Rationality and rationalism are linguistic brothers and conceptual enemies. After all, they only differ in the last two letters, but they are notions worlds apart. Their shared etymology is the Latin rationalis, with the sense, “possessing reason,” that is, a basis or cause for some belief. Rationality is a good thing; to believe anything for no reason at all is utter irrationality. The basis of our beliefs is the all-important thing. True and sound rationality is based upon the firm foundation of God and His Word. Rationalism teeters on the flimsy foundation of oneself. We are all confronted with these two basic epistemological options. Will we trust in the Lord or in ourselves? And all of Scripture bears witness that this is the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the truly blessed and those still under a divine curse.
It is very common to find people who think that Christian faith is a leap in the dark, a species of irrationality, embracing a system of beliefs, if not for no reason at all, at least for unsound reasons. Even many professing Christians think this way and are never ready to make a defense, with gentleness and respect, to anyone who asks them for a reason for the hope that is in them (1 Pet 3.15). “How do you know that the Christian faith is true?” would draw a blank stare from them. They have not appreciated that faith is based on fact. The most salient fact is that the living God evidently is (i.e., there is abundant evidence), and redemptive history (God’s saving speech and acts) is a matter of public record, supremely in the Lord Jesus Christ. The public, reliable record of all this is Holy Scripture. Christian faith is a reasonable response to this revelatory bedrock of ultimate reality. Faith starts with data in this sensory world and proceeds to bring invisible realities within reach of believers.
But we need not resort to big words and abstract philosophizing. Scripture itself sets forth the best and purest expression of these things, but this is only apparent to reverent and careful students of the text. Proverbs 3.5-6 is a familiar, favorite passage with profound implications:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
And lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
Note the progression of these four lines: 1) command, 2) prohibition, 3) command, and 4) promise. The repeated command (lines 1, 3) is statement (line 1) with elaboration (line 3). The prohibition (line 2) is also elaboration, but in the form of a negation—the only sinful alternative to obeying the command. The promise (line 4) stands alone as an assurance of the blessings for those who believe and obey the Lord. Thus, a twofold structure emerges, supporting this thesis:
The Lord directs into blessing those who trust Him, not themselves.
The Duty of Trusting in the Lord (lines 1-3)
Everyone acts with a kind of faith toward someone they regard as most true and trustworthy. We live according to whom we trust.
1) The act of faith. Three verbs describe the act of faith: trust (1), lean (2), and acknowledge (3). These together convey the ideas, respectively, of placing confidence in someone, relying on them as trustworthy, and recognizing their authority in what we do. The faith here commanded is wholehearted (1), exclusive (2), and comprehensive (3), i.e., “with all your heart” (1), not in another (2), and “in all your ways” (3). This kind of faith in the LORD is not only morally obligatory but also a spiritual trait of true, heaven-bound Christian believers.
2) The object of faith. Only two ultimate objects are possible: the LORD (1, 3) or yourself (2, “thine own understanding”). Other objects of faith are subordinate and inferior to these two in the judgment of the one who trusts. For example, godly teachers should have our limited trust as a fruit of our trust in the Lord, and they are always to be measured by a higher standard (the Lord Himself, His Word). Likewise, even dupes of liars are testing what they hear by their own thoughts as a higher authority.
This truth is a mirror by which we may examine ourselves. In your characteristic way of thinking and living, are God and His Word your ultimate confidence and authority, so that your thoughts and conduct are reformed by that standard, or do you rely on your own notions for what to believe and for guidance in life? The self-confident twist the Bible to conform to their preconceived ideas and carnal desires.
The Direction of Those Trusting in the Lord (line 4)
The LORD promises His trusting ones that He will direct or “make straight” their paths—a metaphorical description of righteousness, conforming to His moral law in heart and conduct. The godly crave the righteousness which leads to blessedness (Matt 5.6).
The unstated alternative is the self-directed life which ends in utter and eternal ruin. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Pr 14:12).
It is entirely rational to trust in the LORD, since He is the God that cannot lie (Tit 1.2). Rationalism is wicked, idolatrous self-confidence, doomed along with all of God’s rivals. We must choose between them. Ω