IS CHRISTIANITY OPPOSED TO LOGIC?

In response to one of my posts on Facebook a friend wrote, “spiritual matters are not won through philosophical, logical arguments and/or debates but through the Holy Spirit’s conviction. Men who are not filled with the Holy Spirit find it difficult to understand the word of God…”

He is not the only one who has this faulty belief that Christians do not need to use their God-given minds to reason out things in a rational manner on issues of faith. This is the idea that has been espoused to my fellow Evangelicals and Pentecostals. The direct effect is that many subjects of the Christian faith, including the Holy Spirit mentioned by my friend, have been seriously confused and distorted such that many of us cannot differentiate between biblical and manmade doctrines. The false teachings that have been allowed to hold sway in Pentecostalism is fundamentally responsible for the chaos we are witnessing in our churches today.

In this article, I want to show to my fellow Christians that Christianity and Logic are not incompatible. In order not to make the write-up boring, I have chosen to bring out some scriptural passages which convincingly show that the Christian faith is not incongruous with the use of logic.

What Is Logic?

As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, logic is:

• A particular way of thinking, especially one that is reasonable and based on good judgment;
• sensible methods of thinking and making decisions;
• a formal, scientific method of examining or thinking about ideas.

We see therefore that logic is the act of reasoning by human beings. There is no way we can make good judgments or conclusions without our use of logic. When an uninformed Christian tells me not to use logic on issues regarding the Christian faith, he is simply telling me to be irrational in my thinking and make stupid decisions.

Is Logic Used In the Bible?

In both the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament, we see the frequent use of logic. For example, in Isaiah 1:18, God told the Israelites, “come now, and let us debate your case” (NASB). In another place God told them, “Present your case, bring forth your strong reasons” (Isa. 41:21). This is what we see in Law Courts where the parties in a law suit use competent and skilled lawyers to argue their cases. Obviously, God who called on His people to present their cases in order to earn His acquittal did not expect them to be arrogant, foolish or stupid when they approach Him for His mercy and blessing.

What made God relent of the destruction He wanted to bring on the Israelites on their Exodus was the sensible prayer Moses made to Him. Moses told Him that the Egyptians would hear of it and say that He took His people out of Egypt in order to destroy them in the mountains. He also told God not to allow the sin of the people cause Him to renege on the promises He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) – that He would make their descendants inherit the promised land. It was not God’s purpose to destroy the Israelites on their way to the promised land. So, with the powerful and logical prayer of Moses, he made God relent of His anger. Can any activity of man be more spiritual than this sensible prayer of Moses that made God sheathe His sword (Exod. 32: 10-14)?

The Bible says, “watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23, NASB).

The word “heart” (Hebrew: “lebab” or “leb;” Greek: “kardia”) is used 593 times in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and 158 times in the New Testament. In not less than 75 percent of the cases, the “heart” denotes the mind, the thoughts, the will, the intellect. Therefore the heart is at the center of one’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life. You cannot divorce a human’s way of reasoning from his material, moral and spiritual life. If a person is logical in his or her reasoning, he or she will live a worthy, spiritual life. A person who thinks illogically is the one who makes the conclusion that there is no God. He or she is called a fool (Psa. 14:1; 53:1). Why? “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20 ESV).

To perceive means to recognize, discern, envision, or understand. All these involve the use of the mind. Paul said that the invisible attributes of God have been discerned or understood by seeing the great and wonderful creation of God. Therefore it is indefensible for any human being not to acknowledge the reality of the existence of the Being who caused creation. Paul said those who could not envision God through what He has created are without excuse. Creation itself serve as the premise upon which belief in God is based. To know God therefore is not without the involvement of the mind or reasoning.

God commanded the Israelites to meditate on the Book of the Law always so that they will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). To meditate involves the use of the mind to reflect over things. It is evident from these verses that God never viewed things of faith as incompatible with reasoning. They can coexist with each other.

