Romans 4:18–25 (KJV)
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Summarized Philosophical View
True faith is not blind optimism—it is reason anchored in divine promise. Abraham believed against hope, not because evidence was absent, but because God’s word outweighed appearances. Christian hope transcends empirical limitation while affirming rational coherence: it trusts the God who can create from nothing and raise the dead. Faith does not reject reason—it reorders it around revelation.
“Being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” — Romans 4:21 (KJV)
Apologetic Devotional
Abraham’s faith was not the denial of reality—it was the recognition of a greater reality. Every visible fact argued against God’s promise. His body was “as good as dead,” Sarah’s womb barren, and the promise of countless descendants seemed impossible. Yet Paul writes, “Against hope he believed in hope.” Abraham’s belief was not irrational; it was supernatural reason—trusting that the God who made the universe could make life out of lifelessness.
J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig describe such faith as “the rational confidence that God’s power and character make His promises more certain than human probability.”. Abraham’s faith was intellectually honest: he knew the facts, but he also knew God. True biblical faith never demands we close our eyes to evidence; it opens our minds to the fullness of reality—including the God who governs it.
Norman Geisler explains, “Faith is not contrary to reason but goes beyond it; it is trusting the testimony of a God whose credibility is infinite.”. Where empirical reasoning ends, divine reasoning begins. To believe that the dead can rise is not irrational if the God who spoke the cosmos into being is real. Abraham’s reasoning rested not on the likelihood of nature but on the certainty of divine nature.
Alister McGrath draws the connection to the resurrection: “The faith of Abraham becomes the paradigm of Christian faith because it trusts the promise of life where death appears absolute.”. Just as Abraham trusted God to bring life from a barren womb, believers trust Him to bring life from an empty tomb. Christian faith thus stands not on denial but on divine demonstration: Christ risen is reason vindicated.
C. S. Lewis captures the logic of such hope with elegant precision: “Miracles are not contradictions of nature but intrusions of a higher order into the natural order.”. The believer does not reject the rational world; he sees it illuminated by the supernatural. To live by faith is to see the universe as open to divine intervention, not closed by human assumption.
Michael Wilkins reminds us of the pastoral core: “The God who justified Abraham by faith still justifies all who trust His resurrection power; what was written for him is written for us.”. Faith, then, is participation in God’s ongoing logic of grace—the same reasoning that raised Jesus from the dead. Our justification rests not in our ability to understand everything, but in God’s ability to fulfill everything.
Abraham’s faith was “fully persuaded.” That phrase captures the essence of Christian rationality—confidence in God’s power based on His proven character. The believer does not close his mind to reason; he opens it to revelation. Faith that defies sight is not irrational—it is more rational, for it rests in the Word of the One who defines reality itself.
Supporting Scriptures:
Genesis 15:5–6 | Hebrews 11:17–19 | John 11:25–26 | 1 Peter 1:3–5
Reflection & Response
- What does it mean for me to be “fully persuaded” that God will fulfill His promises—even when evidence seems contrary?
- How does Christ’s resurrection give rational grounding to my hope in God’s future faithfulness?
Sources
- Moreland & Craig, p. 556: “Faith is the rational confidence that God’s power and character make His promises more certain than human probability.”
- Geisler, p. 428: “Faith is not contrary to reason but goes beyond it; it is trusting the testimony of a God whose credibility is infinite.”
- McGrath, p. 202: “The faith of Abraham becomes the paradigm of Christian faith because it trusts the promise of life where death appears absolute.”
- Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book IV, ch. 5: “Miracles are not contradictions of nature but intrusions of a higher order into the natural order.”
- Wilkins, p. 247: “The God who justified Abraham by faith still justifies all who trust His resurrection power; what was written for him is written for us.”