Reasoning with God: The Forgotten Discipline in Theology

In a world where people are told to “trust the experts,” it’s easy to forget that reasoning is a biblical command, not just a philosophical tool. Whether in medicine, politics, or theology, there’s a growing divide between those who accept claims based on institutional authority and those who feel compelled to ask, “Does this actually make sense?” The Bible encourages that question. It doesn’t shy away from scrutiny—it demands it. Yet in many theological circles, reasoned discussion is treated like rebellion, and questioning tradition is viewed as heresy.

Reasoning Is Biblical

Isaiah 1:18 invites us into a startling proposition: “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord.” God isn’t calling us to blind submission, but to thoughtful engagement. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans are called noble because they searched the Scriptures daily to verify what Paul preached. That kind of critical thinking was praised in Scripture.

Paul echoes the same principle in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Faith, in this context, isn’t about taking someone’s word for it—it’s about testing claims against truth. Proverbs is full of this same call: to get wisdom, seek understanding, and weigh matters carefully (Prov. 18:13; 15:14).

The Danger of Unquestioned Tradition

Even in Jesus’ day, religious leaders leaned on tradition. In Matthew 15:9, Jesus says, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Paul later warns in Colossians 2:8 about being taken captive by “philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men.”

Tradition in itself isn’t evil. But when it becomes a replacement for truth, or when it silences inquiry, it leads to spiritual stagnation and deception. Sadly, many theological systems today, while claiming to champion truth, shut down questions that fall outside their historical conclusions.

Faith That Thinks

True faith isn’t the absence of thought. It is the discipline of thinking through what God has said. Jesus promised that the Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13), but that guidance still invites our participation.

Hebrews 5:14 describes maturity as the result of training: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Discernment requires effort, experience, and the willingness to wrestle with hard questions.

Why Many Can’t (or Won’t) Reason

There are reasons many avoid reasoned inquiry. Some are simply untrained. It’s easier to trust a system than to test it. Others fear social rejection; questioning a long-held belief might mean breaking with one’s community. And for some, intellectual pride plays a role. Those with sharp memories or strong recall can confuse information absorption with wisdom.

Meanwhile, others question everything with no discernment—falling for every conspiracy or rejecting legitimate insight. Neither extreme is fruitful. Reasoned faith lives in the tension between curiosity and caution, openness and grounding.

A Call Back to Discernment

The early Church didn’t silence debate—it welcomed it. Acts 15 shows leaders reasoning together about difficult theological matters. Paul welcomed scrutiny from the Bereans. He didn’t demand authority-based trust—he appealed to Scripture and logic.

The Church today would do well to recover that model. God is not threatened by our questions. In fact, Scripture seems to say He welcomes them.

Reasoning vs. Skepticism

It’s important to distinguish between reasoning and skepticism. Reasoning is the active pursuit of truth—it tests, weighs, and examines with the goal of understanding. Skepticism, on the other hand, often begins with doubt and can end in distrust of everything. Reasoning seeks clarity; skepticism can dissolve into cynicism.

Reasoning is humble enough to say, “I may not have all the answers, but let’s work through it.” Skepticism says, “There probably aren’t any trustworthy answers.” The Bible doesn’t promote blanket doubt—it warns against it (James 1:6–8)—but it encourages wise discernment. Faithful reasoning stands between naïve trust and jaded suspicion.

The Trust Trap in the Age of AI

This tension becomes even more dangerous in the era of artificial intelligence. As machines become more capable of mimicking intelligence and authority, those conditioned to defer to “official” voices may find themselves easily misled. AI can convincingly replicate expert opinion, religious teaching, and even the tone of biblical authority—without being anchored in truth.

Those who have never trained themselves to think critically, but simply to trust the most confident voice, are increasingly vulnerable. Theological traditions that discourage questioning may unwittingly be preparing people not for deeper faith, but for deeper deception.

Now more than ever, believers need to develop the habit of weighing—not just receiving. God doesn’t ask us to outsource our discernment. He calls us to reason together with Him.

Conclusion

The Church—and each believer—needs to return to the discipline of reasoning. The call to “prove all things” is not optional. It’s essential to spiritual maturity, to unity based on truth, and to avoiding deception. In an age of noise and information overload, the quiet work of reasoning with God might just be the most faithful thing we can do.