The Use of Logic In the New Testament

Almost everybody used logic in the New Testament. The Pharisees, the teachers of the law (scribes), the chief priests, the elders (members of the Sanhedrin who were the rulers of Israel), the disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, and Jesus Christ – all of them used logic. Jesus and His followers used logic when it needed to be used. They argued when there was the need to counter the false or illogical viewpoints of their opposers. They did not argue simply because they wanted to win arguments. Neither did they argue for the sake of argumentation. And when they refuted the ideas of their opponents with logical propositions, they did not do so without divine help. I therefore find it funny when I hear Christians say we should neither use logic nor engage in any form of argument. To me, they are speaking from the standpoint of biblical ignorance.

The following are a few of the numerous instances where logic was used in the Bible.

1. Jesus Versus the Chief Priests and Elders

“When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Matt. 21:23-27 NASB1995, emphases added throughout).

The word “reason” is translated from the Greek “dialogizomai” which means to reason (with), debate with, consider thoroughly, that is, to deliberate upon. The English word “dialogue” is derived from this Greek word.

Reason, according to Wikipedia, is the faculty of the mind through which we can logically come to rational conclusions. It is the capacity of consciously making sense of things, applying logic, and adapting or justifying practices, institutions, and beliefs based on new or existing information.

 Wikipedia explains further: “Reasoning is associated with the acts of thinking and cognition, and involves using one’s intellect. The field of logic studies ways in which humans can use formal reasoning to produce logically valid arguments.” 

The question our Lord Jesus Christ posed to the leaders of Israel put them between a rock and a hard place. This compelled them to do a prior deliberation on the implications of whatever answer they would give Him. If they said John’s baptism was required by God, which it really was (Matt. 3:15), they’d be guilty of refusing to accept what Heaven had ordained. They were also able to see the danger of acknowledging the opposite, that is, denying that it was not from God. If they said it was a manmade practice, they risked being stoned to death by the people. They therefore chose to tell Jesus Christ, “We do not know.” They deliberately avoided admitting the truth that John the Baptist was given the assignment by God. Their false belief and hypocrisy were blown on their faces but they didn’t want to admit them. The logic which the chief priests and the elders applied here has been termed worldly wisdom.

John and Jesus got their authority from the same source – God. The Jewish leaders never accepted that John got his authority from God. They also refused to accept that God authorized what Jesus taught and did. Even if He had answered their question explicitly that He was authorized by God, they would still refuse to believe. Compare John 10:22-26 where Jesus Christ told them that He was the Son of God but they refused to believe (v 26, NET).

2. Jesus and the Pharisees

An encounter between the Lord and the Pharisees was reported by Matthew and Mark.

Matthew’s account goes like this: 

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Matt. 22:41-46 NIV).

In verses 43-45 Jesus posed a powerful logical question to the Pharisees. The question struck them like a lightning and it shut their mouths thenceforth.

3. Another Encounter with the Pharisees

In one of their encounters with the Lord, the Pharisees accompanied by the Herodians tempted Him by asking His opinion whether the Jews should pay tax to Caesar or not. The tax burden on the people was oppressive.  If the Lord had said “YES,” He would have been pushed against the overburdened Jews. If He had given a “NO” opinion, that would be viewed as an act of insurrection against the Roman Empire. With discernment and wisdom, Jesus Christ avoided entering into their Satanic trap.  We read, “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away” (Matt. 22:18-22 NIV).

The Lord defeated them with wisdom. We must understand that the ability to reason logically is an important part of wisdom. We cannot talk of a wise action without admitting the fact that the action is a product of logical reasoning.

4. Apostle Paul Versus Greek Philosophers

While waiting for Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy to come from Berea, Paul began preaching the message about Jesus Christ in the Jewish synagogue in Athens as well as the Athenian public square. Before long, some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to engage Paul in debates (Acts 17:18). Soon, they invited Paul to appear at the Athenian High Council known as the Areopagus.

At the Areopagus, Paul made his presentation using premises that the Greeks were familiar with

– the images of their gods. He mentioned a particular altar dedicated “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” He told them of what some of their poets had written, that all humans are God’s offspring. Using their poets’ writings as well as the altars they’ve erected as evidence of their superstitions, Paul logically presented his message to the Greek philosophers. He said,

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29-31 NIV).

