What about those times when our reason is not able to reconcile two truths given us in the Bible?
We rest content knowing that there will be mysteries in the word of God which we simply cannot reconcile with our own reason. We do use our reason to articulate our theology in such a way that it constitutes a logically consistent system, but we also recognize that our reason may fall short of reconciling all truths with each other. There will be times when we just don’t understand how two truths, equally revealed to us by God, are logically consistent with each other. By doing this, we recognize and own the limits of our own understanding and confess the existence of mystery. Statements like this:
A scriptural doctrine of election unto life has to be consistent on the one hand with the sovereignty of God, who is the life of love in light, and on the other with the autonomy of man formed in God’s image. (p699)
…cause us alarm. We should rather take a posture of listening to the voice of God speaking to us in Scripture and not dictate to the Scripture what it must and must not do. Far better is this exhortation from Bengel (p259):
The truth of God must be our dearest object whether the popular system accord with it or not. Far be it from us to wrest or force Scripture into compliance with any favorite hypothesis. It never can be right to invent dogmas and then go to Scripture in order to prove them. It is better to run all lengths with Scripture truth in a natural and open manner, than to shift, and twist, and accommodate. Straightforward conduct may draw against us bitterness and rancor for a time, but sweetness will come out of it. Every single truth is a light of itself, and every error, however minute, is darkness as far as it goes.