The Battle Between Reasoning And Faith

THE BATTLE OF REASONING AND FAITH?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

TEXT:

Isa. 1:18, Come now let us reason together.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) Now faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.---

Numbers 13: 30: Caleb stills the people and said," Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

Numbers 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO GO UP against the people; for they are stronger than we.

Faith? Reason?

I ponder, could everything hinge on FAITH?

I ponder whose report are you believing? Why?

We fail to realize that listening to words can bring life or they can bring death?

I would like to teach how faith learns to recognize the value of rightly spoken words, and the danger of misspoken words.

I have been pondering the difference between faith and reasoning.

I ponder the influence of faith vs reasoning. As we ponder this I would like to direct our pondering to several areas.

Case one would be the fact that reasoning is very good.

The Bible says: Isa. 1:18, Come now let us reason together.

But know reasoning can be a faith killer. Reasoning can focus all our attention on thellimitations and the negative until we fall into the pit of doom and gloom. Ponder this.

It is very hard these days to know who to believe.

A freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair by showing how conditioned we have become to alarmists spreading fear of everything in our environment through junk science.

In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "Dihydrogen monoxide" because:

1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.

2. It is a major component in acid rain.

3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.

4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.

5. It contributes to erosion.

6. It decreases the effectiveness of automobile brakes.

7. It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.

He asked 50 people if they support a ban. 43 said yes.

Six were undecided. Only one knew that the chemical is ... water.

(Phil Proctor, "Planet Proctor," Funny Times, December 1997, p. 5.) Reasoning overwhelmed logic? Sign a petition against water? The facts were true?

The toy was the emotions and ignorance.

Faith without reasoning is as dangerous as zeal without wisdom.

We need to reason, but there is a higher plane of spiritual life.

I love the story that Charles Haddon Spurgeon used. He described that Reason carries much excess luggage, and would dwarf growth.

Charles said faith must become stronger than reason.

Spurgeon used a story: Faith and Reason were often fellow travelers. Faith was a healthy man and he could walk 30 to 40 miles a day without any problem. Reason was more child like and could only walk 3 or 4 miles.

The whole walk Reason complained and griped each step.

One day Reason asked to walk with Faith.

Faith said, "Reason you cannot walk with me, we have different purposes."

Reason persisted and the journey was begun.

As the journey progressed, Reason could not keep up the pace that Faith set. Faith quietly marched onward. Reason discussed all the possibilities and the potentials and lagged far behind.

The two neared a large river.

Reason says, "We can never ford this massive stream. Let us wait and build a bridge."

Faith waded into the river and sang a song of praise, as the river was no obstacles at all.

Faith and Reason approached a big, high mountain.

In great despair, Reason said, "This mountain is too great, we can’t climb this.

There is no way we can climb such a great land mass. Let us sit down hear and evaluate this situation."

Faith looks at Reason, and sees his value, so in order not to leave Reason behind, Faith is obliged to carry Reason over the mountain.

There is a lesson we must learn: OH, WHAT LUGGAGE REASON CAN BE TO FAITH!

We need balance to understand: Faith launches, where Reason is idle.

What is faith?

Does faith give credence to everything it hears?

What does faith mean?

Could you reduce faith’s definition to two words?

I have ponder this.

If I could only use two words to define faith they would be: CERTAIN and SURE.

Yet, my reason knows there is very little certain or sure things in this world. Christians must learn to operate in a level that reaches far beyond reason into the realm of FAITH!

Many times faith is discussed in the Bible.

We have lessons of those with great faith and those with little faith. Many times we find how important faith can be to the men and women of God. But there is only one place in the Bible where faith is defined.