Paul’s logic was this: We are the offspring of God. We move, talk, see, et alia. Therefore, these lifeless objects of gold, silver, stone, et alia, which do not possess these qualities cannot be the progenitors of human beings or any of God’s creation. Paul’s citing of some of their poets was also logical because what he quoted was compatible with biblical fact (Gen. 1:26-27; Mal. 2:10; Eph. 4:6). His use of logic in this place came to him naturally. 

We see from these passages that both Jesus Christ and His apostles used logic in the presentation and defense of the gospel. A Christian will just be following their example if he or she uses logic whenever the situation warrants it. God does not expect us to present the gospel message illogically.

Scriptures Which Support Logic

There are hundreds of Bible verses which explicitly or implicitly support the use of logic by humans created in the image of God, the possessor of Excellent Mind. Here, I list a few of them for the avoidance of doubt:

“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more. Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated. (Isa. 43:25-26 BSB).

Here, God told the Israelites to bring out their strong reasons to earn His acquittal of their sins and transgressions. God was not telling them to remind Him of their good deeds because all of human’s righteousness are like filthy rags before God. No one can be justified before God on the basis of our good deeds (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:20). God told the Israelites to remind Him of His free forgiveness and ask Him to forgive them for His mercy’s sake. Moses did this on behalf of the Israelites (Exod. 32:10-14). Daniel did it on behalf of himself and his people (Dan. 9:4-19). The prayer of Manasseh is also typical of this kind of plea which God wants from His people – a prayer with much devotion and reasoning power. They usually arouse God’s compassion and secure His answer.

“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes. 5:20-21 ESV).

“Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said” (1 Cor. 14:29 NIV).

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NIV).

Whether through prophecy or teaching, these verses call for testing of whatever is said. The test is done by comparing what is said with the written word of God. The hearers who do the test are to make judgment. The account of the Bereans who compared what Paul and Silas preached with the Scriptures to verify their message (Acts 17:10-12) has been written as a typical example to Christians. Drawing out conclusions from such tests no doubt require the use of our minds to make sound and honest judgments. So the use logic is demanded by the verses cited.

“While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question” (Acts 15:1-2 NLT).

Paul also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:18). Apollos also engaged in some debate with the Jews. Luke wrote this about him: “He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah” (Acts 18:28 NLT).

Christians do not get into arguments or debates for the sake of argumentation. But when the situation demands it, such as when we hear people teach unscriptural doctrines, we must vigorously and logically strive to refute such teachings. And it must be said that there cannot be any successful or meaningful argument or debate done without the application of logic.

“Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them [Jesus and the Sadducees] debating [about the resurrection of the dead, vv. 18-27]. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 NET, bold emphases and words in bracket added by me).

It is required of mankind to love God supremely with the totality of our faculties – our will, reason, intellect, strength, understanding, name it. It does not make any sense when anyone says we cannot use logical thinking in the service of God. The fact that a Christian is using logic does not mean he or she is not acting on faith. Once he or she is using the Scriptures as the premise upon which he or she advances his or her argument, the Christian cannot be said to be relying on his or her human knowledge. In that instance the Christian is relying on the transcendent thought of God. Just as God uses the tongue of the prophet to declare a prophecy, the same way He uses the rational and logical thought of His servants to make His message comprehensible to His people. It is therefore wrong to misinterpret “my thoughts are not your thoughts” (Isa. 55;8-9) as meaning we should not use our brains or minds in our service to God. Happily, we have seen the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles used their mind, intellect, will, et alia, in explaining and defending the truth. 

Apostle Paul said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13 NLT).

A similar statement was made by three young Hebrews. It reads, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up’” (Dan. 3:16-18, NLT)

Did these statements not come out of their human volition? Of course they did. Did the statements not gladden the heart of God? We know God felt honoured. What followed these utterances testified to that fact.

Our hearts or minds are of vital importance in our walk of faith. Any belief system that is not built on proper reasoning is operating on superstition or blind faith. Christianity demands faith in God and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. In no place does it demand that we suspend our brains or minds in matters of faith. Faith and reason have been found in the lives of all the worthies in the Bible.

The Sad Effect of Neglecting  Intelligent Reasoning

When God created us in His own image, He put in us some of His attributes, which include our ability to reason rationally. He did not give us this quality to be left unused, hanged or buried. He desires that we use the intellect He has put in us, for this is what we will use to subdue and rule over all other creations on the earth (Gen. 1:28). To say therefore that logic should not be employed on matters of faith is a clear misunderstanding of what God teaches in the Bible.

