Faith vs Facts
Faith is not based on ‘facts’, but faith is in facts because of our faith in the Person who spoke those facts.
We can have faith before we know ‘all the facts’, but many believe they have facts that refute our faith, accusing us of having faith despite or contrary to the facts. These people need to see that facts support faith. We have not chosen faith over reason, but rather our faith is also reasonable. Reason supports faith:
2 Peter 1:16-18: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
1 John 1:1-3: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Facts are facts whether we know them or not, whether we understand them or not, whether we believe them or not, whether we can prove them or not. Our knowledge and understanding does not affect the truth value of any statement. It is or is not, independent of our thinking or knowing.
Dan 12:4 “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
2 Tim 3:1-7: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be …. ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
When we get to the end of our knowledge or understanding, we have faith that what God has spoken is truth, because we know Him to be Truth.
To have faith in something that is not factual is irrational and schizophrenic (schizo: broken phren: mind à broken minded; divorced from reality). There is no dichotomy between ‘fact’ and ‘faith’ – faith is not disconnected from facts. Our faith is in facts, but our challenge is to demonstrate to those who do not have faith that they are facts in which we have placed our faith.
We can confidently assert that the Bible teaches facts, but we must then be able to show the skeptic that they are facts. A fact is something that is true. Everything God says is true.
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