Rationalism is not faith; and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith believes what God says, and because He says it. If we believe because we prove it, or because it is sanctioned by others, it is not faith in God. Faith is subjection of the heart to the testimony of God. Such do not say, we will not believe till we understand, but they say, “By faith we understand.” We believe on the authority of God, and want no other sanction. “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true” (John 3:3333He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. (John 3:33)).
That man has reasoning faculties capable of arriving at correct conclusions about natural things no one questions, but “the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit God.” If men were unfallen and unalienated, or if God had not spoken, and the Holy Spirit had not come, there might be some excuse for men forming their own opinions, and reasoning out conclusions as to divine things; but, as we have in the written word a revelation from God (and all Scripture is give by inspiration of God), every attempt at reasoning about it instead of receiving it and obeying it, only shows the unreasonableness of such a course; the insubjection of the mind to the will of God. We shall find that such activities, if closely examined, not only manifest pretension and unbelief, but undermine the foundations of the truth, and give nothing — absolutely nothing, on which a sin-burdened soul may rest.
1st. The unreasonableness of Rationalism comes out in man’s assumption that he is competent to judge what God will do, or ought to do; and that he is capable of deducing opinions about Scripture instead of bowing to its divine authority. He thus fatally errs in sitting upon a judgment-seat, and arraigning God and His word before it, instead of coming as a creature before the judgment-seat, and receiving the divine verdict. Is it not a totally unreasonable course for men to pursue? Besides, does not Scripture plainly say that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:1414But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)). Is it to be wondered at that such persons never know present “peace with God”? A true Christian has joy and peace in believing not through reasoning. We never knew anyone reason himself into peace with God, but we have known many reason themselves out of it. The Christian is admonished again. to cast down “imaginations,” or reasonings, etc. (2 Cor. 10:55Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5)).
2nd. The unreasonableness of Rationalism is manifest in ignoring the fact that man is a fallen sinner in Adam, thus “under sin,” and exposed to death and judgement. Why is man exposed to death and judgement? We are told because of sin. How came sin into the world? By one man. We read, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)). Thus through man, Adam, all are fallen, all are sinners, all are by nature children of wrath, and therefore exposed to death and judgement. This is why the natural man is not spoken of in Scripture as competent to deduce opinions, and form conclusions in divine things, but is pronounced to be “dead in trespasses and sins,” and that he “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” The rationalist’s idea, therefore, that God having given him reasoning powers, he ought not to believe anything he cannot reason out and understand, will not avail, for, since our nature’s fall in Adam, “the carnal mind is enmity against God,” and man is so alienated from God that his will is opposed to God, his mind “not subject to the law God, neither indeed can be: so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7, 87Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:7‑8)). Where then is his competency to judge and to receive the things of God? Besides, how came man with the knowledge of good, and evil? And further, Is it reasonable to suppose that God would bring in atonement for sin at the costly price of His own Son, if men were not guilty and helpless sinners? Is not the thought wholly unreasonable that God would send His Son into the world to accomplish eternal redemption, if we were not under sill, fallen sinners in Adam? And if men were not lost, would He have given His only-begotten Son; to save? Redemption from what? Whom to save? If men could have become righteous by their own doings, Christ would not, need not have die for sinners; for “if righteousness come by law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:2121I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21)).