The first category of people mentioned by the Lord in His parable of the sower are those who hear the message about the Kingdom of God but do not understand it (Matt. 13:19). To understand something necessarily involves the use of the mind or intellect. The consequence of not understanding the message creates the opportunity for the evil one to come and snatch away what has been sown in their hearts (v. 19). The evil one often does this by surreptitiously replacing what has been sown in people with counterfeits, also known as tares. We make ourselves vulnerable to doctrines that lead people astray when we don’t make deliberate and diligent efforts to understand biblical truth. The patriarchs, prophets and the pioneer Christians asked questions. But today’s Christians are more eager to accept whatever teachers say than ask questions. To me, it is a sign that people no longer have a strong desire for the truth. People are now more interested in being part of bandwagon, superficial, Christianity. Many are falling away from the faith without their knowing it. They are now satisfied with hollow, denominational religion.

There is one common characteristic of people who accept the false idea that Christianity and logical reasoning are incompatible. They accept all kinds of manmade teachings, no matter how absurd, unbiblical, or false they may be. An example is the grossly unbiblical Pretribulation Rapture theory invented by John Nelson Darby which they accept from their teachers. They also accept doctrines that are diametrically opposed to each other without raising an eyebrow. A typical example is Trinity and Sabellianism which the church leaders teach and they gullibly swallow. It is sad to say this is the problem plaguing my fellow Evangelicals/Pentecostals in Africa today. African Christians now accept whatever their leaders teach without asking questions. They accept all kinds of doctrines by “blind” faith. My fellow Christians and their leaders often claim to be guided by the holy Spirit of God, but their idea of the Holy Spirit’s guidance is faulty. It is neither based on logical reasoning nor on sound knowledge of the Scriptures. Too many supposedly sound and mature Christians are not seeing the errors and/or falsehoods espoused by their “men of God” because they have imbibed the false belief that they should not engage their brains or minds on “spiritual matters”. And since all subjects of the Christian faith are considered as “spiritual,” everything the “men of God” say should be accepted unquestioningly. The false idea of not using our brains or minds have turned many Christians to blind followers of blind leaders.

Limitations of Logic

This facts mentioned so far notwithstanding, logic has its limitation in the Christian’s life and ministry. Briefly, I will touch on three limitations of logic vis-a-vis spiritual matters.

1. Interpretation of God’s Word

God’s word did not come to us through the intellectual capacity of any human being. The holy prophets of God spoke God’s word through God’s divine empowerment. God’s Spirit moved them to say or write what the Almighty intended to communicate through them. Even a dumb donkey was enabled by God to speak with human voice (Num.22:28-30; 2 Pet. 2:16). When Peter answered Jesus’ question about His real identity, Peter said He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The Lord immediately told Peter that it was God the Father who revealed this truth to him (Matt. 16:15-17). Many truths about God, heaven, the Son of God, the Kingdom of God, the holy Spirit of God, et al, remain unknown by so many Christians because they don’t have insight into God’s word. Many have gone to theological institutions and universities and obtained various degrees. They have learned many truths through these efforts. But until God Himself gives insight through His Spirit in us, we may never understand many truths in the Bible. Insight into God’s word is given by God’s spirit in us (1 John 2:27). God, and God alone, has the property right to His word. He reveals the truth in it to  those who truly and diligently seek to know the truth.

Just as God’s word did not come through the will of humankind, its interpretation cannot be subjected to human qualifications or intellect. Apostle Peter said, “First, you must understand this: No prophecy in Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction” (2 Pet. 1:20-21 GW). This is why we must let the Scripture interpret itself. We must use our minds to judge many spiritual things. But we cannot rely wholy on our intellect in knowing all that God wants us to know.

We must learn from our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. (John 7:16 NLT). At another time He said, “But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” (John 12:48-50 NLT).

