could possibly be, or that the intellect, emotions,
and will are gone or completely useless. Rather, total depravity means that the
entire person, including the intellect, has been adversely affected by the Fall and
is separate from God … Further, the entire personality is corrupt but not
inoperative, and every aspect of our personality has a natural inclination to run in
5 Mark Galli and Ted Olsen, “Thomas Aquinas,” in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 31.
6
Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, History of political philosophy (Chicago, IL: The University of
Chicago Press, 1987), 252.
7 Moreland, Love Your God, 130.
4
ways contrary to God’s ways. However, none of this means that reason,
considered in itself, is bad.8
Wherefore, faith is understood as an expression of confidence in the true things known to
the believer as the image-bearer of God through his reasoning powers. Holland, in his critique of
W.K. Clifford’s essay on the Ethics of Belief, states,
I think that we should have good reasons for our beliefs and that includes
evidence. It is certainly no virtue to believe something in the absence of evidence!
Again, you can consider this to be an extension of the fact that we are creatures
made in God’s image with rational faculties that aid us in evaluating our beliefs
and considering evidence, and a broad range of other justifications in the
formation of our beliefs.9
Christian Faith Defined
Faith and its Many Meanings
Because faith has many meanings in our day, it can signify one’s religious affiliation just
like those protected by the first amendment to the United States Constitution, which ensures that
all religious faiths are free to practice without restriction or coercion. It can also have a negative
epistemological meaning such as “you have your reason, but I have my faith.” With the explicit
definition of faith from the Bible, the sense of trust carries through. The writer of Hebrews states
that, “… faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb
11:1)10
There are a lot of scholars claiming that the writer of Hebrews is giving his audience a
definition of faith. However, Utley, in commenting on the nature of this definition in Hebrews
11:1 states, “This is not a theological definition of faith, but a picture of the practical outworking
8 Moreland, Love Your God, 69 – 70.
9 Rich Holland, “A Brief Critique-Strengths” in Evidence and Belief (Analysis of Clifford) Slide
Presentation, accessed June 23, 2023.
10 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version.
5
of it … Faith is a human response to God’s faithfulness and His promise. We trust His
trustworthiness, not our own. His character is the key.”11
Battling the Issue of Trust
The freedom of the Hebrews in the book of Exodus represents one of the best examples
of God’s fulfilled promises and the faith he brought to bear in the many challenges his covenant
people faced. God spoke to them at length from Mt. Sanai and told of the mighty works that he
did in their midst to bring them to that point in history. God’s declaration to Hebrews was not
unlike the ancient Near Eastern vassal treaties, which revealed a biography of sorts of the
sovereign seeking to rule. This includes his accomplishments as a warrior or savior, as well as his
demands and regulations on those he intends to rule.
Bailey, in his work on the structure of the book of Exodus, makes this statement
concerning the Suzerain parallels,
for those who accept it, this parallel indicates God’s use of the familiar treaty
pattern of the ancient Near East for theological purposes. In this treaty format,
with which Moses and the people were familiar, God bound the people to him
because of his past redemptive acts for them. Thus, the ten commandments
become, not law in the common sense, but policy stating the type of behavior
demanded. The ‘Book of the Covenant’ or ‘Covenant Code’ (20:23–23:33)
defined and applied this type of behavior contractually to everyday life in terms of
God and his human community.12
In the end, God presents himself as a mighty King able to provide, protect, and defend. The
Hebrew people choose to give consent to God that he may rule them as their King and they
would be his people (Exodus 6:1-8, and 19:1-9).
11 Robert James Utley, The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews, vol. Volume 10, Study
Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 1999), 114.
12 Randall Bailey, “Pentateuch,” in Old Testament Introduction, ed. Terry Briley, Paul
Kissling, and Mark Mangano, The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin, MO: College Press
Pub., 2005), 136.
6
What makes this event important is that throughout the scriptures, this historical account
is mentioned to both rebuke and exhort the covenant people of God. During their Assyrian
captivity, when Israel fell into syncretism, the readers of Second Kings were warned about
turning away from the true God and his covenant that freed them from Egypt.13 Finally, in Psalm
136, we get a summary statement that encapsulates the works done by God for the Israelites with
his mighty outstretched hand. Calvin states it this way, “we may just observe that the Psalmist
represents every age as affording displays of the same goodness as had been shown to their
fathers since God had never failed to help his people by a continued succession of
deliverances.”14
By keeping his promises, God’s work as it is recorded strengthens and edifies the
Christian faith today. God is working for the benefit of the body of Christ and this they can trust.
(Rom 8:28)15 During times of trouble and uncertainty, the believer can know to his covenant
people, both corporately and as individuals, those who claim the blood of Christ (Gal 3; and Matt
6:25-34).
