Considering Reason and Revelation

Some pastoral questions have brought the disagreement between Van Til and Gordon Clark to mind.  It isn’t so much the views of those men, but some problems I see emerging when reason is elevated above revelation.

This is one of the dangers of “Christian rationalism”.  The mind subtly usurps the authority of Scripture, or special revelation.  They wouldn’t admit to this (I think), but you see it when there is the denial of various doctrines because it does not make sense in light of other doctrines.  They have a hard time reasoning these apparently opposite doctrines that are found in Scripture.  Rather than submit their minds before Scripture, they make the Scriptures submit to their “rational” theology.

There are 2 doctrines in particular that have been problematic for many who espouse Clark’s views.  They affirm the doctrine of election or predestination.  This is the problem, so to speak.  They have a difficult time with both common grace and the free offer of the gospel.  These don’t doctrines don’t make “sense” in light of election, but our minds are not the measure of truth.  Our theology is not to settle for “reasonable” but to reflect revelation.

Common Grace is the idea that God is good even to the reprobate.  Common points to grace available to all men.  It is not saving grace, but God’s kindness that sends the rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous.  It is grace because it is undeserved.  Adam was the beneficiary of common grace.  This is why John Piper (among others) talks about the gracious character of God’s covenant with Adam.  He received numerous blessings he had not earned.

¹⁰ But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the LORD. Isaiah 26

Grace is shown to the wicked!  It does not improve them, spiritually.  It actually increases their condemnation.  But it is still GRACE.  We see this in the life of Ishmael.  While I was preparing to preach on Ishmael, you see the mind-scratching reality.  In Galatians, Paul speaks of him as if reprobate- lost!  Yet, after he’s expelled from Abraham’s household he was not forsaken by God.

¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” … Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” … ²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up.  Genesis 21

God is with him and blesses unbelieving Ishmael who opposed the promise and sought to usurp Isaac.  Despite the fact he was not elect, God bestowed much grace on him.  This frustrates those who think theology must make sense.  But many of Clark’s followers dismiss the reality of common grace.

The second issue is the free offer of the gospel.  Rationally, there should be no such thing.  But it is there in Scripture.  God calls us to preach the gospel freely, not to wait for signs of election.  We proclaim that Jesus died to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15), not Jesus died for you.  But we freely offer pardon if people will believe.

I see this illustrated in the destruction of Sodom.  The angels tell Lot to warn all of his family.  Lot approaches his (future) sons-in-law (they were engaged to his daughters).  He tells them to flee the coming destruction.  If God knows they won’t come (so the argument goes) why does God have Lot make the offer?  But he does!  They reject the offer, but the offer was freely given.  Lot did not know they’d reject it.  And you don’t know who will accept or reject the gospel offer.  Your responsibility is to offer it.

So, when we put reason above revelation we can end up rejecting that which revelation reveals.  We are in a dangerous place with we demand that our theology satisfy our reasoning.  That is a scary place to be, and this is why such people aren’t comfortable in churches that aren’t perfectly aligned theologically.