The trouble with Christians is that we often go contrary to God’s purpose. Those who say we should not use logic on spiritual matters have often arrogated to themselves power not given them by God. They have interpreted many parts of Scripture from their own conjectures. Instead of taking the pains to find out God’s truth by means of honest and proper exegesis, they read their faulty and flawed Ideas into the Scriptures. While they project themselves as the infallible teachers of the deeper things of God, they stand out among those who have recklessly and repeatedly distorted the truth. 

2. The Inexorable Dogmatists

There are people who will never believe the truth no matter how logical or reasonable one has presented the message to them. No logical reasoning ever persuades them. They just remain obstinate no matter what convincing evidence is given to them.

The Jews refused to believe that Jesus is the Messiah despite the numerous miracles He performed in their presence (John 12:37). Their religious leaders were not better; they were hardened in unbelief (John 9:18). They once surrounded Him and said, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in my Father’s name testify about me. But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:24-27 NET).

The apostles of Jesus Christ encountered many of them in their service. Stephen told them, “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! (Acts 7:51 NLT).

No doubt, those who resist the divine power of God will resist the logic of humans. Luke wrote many times that the Jews refused to believe the gospel message (Acts 14:2; 19:9; 28:24). They had the grace to believe but they frustrated the grace by their stubbornness.

3. Brainwashed Believers

Today, there are millions of denominational “Christians” who are in this class. They are Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, name it. They have been indoctrinated with denominational dogmas. They have been made to believe that they are born again, sanctified, spirit-filled, and on their way to heaven. Their leaders repeatedly tell them that they are in God’s chosen church and therefore should “hold fast to what they have been taught.” Some of these denominations discourage their members from reading or listening to articles or messages that come from outside their denominations.

With powerful and prolonged brainwashing from their leaders, it becomes almost impossible to convince them of their many doctrinal errors or falsehoods, no matter how logical one presents the argument with supporting evidence. It is sad to say that this is true of almost all the denominations that are in Nigeria. The leaders have turned their members to will-less individuals. Through clever manipulations, the members are made to surrender their God-given power of thought to their brainwashers. They are made to believe that their will-less obedience is acceptable obedience before God. But the truth is that God will not  reward any will-less obedience. He delights in our wholehearted submission and obedience, that which comes from our hearts (Rom. 6:17; Eph. 6:6).

Brainwashed “Christians” do see or believe only what their indoctrinators want them to see or believe. They reject whatever their brainwashers have not told then. To them, all truth, all knowledge, all spirituality, starts and ends with their “men of God” or “fathers in the Lord.” There is little difference between them and robots or zombies. The Bible does not convince them of any truth; only their leaders do. They have been robbed of their minds. Therefore, there is no logic that can make them see or believe what their leaders have not expressly told them.

4. Logic Lacks Divine Power

Another limitation of logic is that it does not possess divine power in it. That is why a person can present a very reasonable and convincing argument and still be unable to win the other party to his own side. This is why a Christian worker must avoid being overly dependent on logic. We must understand that we apply logic when it is the natural thing to do in particular situations. It is like asking a question when a situation warrants it. At all times we must understand that the power of God’s spirit working in us transcends the power of logic. No power of logic works on people when they are under the control of evil spirits. In spite of Pilate’s words, “I find no basis for a charge against this man,” the chief priests and the Jews insisted that Jesus should be crucified. Their hatred for the Lord did not allow them to listen to the voice of reason – that Jesus Christ did not commit any offence for which a charge could be brought against Him.

The Christian worker has God’s mighty weapons at his or her disposal. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). When spoken by the Christian, it burns like fire and it is like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces (Jer. 23:29). It pierces through the hearts of humans and exposes their innermost thoughts and desires (Heb. 4:12). From the most primitive times to now, the convicting and transforming power of God’s word has been known and experienced by mankind. It made a king so fear-stricken that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way under him (Dan. 5:6). Marcus Antonius Felix, the procurator of Judea Province trembled when he heard Paul preaching the message to him (Acts 24:25). It washes people and make them clean (John 15:3; Eph. 5:26). It is very important that the Christian worker understands how indispensable God’s word is in his or her life and ministry.

It is also very necessary that the Christian should have the anointing of God in him or her. This anointing is called the Holy Spirit.

Armed with the word of God and His anointing, the Christian is equipped to “destroy people’s defenses, that is, their arguments and all their intellectual arrogance that oppose the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:45 GW).