3rd. The unreasonableness of Rationalism is also apparent in the active search by antiquaries, in history, geology, and other sciences, for proofs as to whether the Scriptures are true or as if God’s thoughts and ways must be cast into in molds which a always according to men’s notions of science. Were the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ according to scientific principles, or not? To an upright exercised soul before God, Scripture needs no further proof and witness of its truth than itself. If Moses spake of the commandments which he gave to the children of Israel as the commandments of Jehovah their God, and warned them against adding to, or diminishing from that word, their divine authenticity was abundantly confirmed by prophets who were raised up after him, by our Lord Himself, and by the apostles, who quoted freely from the writings of Moses. As to the imperishable certainty of the word, we find Isaiah saying, “The word of our God shall stand for ever.” David said; “For ever, O Lord, the word is settled in heaven.” Prophets so uttered the words of God that they boldly exclaimed, “Thus saith the Lord”: or “The word of the Lord which came unto Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, and others. Our Lord also spake of “the Scriptures,” and declared that “the Scripture cannot be broken”; and so endorsed the divine authenticity and authority of the books of Moses, that He said, “If ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” Again, after His resurrection from the dead, He so taught the divine authenticity of the Old Testament that He said unto His disciples, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me” (Luke 24:4444And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)). As to His own ministry He authoritatively said, “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day”; and, “heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” The apostle Paul teaches us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable,” etc. Peter says, “The word of the Lord endureth for ever,” and he ranks Paul’s epistles with “the other Scriptures.” John so recognizes the canon of Scripture as the word of God, and now complete that he says,
If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of I the holy city, and from the things which are written ill this book (Rev. 22:18, 1918For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18‑19)).
Is it not then most unreasonable, in the face of such manifold testimonies of inspired prophets and apostles, and also of the Lord Himself, that men should still labor to form opinions and to deduce conclusions from the Scriptures, instead of being subject to them as the word of God? Besides, the difficulties of geologists about various strata, and marine shells and boulders being found at great depths and heights, and the antiquaries’ fossils and remains showing as they say gigantic beasts once existed not united to this globe, are still answered by the remarkable silence of Scripture as to what might have occurred between thee first and second versus of the first of Genesis. In Gen. 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) , we are merely told that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth, and we reckon that what God created must have been perfect. The second verse describes a chaotic state, hence the conclusion that some great overthrow must have taken place between the first two verses. The present state of the earth began to be formed in the 3rd verse, not the chaotic state found in v. 2. Whether thousands of years intervened between vv. 1 and 3 or not, or what existed then we are not told, only the earth seems to have been submerged; for on the third day God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so.” Between the first and second verses the divine record leaves abundant room for vast changes to have taken place. The truth is that a divinely-wrought faith bows to the word of God because it God’s revelation; whereas unbelief is busy with excuses for relying on its own opinions and conclusions. What will men’s opinions and traditions be worth when they see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory?
4th. The unreasonableness of Rationalism is further exhibited by its advocates caviling with the word of God, without reading and examining it carefully and continuously; hence the ignorance of Scripture manifested by most of their champions. It is evident that they who merely look at the Bible as a compilation of historical facts, of which the writers were witnesses, and which they recorded as their memory led them, have not the word of God at all; but only a collection of men’s opinions and writings. The truth however is that the prophecy which came in old time was not by the will of man, but what “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” It is certain also that instead of giving their own opinions, or relating what they knew, they did not fully know the meaning of what they were inspired to communicate; hence we read, they inquired and searched diligently . . . searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and glories which should follow.” (See 1 Pet. 1:2121Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21); 1 Pet. 1:10, 1110Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:10‑11).) In the New Testament also we find that though John was in the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus, when in an agony He fell on His face and prayed, “and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,” yet John makes no mention of it in his gospel; whereas Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who were not present, record it fully. It is certain then that both in the Old Testament and the New we do not find the authors merely writing, what they knew and personally understood, as men generally write their books. We are told therefore that “God” not only “spake” in time past unto the fathers in the prophets,” but hath in those last days spoken unto in His Son.” We have then the inspired word of God.
5th. The unreasonableness of rationalism reaches its climax in the rejection of the only way in which God in grace, holiness, in truth, and justice, could save a sinner. That which makes the strong man shrink from death, dread the Lord’s coming, and tremble at the thought of Judgment, is the fear of God’s dealing with him in strict justice; whereas in the cross—the death, and shedding of the blood of Christ — sin is judged already, righteousness established, truth fulfilled according to holiness, God vindicated, satisfied and glorified, and all that believe are justified from all things, set free, and brought into new and everlasting relationship with God as His children. Oh, the unreasonableness of disputing instead of receiving this great salvation! What utter folly for men to be arguing instead of fleeing from the wrath to come! What can be more foolish than to refuse Him. that speaketh from heaven — who brings salvation to us in Christ, and through His blood, to be had at once on the principle of faith, without money and without price? How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?”