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This series is titled: Praise God for Christianity: No Intellectual Progress Without It!

Part 1 can be found here.

Intelligible experience in reality presupposes, and is contingent upon, the existence of laws of logic. While it is likely that the overwhelming majority of people have spent little to no time studying the intricacies of the laws of logic, it is nevertheless hardwired into human nature for such laws to be employed from the moment one learns to speak.[1] For the sake of illustration, consider what is presently unfolding in this article. The author is currently in the process of making an argument to the reader, and the reader is in the process of observing the argument unfold. Both the author and reader assume the words being penned have objective meaning, and that their brains have the ability to objectively understand the argument that is being advanced. The aforementioned assumptions embraced by this article’s author, and reader, highlight the inseparability between intelligible experience in reality, and the presupposition that there are objective laws that govern human logic.

At least two questions inevitably arise from these preliminary observations. Namely, what are the laws of logic, and why are they absolutely fundamental to human life? Norman Geisler sagaciously addresses these inquiries in his Systematic Theology textbook.

Logic deals with the methods of valid thinking; it reveals how to draw proper conclusions from premises. It is the prerequisite of all thinking… Logic is such an inescapable tool that even those who deny it cannot avoid using it, for it is built into the very fabric of the rational universe. There are three elemental laws of all rational thinking: (1) the law of noncontradiction (A is not non-A); (2) the law of identity (A is A); (3) the law of excluded middle (either A or non-A)… It is literally impossible to think without [the laws of logic].[2] 

In supplementation to Geisler’s observations, there are at least three architectonic distinctives undergirding humanity’s usage of the laws of logic:

1. Since laws of logic are the prerequisite for all thinking (it is impossible to reason without them), it can be said that the laws of logic are universal.[3] Stated differently, the laws of logic are used—and they are equally applicable—to all people, at all times, in all places. Cultural norms may ebb and flow with the passing of one generation to the next, but the laws of logic will abide forever; they are integral to man’s ability to reason and communicate.
2. The laws of logic can be perceived as invariant.[4] This attribute of the laws of logic is organically connected to the former. By virtue of their perpetual relevance to all people, at all times, in all places, the laws of logic will never change. Moreover, by virtue of their status as universal laws, the laws of logic can never change. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, a law is defined as universal if there is “a stated regularity or order of phenomena in the world that holds, under a stipulated set of conditions, either universally or in a stated proportion of instances.”[5] Given the impossibility of any circumstance in which human reasoning and interpersonal communication can transpire without the laws of logic, their unchanging nature is self-evident.
3. The laws of logic can be regarded as immaterial.[6] By nature, laws do not possess a tangible substance that can be apprehended through hearing, sight, smell, taste, or touch. Laws cannot be measured in a test tube, nor can they be ontologically modified in a laboratory. On the contrary, laws simply exist as uncompounded declarations of the way the universe functions. Such is the case with the laws of logic: they are immaterial ordinances that govern intelligible thought, and rational correspondence between human beings.

Having established a rudimentary understanding of what the laws of logic are, it is now appropriate to explain why the laws of logic exist. To adequately answer this question, it is important to first revisit a statement that was made in this article’s opening paragraph: “[It is] hardwired into human nature for [the laws of logic] to be employed from the moment one learns to speak.” Indeed, when canvassing the landscape of the human race, one discovers universal awareness and dependence upon the laws of logic. Why? In the final analysis, there is no other worldview—nor is there any other system or philosophy or religion—that can account for this observation more cogently than Christianity.

The Holy Bible, functioning as the ultimate standard of authority for the Christian faith, declares that there is one God who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14).[7] As portrayed throughout nature and Scripture, the one, true, and living God has revealed Himself to be a perfect being (Ex. 3:13-14; Ps. 19:1-14; Matt. 5:48; Rom. 12:1-2). As such, there is no limitation that can be ascribed to God’s character, nor can there be any change in God for better or for worse (Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:6; Rom. 11:33-36; James 1:17). Thus, God is an infinitely perfect being and embodies infinite personality within His intratrinitarian communion.[8] What’s more, the biblical record reveals that the triune God created all things in a span of six days (Gen. 1:31-2:1; Ex. 20:11), placed humanity on the Earth to be divine image bearers in caring for this world (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15-25), and willfully entered into a personal relationship with man through the means of covenant (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:14-19; 8:20-9:17; 12:1-3; 15:1-18; 17:1-14; 22:15-18; Ex. 19:1-24:18; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Ps. 89; Jer. 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13; etc).[9] Thus, human beings were originally created to function in ways that are analogous to the God who created them in His likeness: to subdue the earth in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness[10] (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24); to love God with all of the heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matt. 22:36-27; Mark 12:28-30; Luke 10:27); to love neighbor as oneself (Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). In other words, the God who is infinitely perfect—and infinite in personality—created a world in which man could reflect His character to one another and enjoy His character through communing with Him.[11]