Logical reasoning cannot do what Paul wrote in the two verses when one engages deluded dogmatists or brainwashed and will-less religionists. It  is not part of the spiritual weapons God has put at the Christian’s disposal. But in the deployment of the spiritual weapons, the Christian still needs to apply logical reasoning. Logical reasoning is part of the normal human mind and argumentation is a natural response to the flow of discussion. It should not be unexpected that a rational human being will argue when the situation calls for it. To say therefore that the Christian should not apply logical reasoning to spiritual matters amounts to making him or her subhuman.

The Place of Logic In Christian Ministry

Notwithstanding the fact that logic has limitations, it plays very crucial role in Christian ministry. For in presenting the gospel message, the Christian minister must present it logically and convincingly. It is not expected of any servant of the Lord Jesus Christ to present God’s message that gets people confused rather than making them enlightened about the truth. There is no good and successful servant of God who has not employed logic in presenting the message of God to the people. Their use of logic is a useful complement to the word and the anointing God has endowed them with.

Thoughts are essential elements of the human nature. God created us with thoughts to guide our actions. The unbeliever or atheist has a mind that has been twisted and corrupted by Satan. His or her mind is directed in a way that rejects God and all that God stands for. The believer, on the other hand, has been liberated from the power of Satan (Acts 26:18) and given a renewed mind that is thoughtfully and sensibly directed to submit to God and glorify Him.

In matters, such as the reality of the existence of God, where he or she may not be able to find tangible evidence as the premise on which his or her belief is based, God Himself speaks to him or her through His Spirit and through creation that He really exists. A mature Christian who understands the message of God to the world cannot but present it sensibly and convincingly. He uses the human sense as a complement to the convicting power of God’s word and His Spirit.

Apostle Paul was endowed with the gift of speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 14, the apostle made a very logical exhortation as to how to use the speech gifts believers have. He devoted the first 25 verses in making them see why Christians should be sensible in their use of the gifts God has given them. Part of the passage reads:

“Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Cor. 14:10-19 NIV).

Here, Paul said that the fact that he had the gift of speaking in tongues did not mean he must speak in tongues everywhere he went. He still had to decide to speak to his audience in the language they can understand, otherwise he would be of no spiritual benefit to them. 

He made the Corinthian Christians understand that being filled with the holy spirit of God does not mean that one is dispossessed of the use of one’s senses or making the person lose restraint. In the church of God a person can have control of his spirit while speaking in tongues or prophesying such that he or she doesn’t speak as if in an ecstasy or prophesy as if in a trance or like the frenzy God put on King Saul and his soldiers to prevent them from arresting David (1 Sam. 19:18-24). In plain language Paul said, “the spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets” (v. 32). It is evident from Paul’s writing that while exercising the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues or prophesying, the Christian can decide when and how to start or stop expressing the gift.

Conclusion

The teaching that Christians cannot apply logical reasoning on spiritual matters is unsupported by the Bible. First, our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles used logic in their presentation and defense of the massage from God. As Christians, we do well to follow their footsteps.

Secondly, the biblical command given us is to test whatever we are told to ensure they are from God. We do the test by comparing what we read or hear with the written word of God (Acts 17:10-12). After doing the tests we are to draw conclusions. This involves our making honest and reasonable judgments. In other words, we must make use of our human minds in making the judgments.

One reason Christians read the Bible and still accept glaringly unbiblical and preposterous doctrines of men is because of their acceptance of the false idea that logic should not be applied in matters of the Christian faith. No Christian is so easily deceived than the one who accepts that false theory of the incompatibility of faith and good reasoning. But if we know that “faith” also means the whole body of truth espoused by the Scriptures, we cannot be right if we say that logical reasoning is not compatible with faith. 

Finally, our minds are made by God to be the center of reasoning. God didn’t give us this attribute of His to be buried or hanged and left unused. Mankind will be incapable of meeting God’s expectation that humankind should subdue the earth and rule over it (Gen. 1:26-28) without man’s unceasing use of logical reasoning. Logic is a reality about God. Man’s use of logical reasoning is one of the ways in which we resemble God. It distinguishes us from unreasoning animals, made as creatures of instinct.