The Doctrine of Saving Faith
The term faith can also have a positive hermeneutic connotation as it relates to the
Doctrine of Saving Faith as it understands that man is fallen and in need of a savior. This saving
faith according to the scriptures is a gift of God, and therefore cannot be appropriated unless God
13 Paul R. House, 1, 2 Kings, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1995), 343.
14 John Calvin, Psalms, electronic ed., Calvin’s Commentaries (Albany: Ages Software, 1998),
Ps 136:23.
15 John Bishop, "The Venture of Trust” in Faith, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, August
20, 2010, accessed June 16, 2023, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall/2010
Entries/faith/#FaiTru.
7
the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner so that he may believe (Ephesians 2:1-10; John 6:37 and
44). Christian faith, in its plainest sense, is the outward expression of the gospel promises (Gen
3:15, 12:1-3, 15:1-14, 17:1-14; Jer 31-34; Ezek 36:24-27; Rom 4; and Gal 3). Not unlike the
Christian sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s supper, the faith of the believer lived out in
confidence towards God is a picture of the covenant promise given in the garden at the fall and
hoped for by all the saints in history (Gen 3:15). Therefore, the core beliefs of the Christian faith
as it pertains to reason, must begin with saving faith of which is the hope of the gospel of Christ.
The Proper Relationship Between Faith and Reason
Gospel Promises
The proper relationship between faith and reason is a theological relationship and is
observed in the outward expression of the gospel promises prominent in the Christian faith.
From this starting point, faithful reasoning is wholly dependent upon man’s restored relationship
with God. This view is held by theologians and scholars within the Reformed and Confessional
Traditions.16 Anselm in his day stated that:
… without God it is ill with us. Our labors and attempts are in vain without God.
Man cannot seek God, unless God himself teaches him; nor find him, unless he
reveals himself. God created man in his image, that he might be mindful of him,
think of him, and love him. The believer does not seek to understand, that he may
believe, but he believes that he may understand: for unless he believed he would
not understand.17
16 James K. Beilby, Thinking about Christian apologetics: what it is and why we do it (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), Kindle Locations 697-746.
17 Sidney Norton Deane with Saint Anselm, Proslogium; Monologium; An Appendix, In Behalf
of the Fool, by Gaunilon; and Cur Deus Homo (Chicago, IL: The Open Court Publishing
Company, 1939), 3.
8
Covenant Promises
Because man was created in God’s image, this covenant view affirms that in man is a
personality. However, the ontology of man as correlating to pre-lapsarian cognitive efficiency in
either the unregenerate or the regenerate man is not found in the covenant view. It also does not
mean that man’s ability to reason is univocal with God’s thoughts. However, before the fall even
Adam in his pre-fallen state was able to reason from God’s special revelation so that he could
understand God’s natural revelation. God’s commandment not to eat from the forbidden tree
demonstrates this relationship of special and natural revelation as God’s complete revelation to
man (Gen 2:7-17).
Man’s Moral Attributes
Man reflected God’s moral attributes because he had been created with true knowledge,
true righteousness, and true holiness prior to his fall (Col 3:10; and Eph 4:24).18 The new man, in
the process of conformity to the image of Christ, must reject any notion of autonomy in
reasoning that was the pattern of man’s thinking at the fall (Gen 3:1-13). The new man reasons
from the self-attesting authority of the special revelation from God and not on its
“reasonableness” or logical coherency. The Old and New Testaments contain the revelation in the
word of God. For all propositional truth, the scriptures are his final authority (2 Cor 10:5). He is
not to imitate the philosophical paradigm of the natural man and reason autonomously (Gen 5:1-
3, 6:5, 8:21; Jer 17:9; Matt 15:17-20; John 3:19; Rom 8:7-8; 1 Cor 2:14; Col 1:21-22; and Eph
2:1-3, 4:17-19).
Bahnsen in writing concerning the myth of epistemological neutrality in apologetics,
explains this point in such a clear and succinct manner that any attempt at brevity would fall
18 Van Til, Cornelius, and William Edgar. Christian Apologetics. 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: The
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 2003), 40.
9
short in emphasizing this most important aspect within the covenantal view of faith and reason.
He writes,
Thinking to maintain neutrality with respect to Scripture, any natural theology
that reasons autonomously from logical and/or empirical grounds to God results in
an exclusion of revelational necessity and authority endorsing some other
imperious philosophy. Knowledge of God must be rooted in His own self-
disclosure. Because the clear revelation of God in nature’s and man’s constitution
is suppressed in unrighteousness, it is impossible for theology or apologetics to
base their efforts in a rebellious understanding of the world or history,
independently working up to a verification of God’s written revelation. Faith must
necessarily start with the clear, authoritative, self-attesting, special revelation of
God in Scripture coordinated with the Holy Spirit’s inner testimony to the
regenerated heart.19
Given by grace to the elect, through the new birth, under this model, faith is the gift of
God (Eph 2:1-10). For this view, faith and reason can only be understood through an ontological
paradigm that begins and ends with the God of the bible.
The Believer and Faith
The Righteous
Keeping with this idea that faith and reason are understood as a result of a theological
hypothesis, the question is how this faith is lived out in the believer's life. Christians who live
life by faith is summarized by the statement, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Rom 1:16).