So, according to the Christian worldview, why do the laws of logic exist? As grounded in the testimony of Scripture, the laws of logic exist as divinely instituted regulations that govern rational thought in the universe. Inasmuch as the laws of logic are true, they are a creaturely, analogical manifestation of how God thinks (John 14:6; Col. 2:3), and how God expects human beings to think His thoughts after Him (Isa. 8:20; Eph. 5:1). Since God is a being of perfect rationality (1 Cor. 14:33, 40), He has instilled specific laws to enable mankind to engage in rational thinking, as a finite reflection of their infinite Creator. Consequently, the laws of logic are the ectypal representation of God’s being: universal (omnipresent), invariant (unchanging), and immaterial (pure spirit). This biblical connection accounts for why it is “hardwired into human nature for [the laws of logic] to be employed from the moment one learns to speak.” Mankind simply cannot reason, or engage in relational exchanges, apart from making use of the laws of logic that his Creator has entrenched into reality. This precondition for intelligible experience in reality is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the truthfulness of the Christian worldview. Even if a person rejects the Christian faith wholesale, they must still act as if Christianity is true. All image bearers residing in God’s world must play by His rules in order to live, move, and have their being (Acts 17:24-28). Whether realized or not, in each instance that a person adheres to the laws of logic, they in practice, presuppose the veracity of the Christian worldview. If followers of the Lord Jesus Christ will be faithful to tease out the unmistakable connection between the laws of logic and the Christian worldview, perhaps God will be pleased to use such efforts to bring Hell-bound sinners to saving faith (Jonah 2:9; 2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Soli Deo Gloria!

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[1] Albeit, there are instances in which a person is either born with a mental handicap—or suffers a physical ailment—which prevents them from utilizing the laws of logic to their fullest extent. These are tragic consequences stemming from man’s fall into sin, and Christians must trust that God has a purpose for such calamities (Isa. 55:8-9; Eph. 1:11). Nonetheless, the arguments set forth in this article regarding the laws of logic are in view of the normative manner whereby mankind is able to use the laws of logic for attaining intelligible experience in reality.

[2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2011), 61, 69.

[3] Jason Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2015), 55.

[4] Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate, 55.

[5] Brian Duignan, “Law of Nature,” Encyclopedia Britannica (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.), accessed May 27, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/law-of-nature#ref285133.

[6] Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate, 55. 

[7] Any conception of the Christian faith is subject to the comprehensive teaching of the Holy Bible (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 2 Pet. 1:16-21; etc). While there are an abundance of vying interpretations of how the Bible fits together, the unit of truth contained in the Bible is what constitutes the ultimate standard for Christianity. Therefore, Christians must be diligent to accurately interpret the Bible so as to come to the most consistently accurate understanding of the perfect unit of truth that is revealed across the totality of Scripture. When one’s interpretation of Scripture is deemed erroneous beyond a shadow of a doubt—in any area therein—it is the responsibility of the reader to conform their beliefs about Scripture to the testimony of Scripture itself. This is the necessary posture to be modeled in order to garner the fullest grasp of every entailment of Christianity.

[8] Greg L. Bahnsen, Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings and Analysis (Phillipsburg, NJ: P. & R. Publishing, 1998), 278-279.

[9] For an expansive treatment on each of the biblical covenants from a Particular Baptist perspective, see the series of blog posts made available at the Covenant Confessions website: https://covenantconfessions.com.

[10] This reality is further encapsulated in Question and Answer 10 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Question: How did God create man? Answer: God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.”

[11] This reality is further reiterated in Question and Answer 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”