Series: Defending Your Faith – Thinking
Faith That Thinks and Trusts
Many people say Christianity does not make sense. They say faith is just a blind leap in the dark. They say if you believe, you must stop thinking. And in a world that prizes science and learning, some act as if faith has no place at all. Sadly, even some Christians talk as if faith and reason belong in different rooms. But that is not the witness of Scripture. The Bible says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), and again, The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. (Psalm 19:7). Yes, our minds are limited, and we will never fully grasp the greatness of God. As Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. But not fully understanding something is not the same as saying it is foolish. So let us consider how faith and reason walk together.
God Calls Us to Love Him with Our Minds
First, our ability to think is a gift from God. We were made in His image, as Genesis 1:27 says: So God created man in his own image. That means our minds matter. In a creaturely way, our reasoning reflects the wisdom of our Creator. Scripture calls us to love the Lord with all that we are, and that includes our minds. In the Shema, we hear, Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). And Jesus says, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37). So, when we seek truth, think carefully, and turn away from error, we are not stepping away from faith—we are honoring the God who made us. As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says but test all things. Hold on to what is good.
Faith Is Not a Blind Leap
Second, faith in Christ is not irrational. There is nothing foolish about believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins. The world may call the message of the cross foolish, for the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, yet it is the power of God to us who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). And 1 Corinthians 1:25 reminds us, God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. Saving faith includes knowing the truth of the gospel, agreeing that it is true, and trusting in Christ alone to save. We hear the good news, because faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ (Romans 10:17). We believe because God has given us testimony, and John writes, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31). Faith is not the absence of thought. Faith is a heart response to truth God has made known.
Christian Faith Stands on the Truth
Third, Christian faith is not like every other kind of faith. Many religions ask people to believe things that cannot stand under careful testing. But Christianity stands in the light. Luke begins his Gospel by saying he wrote an orderly account …that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed (Luke 1:3-4). The Bereans were called noble because they examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:11). Our faith is rooted in the truth of who God is and what He has done in history. Paul wrote that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that He appeared to many witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The God of the Bible is real. He sent His Son into the world, for God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This is not a blind leap into darkness. It is a step of trust based on the faithful testimony God has given.
Some Truths Are Higher Than Us, Not Against Us
Fourth, there are truths in the Christian faith that are deeper than our minds can fully reach. The Trinity and the Incarnation are mysteries too great for us to master. The Bible teaches that the hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). So, we bow before what God has made known and trust Him for what we cannot fully explain. Paul cries out, Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! (Romans 11:33). These truths are profound, and we should approach them with humility and worship. Yet the mystery is not empty, because Scripture says of Christ, And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), and again, For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ (Colossians 2:9). Mystery is not the same as nonsense. These teachings do not break the laws of logic, even if they rise above our full understanding. We do not have to understand everything completely to believe what God has clearly revealed.
So let us not pit faith against reason. God has given us minds, and He calls us to use them for His glory. Let us think clearly, love the truth, reject what is false, and trust fully in Christ. The Christian faith is not a weak and wandering hope. It is a reasonable faith, grounded in the truth of God’s Word and centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. As Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Therefore, let us believe with all our hearts and love the Lord with all our minds.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006–2026 by Miguel J. Gonzalez Th.D.
Dr. Miguel J. Gonzalez is the Founder and President of Reasons for Faith International Ministries. He served as a pastor for ten years in Charlotte, NC and has taught in churches and conferences throughout the United States. He currently hosts the Time in the Word and Truth To Live By podcasts and writes at KnowingChristianity.blogspot.com.
