In Studying Christian Evidences, We Are Not Merely Seeking A Collection of Historical Curiosities or Philosophical Speculations, But We Are Engaged in a Serious Inquiry Into the Grounds of Our Faith. The Christian is Called to Be Ready at All Times to Give a Defense, a Reason, an Apologia, for the Hope That Is in Him (1 Peter 3:15). This Defense Is Not Rooted in Human Imagination, Nor in Blind Tradition, But in Sound Reason Harmonized With Divine Revelation. To Properly Understand the Certainty of Christian Faith, We Must First Examine the Broader Question: What Is the Basis of Human Belief in General, and How Do We Distinguish Customary Opinions From Reasoned Convictions?

The Nature of Belief and the Human Mind

Belief is fundamental to all human experience. Every action we take is governed by some prior belief—whether it concerns the reliability of the ground beneath our feet, the dependability of a friend’s promise, or the accuracy of a historical record. In one sense, belief is inescapable; man is a creature who must trust, whether in the testimony of others, the memory of past events, or the direct evidence of his senses. Yet there is a profound difference between beliefs formed through mere custom and those formed through reason. Custom is the habitual acceptance of something as true without deliberate reflection. Reason, however, is the thoughtful process of weighing evidence, discerning truth, and reaching conclusions that correspond with reality.

Custom may shape much of the world’s religious convictions. Many cling to faiths handed down by forefathers, rarely examining their validity. This is not the faith to which Christianity calls us. Biblical faith is not credulity; it is not the passive reception of inherited traditions. Christianity demands rational conviction. It is not merely the faith of our fathers, but the faith grounded in the God who speaks, who reveals Himself, and who gives sufficient reason for belief. Jehovah Himself commands, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). Thus, the Christian faith is not a leap into darkness but a step into light.

The Role of Sense Perception

It is generally conceded that the senses offer trustworthy knowledge of the external world. Though fallible in certain particulars, the normal operation of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell gives man a reliable foundation for daily life. If sense perception were wholly untrustworthy, human existence would collapse into absurdity. But man does not live on sense data alone. He believes in a vast realm beyond the immediate testimony of his eyes and ears. History, morality, philosophy, and theology all extend beyond what is immediately perceivable. Thus arises the question: by what faculty does man reasonably believe what transcends his senses?

Here reason enters as the indispensable guide. The mind compares, analyzes, and draws conclusions, affirming truths that are not seen yet are real. A man who believes only what his eyes behold would deny the existence of distant lands, the reality of historical events, and the certainty of his own future death. The human mind was created by God to recognize truth beyond direct perception, enabling faith to rest on more than immediate sight.

The Authority of Testimony

Most of what man knows is not derived from direct experience but from testimony. We believe in the existence of past civilizations, the deeds of ancient kings, and the discoveries of scientists because trustworthy witnesses have conveyed these facts. Testimony, when given by competent and honest sources, is a legitimate ground for belief. This principle is universal in human life. Without testimony, no man could know his ancestry, no student could learn history, and no judge could render justice.

The Bible presents itself precisely as testimony—Spirit-inspired testimony rooted in eyewitness accounts, preserved through trustworthy transmission, and vindicated by fulfilled prophecy. Jesus Christ declared that the Scriptures “cannot be broken” (John 10:35), and the apostles repeatedly testified that they were witnesses of His resurrection (Acts 2:32; 1 John 1:1–3). Testimony is not inferior to sense perception; rather, it extends human knowledge into realms inaccessible to personal observation. Thus, faith in Christ rests not upon credulous acceptance of myth but upon verified testimony corroborated by historical and spiritual evidence.

The Weakness of Mere Custom

If custom alone is the basis of belief, truth becomes enslaved to culture. A man born in India may be a Hindu, one born in Arabia a Muslim, and one born in Europe a Roman Catholic—all because they accepted what their fathers handed down. Yet custom proves nothing about the objective truth of those beliefs. If custom were enough, Christianity would have no advantage over paganism, nor would truth ever conquer error. The gospel of Christ, however, broke through entrenched customs of idolatry in the Roman Empire and transformed men’s lives through reasoned proclamation and divine power.

The apostles did not preach, “Believe this because it is your tradition.” Instead, they presented facts: Christ was crucified, buried, and raised on the third day, “according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Their appeal was not to custom but to reasoned evidence, calling men to abandon false traditions and embrace truth. Jesus Himself condemned the Pharisees for elevating human traditions above God’s Word (Mark 7:6–13). Custom must bow before divine revelation; reason enlightened by Scripture must rule over unexamined habit.

The Interplay of Reason and Revelation

Reason is God’s gift to man, but it was never designed to function independently of divine revelation. Human reasoning, corrupted by sin, often twists truth and embraces error. Nevertheless, when brought into submission to God’s Word, reason serves as a faithful handmaid of faith. Christianity does not fear reason; it invites rigorous scrutiny. The apostle Paul “reasoned” with Jews and Greeks in the synagogues (Acts 17:2, 17), persuading them from the Scriptures. Christianity stands alone among world religions in its openness to rational examination, because its foundation is not subjective custom but objective truth.

The harmony between reason and revelation is evident in the very structure of Scripture. God appeals to man’s intellect, providing evidence of His existence (Romans 1:20), the certainty of His promises (Hebrews 6:18), and the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 17:31). Biblical faith is therefore not irrational but supra-rational—it transcends sense knowledge while remaining entirely consistent with reason. Faith is not against reason; it is reason carried to its highest fulfillment, trusting in the God who cannot lie.

The Reason for Christian Faith

Having considered the general grounds of human belief—sense perception, testimony, and reason—we may now apply these principles to Christianity. The Christian’s faith is not blind adherence to inherited custom but conviction grounded in historical fact and divine testimony. The resurrection of Christ is attested by multiple eyewitnesses, recorded in Scripture, and confirmed by the transformation of the apostles who went from fearful deserters to bold proclaimers, sealing their testimony with their blood. The prophetic Scriptures, written centuries before Christ, foretold His life, death, and resurrection with astonishing accuracy (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22). The spread of the gospel in defiance of hostile powers demonstrates its divine origin. Above all, the internal witness of Scripture, bearing the mark of inspiration in its harmony, purity, and transforming power, assures the believer that this Word is indeed from God.

Thus, the reason for our faith is not mere custom but the convergence of divine testimony, historical evidence, and rational conviction. We believe not because our fathers believed, but because God has spoken, and His Word is true. Reason bows before revelation, not as a defeated foe but as a faithful servant, confirming that faith in Christ is the only foundation of eternal hope.

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