Grounded in the Word of Truth

God has spoken with clarity and authority. Scripture is not only true; it is the standard of truth by which all things are measured. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Jesus Himself said, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We do not stand over the Word as judges; we stand under it as disciples. “The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever” (Psalm 119:160).

What Biblical Faith Really Means

Biblical faith is not a blind leap into the dark; it is a confident step in the light God has given. “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith rests on the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and on His acts in history.

The resurrection sits at the center as the public, testable claim of our faith. “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Faith is robust, anchored in the Word and works of God, and it gladly engages the mind.

- Faith trusts a trustworthy God, revealed in trustworthy Scripture.

- Faith embraces evidence God provides (John 20:31) without making human proof the lord of truth.

- Faith submits in obedience; it is allegiance, not mere assent (James 2:18).

Reason as an Act of Love

If faith is not blind, then how should we use our minds? Jesus commands it: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Using reason to understand, defend, and apply God’s truth is an act of love.

God invites us to think with Him: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD” (Isaiah 1:18). The New Testament models careful inquiry and persuasion. Luke investigated “carefully” and wrote an “orderly account … so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3–4).

- Paul “reasoned … from the Scriptures, explaining and proving” the gospel (Acts 17:2–3).

- Peter calls us to give “a defense” for our hope “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

- Wisdom calls for thoughtful discernment (Proverbs 1:7; 2:6).

The Harmony of Revelation: Word and World

God speaks in Scripture and also testifies through creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). “His eternal power and divine nature … have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).

Because the same God authored both, rightly understood science and rightly interpreted Scripture will never truly conflict. Scripture remains the final, infallible authority; creation is a real and reliable witness that is read best under the light of Scripture.

- Let the clear meaning of Scripture set boundaries for our interpretations of nature.

- Let honest observations of God’s world provoke better exegesis where we may have read the text too narrowly or too broadly.

- Receive both gifts with humility and gratitude (Proverbs 25:2).

Avoiding the Ditches

We honor Christ by avoiding two opposite errors. One ditch is fideism, which sidelines reason and ignores evidence. The other is rationalism, which enthrones human reason over God’s Word. Scripture critiques both.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit … rather than Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Yet we are also commanded to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “The foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).

- Reject credulity: test claims by Scripture (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11).

- Reject autonomy: submit intellect to Christ and His Word (Proverbs 3:5–6).

- Reject pride: “avoid … what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20).

Practices for a Well-Ordered Mind

We cultivate faith-filled reason by steady, joyful habits.

- Test everything: “but test all things; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

- Be Berean: examine the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).

- Handle the Word well: “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

- Ask God for wisdom: “he should ask God, who gives generously” (James 1:5).

- Think on what is true and lovely (Philippians 4:8).

- Hear both sides: “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).

Gospel Witness that Engages Minds and Hearts

Our mission involves clear proclamation and patient persuasion. The gospel is the power of God, and it is also good news that can be explained, defended, and commended. Peter’s charge stands: “Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

John wrote, “These are written so that you may believe … and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). We speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), inviting people to Christ with reasons and with tears.

- Clarify the gospel plainly—sin, cross, resurrection, and grace.

- Share reasons humbly—eyewitness testimony, fulfilled Scripture, transformed lives.

- Call for a response—repent and believe (Acts 17:30–31).

Discipling for Intellectual Obedience

Discipleship includes forming minds that think God’s thoughts after Him. “These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). The faith is to be entrusted to faithful people who will teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Paul exhorts, “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this” (2 Timothy 2:7). We train believers to reason from Scripture, to read the world under Scripture, and to take every thought captive to Christ.

- Catechize with Scripture, creeds, and confessions.

- Read the Bible inductively and systematically.

- Model gracious, rigorous conversations on hard topics.

- Pair evangelism training with apologetics and service.

Confidence for the Road Ahead

Christ is not only Lord; He is Truth Himself. “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He frees minds and hearts: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

We go forward with the lamp of the Word in our hands and the Spirit’s help in our hearts: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Faith and reason walk together under His Word, for His glory, and for the salvation of many.

- The reliability of the gospel: Paul cites a very early creed—“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” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5). Eyewitness testimony, early proclamation, and empty-tomb evidence cohere with the prophetic Scriptures (Luke 24:44–48).

- Miracles and natural laws: Laws describe God’s ordinary providence, not chains that bind Him. The Creator who upholds all things can act exceptionally within His own world (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 115:3). The resurrection is a supernatural event in a universe dependent on its Supernatural Maker.

- Genesis and history: Scripture presents creation, Adam, and the Fall as real history that grounds the gospel (Romans 5:12–19). Jesus affirmed, “from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’” (Matthew 19:4). “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth …” (Exodus 20:11).

- The problem of evil: Scripture teaches that God is good and sovereign (Psalm 34:8; Romans 8:28). Joseph confessed God’s wise providence amid evil: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). The cross is the clearest display of God bringing saving good from the darkest evil (Acts 2:23–24).

- Apparent contradictions in Scripture: Expect depth, not defects. Some things are “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Use clear texts to illuminate difficult ones; consider context, genre, and covenant; harmonize rather than hastily divide; and remember that God’s Word is internally coherent (Psalm 12:6).

- Reason and the Trinity: Mystery is not absurdity. God’s being exceeds our comprehension without violating reason. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). We confess what God reveals, and we refuse speculation where He is silent.

- The noetic effects of sin: Sin bends minds (Ephesians 4:17–19), yet grace renews them: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is why we seek the Spirit’s help even as we think hard and argue carefully (John 16:13).

- Philosophy as handmaid: Christ holds “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Receive what is true, good, and useful, but refuse “philosophy and empty deceit … rather than Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Use logic as a servant of exegesis and discipleship, not as a lord over revelation.

- Science and vocation: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out” (Proverbs 25:2). Pursue research and technology as stewardship under Christ’s lordship, with love for neighbor, honesty about limits, and courage to say no when ethics demand it (Micah 6:8).

- Doubt and discipleship: Be gentle with the wavering: “And have mercy on those who doubt” (Jude 22). Create spaces where questions are welcomed and addressed biblically. Walk doubters toward Christ with Scripture, evidence, and the patient love of the church.

- Public witness: Be salt and light in the public square (Matthew 5:13–16). Argue for what is true and good with integrity, appealing to creation order and moral law (Romans 2:14–15), while keeping the gospel central and our conduct honorable (1 Peter 2:12).

- Habits for deep growth:

- Read whole-Bible theology; let Scripture interpret Scripture.

- Keep a commonplace book of arguments, answers, and Scriptures.

- Practice charitable steelmanning—represent others’ views fairly (Proverbs 18:17).

- Pair apologetics with hospitality and mercy (Hebrews 13:2; James 2:15–17).

- Pray for wisdom daily (James 1:5) and pursue counsel (Proverbs 15:22).

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). In Christ, faith and reason travel together—under the Word, by the Spirit, for the glory of the Father.