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Human Intellectual Autonomy: Rationalism and Irrationalism

by Matthew Barrett

What is the main difference between a liberal view of revelation and an orthodox (biblical) view of revelation? Perhaps many differences could be mentioned. However, the main difference is the liberal affirmation of human autonomy, specifically in the area of human knowledge. In regards to revelation, the Bible does not sit in judgment over us, but we sit in judgment over the Bible. John Frame explains how such a view was evident from the beginning and ultimately leads to both rationalism and irrationalism since it is satanic at the very root.
Intellectual autonomy is the view that human beings have the right to seek knowledge of God’s world without being subject to God’s revelation. It first appears in the history of thought in Genesis 3’s narrative of the fall, in which Adam and Even make their decision to disobey God’s personal word to them. In their decision, they affirm their right to think autonomously, even to the point of contradicting God himself.

The spirit of autonomy underlies every sinful decision of every human being. As I noted earlier, it is irrational in an important sense. Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-32 that human beings know God clearly from his revelation to them in creation, but that nevertheless they choose to repress this knowledge and exchange it for a lie. How could anyone imagine that foolishness mirrors the biblical paradigm of irrationality, the foolishness of Satan himself, who (again in the face of clear knowledge) tries to replace God on the throne of the universe.

In this satanic project, man seeks to become his own lord. He denies God’s ultimate control, authority, and presence. Either he denies that there is such a Lord or he ascribes lordship to something in creation. If he denies that there is a Lord, he embraces irrationalism, the view that there is no ultimate meaning in the universe. If he ascribes lordship to something finite (i.e., idolatry), he embraces rationalism, the view that a godlike knowledge can be obtained from the creation alone.

Of course, Satan and his followers embrace rationalism irrationally, for they have no right to insist that their minds are the ultimate criterion of truth. Similarly, they embrace irrationalism rationalistically, assuming the ultimate authority of their own minds. So in unbelieving thought, rationalism and irrationalism are two sides of a single coin, though they actually contradict each other. That contradiction is part of the irrationality of it all. The irrationality permeates the whole fabric of human knowledge. So we can understand how the assumption of intellectual autonomy destroys knowledge (The Doctrine of the Word of God, 15-16).

May we submit ourselves to the authority of God’s Word and resist the temptation of human autonomy which destroys true knowledge. May we not seek to become our own lord but submit ourselves to the Lord of the universe.

Matthew Barrett is executive editor of Credo magazine. He also writes at Blogmatics.

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