Everyone Lives By Faith May 27, 2013
Have you ever felt like you’re at a disadvantage whendealing with a skeptical unbeliever because you, as a Christian, have to acceptcertain things on faith but he doesn’t? Don’t feel that way anymore. Why not?Because everyone lives by faith. Everyone. No exceptions. Let me explain.
Everyapproach to or understanding of life—i.e., every worldview—has certain basicassumptions, certain standards for how its adherents test truth claims ormeasure validity. For example, some people trust only what their senses tellthem. Others use reason, argumentation, and rational exercise. Then there arepeople like us, who believe in “revelatory truth”—i.e., truth which is revealedto us from some ultimate reality or source. Whatever the case, each approach tolife accepts its basic presuppositions entirely by faith, and necessarily so.“Presuppositions” are so called because they are accepted in advance, beforeone does any other “supposing” or reasoning. Everyone—Christian or not—hasthem, and everyone accepts them by faith.
Furthermore, presuppositions are the basis foreverything else we believe. They are the highest standard to which we canappeal. Again, this is necessarily so, because an appeal to any otherstandard would be self-defeating. Consider the dad who tries to establish hisultimate authority in the home by saying, “I’m in charge here, because Mom saidso.”
So,everyone has to appeal to their presuppositions when explaining why theybelieve what they believe. The bad news is that this feels like a circularargument. But the good news is that this is true for everybody, not just forChristians who appeal to the Bible. Here’s an example of how it might workwith a rationalistic atheist:
ATHEIST: Why do you accept the Bible as the standardfor your beliefs?
CHRISTIAN: Well, as it says here in Romans 1…
A: Wait. You’re arguing in a circle. You cannot use theBible as evidence for why the Bible is a proper standard.
C: Well, what is your standard?
A: Human reason and rationality.
C: Why do you accept that standard?
A: Nothing else makes any sense. It’s the onlyreasonable choice.
C: So reason tells you that reason is the beststandard? Welcome to the world of faith, where circular arguments are the onlyoption.
Moreon the importance of presuppositions—and how we can use them to ouradvantage—in coming weeks.