Who, then, are the righteous? The righteous uphold the law of God by faith (Rom 3:21-31). All
men by natural birth are children of wrath (Eph 2:1-3). They are children of wrath because of the
curse of Adam's sin in history (Rom 5:12-14). The demand of the law of God via the covenant of
works is binding to all men born of the flesh. A man will die for his sins and go to Hell if he
remains a covenant breaker until he dies because he broke God's law in Adam.
19 Greg L. Bahnsen, Presuppositional Apologetics: Stated and Defended, ed. Joel McDurmon
(Powder Springs, GA: Nacogdoches, TX: American Vision; Covenant Media Press, 2008), 4–5.
10
The Sanctified
Conversely, the law for the believer is their sanctification, in that by the power of the
Holy Spirit, they seek to live by faith and put sin to death while conforming to Christ's image.
The law of God is their ethic as they seek to think God's thoughts after him, being prepared for
very good work (Matt 4:4; Rom 8:12-14, 29-30; and 2 Tim 3:16-17). In his work on Christian
ethics, Bahnsen speaks about the use of God's law in the believer's life. He states,
Before Adam fell into sin, obedience to the law would bring to him life and well-
being. Since the fall, however, the law became to sinners a way of condemnation
and death; the law cannot bring about obedience in the sinner and cannot be used
as a way of justification: The ceremonial shadows of the Old Testament—the
gospel in figures—gave promise that God himself would graciously accomplish
full salvation for His people, justify them from sin and break the power of
rebellion in their lives. God’s righteousness is effective in those who have
experienced a transition from wrath to grace in their personal lives, so that
grateful obedience to God’s good law becomes a way of life and well-being. No
longer is God’s law ignored. No longer is it replaced with the commandments and
wisdom of men. No longer is it misused for the purposes of self-righteousness.
Within the life of the believer the law receives its proper due; indeed, it is
established by faith (Rom. 3:31). By it we can be blessed.20
The Commitment
Living by faith must be a daily commitment to put to an end all deeds of the flesh im a
Christian life. (Rom 8:1-17). This mortifying of the flesh can only come through the power of the
Holy Spirit in conformity with God's Law, which is the believer's rule of faith in sanctification.
Second, the Christian life is to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, the fruit of the Spirit, and
the fruit of good works (Matt 3:7-12; Gal 5:16-25; and Col 1:10). Lastly, the life of the believer
is to bring glory to God in thought, word, and deed (Col 3:17; John 3:25-30; and Gal 2:20).
In his command to Adam and Eve to multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it, we see the
beginning of God's ordained social order and the God-ordained social institutions. The scriptures
20 Greg L. Bahnsen, By This Standard: The Authority of God’s Law Today (Powder Springs,
Georgia: American Vision, 2008), 138.
11
teach that there are three spheres of God's ordained social institutions, the Family, the Church,
and the State. Each sphere has its governing principles, with God as its head.
Social Institutions
The Family, the Government, and the Church
First is the domain of the Family. This government has the Power of the Rod (Prov 13:24, 22:15,
and 29:15-17). Next, there is the sphere of the Church. This sphere of government has the Keys
to the Kingdom (Matt 16:17-19). The last sphere is that of the State. This government sphere has
the Sword's power (Rom 12:17-13:7). The sovereignty between each social sphere, particularly
between the Church and State, is taught in the Bible. The Christian is to bring dominion while
living out a life of faith. which he does by reasoning from the word of God and conforming his
thoughts and life to its commands, principles, and instructions. "All Scripture is breathed out by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16–17).
Conclusion
As stated early, in the history of the Christian church, the relationship between faith and
reason has been a topic of conflict among the leading theologians in each generation. Although
there are many views on this topic, they can be narrowed down to three overarching categories.
These include faith and reason in conflict (antithetical), not in conflict (complimentary), and
faith and reason as working together (in synthesis). This writer asserts the view that saving faith
must precede reason because valid reasoning is dependent upon the revelation of God contained
in the Holy Scriptures.
To summarize, a theological foundation is an absolutely necessary precondition to
establishing a valid philosophical relationship between faith and reason. By first discussing the
three categories of faith and reason, that theological foundation was formed. It examined the
12
various definitions of faith to provide support set forth in this writer’s position on the proper
relationship between faith and reason and examined the faith of the believer as it is to be lived
out daily.
WORD COUNT: 3,353
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Bibliography
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McDurmon. Powder Springs, GA: Nacogdoches, TX: American Vision: Covenant Media
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Company, 1939.
Galli, Mark and Ted Olsen, “Thomas Aquinas,” in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know
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Holland, Rich, “A Brief Critique-Strengths” in Evidence and Belief (Analysis of Clifford) Slide
Presentation, accessed June 23, 2023
Holland, Rich. “Faith and Reason.” (video lecture in APOL 550 at Liberty University,
Lynchburg, VA, June 16, 2023.)
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14
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