Exactly what faith is has never been all too big of an issue; the exact nature of faith’s relationship to good deeds, on the other hand, has been a point of theological contention between Christians for millennia. The following intends to explore that relationship as it appears in the Bible, starting first by disarming misconceptions and going on to establish a conception of its own. It is here argued that faith is something of a marriage – a relationship, if you will – between what someone believes and what someone does. Faith in Christ implies both believing His truth claims and placing yourself in obedience to His commands. It does not imply the absence of doubt or evil deeds, but rather their subordination to trust and good deeds, respectively (the nature of this subordination is too profound for me to explore in this essay). Faith, in short, is the motivation out of which good deeds spring.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
2) Faith Again: The Problem of James
In the Christian world today, one means through which the idea of faith is distorted is through what I believe to be misled interpretations of the gospel of James, specifically chapter 2 verses 14-26. Not that I contend that the whole book should be thrown out and considered uncanonical; I’m sure that there are plenty of informed people with such an opinion, but being myself brutally uneducated, I am forced to operate on the a priori assumption that James was, in fact, divinely inspired upon writing his letter. James’s repeated assertion in verses 17, 20, and 26 that “faith without deeds is dead” is often cited by those who vouch for a works-based soteriology (by this, I am referring to a plan of salvation dependent entirely upon the individual’s good deeds).
Christians with a faith-based soteriology (that is, a plan of salvation dependent entirely upon the individual’s faith in Christ) counter by reminding such people that a works-based soteriology is simply impossible to square with the overall message of the gospel of John, specifically 3:15-16, 6:40, and 8:24. In addition, there are several instances within Paul’s epistles where he clearly advises against a works-based soteriology, while at the same time upholding a faith-based soteriology:
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law (Rom. 3:28 NIV, see also Rom. 8:3-4, Gal. 3:23-25, 5:4-6, Eph. 2:8-9, Phil. 3:9, Col. 2:13-14, and Tit. 3:4-5).
Paul’s beliefs are affirmed also in the letter written to the Hebrews by an unknown author, possibly even Paul himself:
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope was introduced, by which we draw near to God (Heb. 7:18-19, see also Heb. 10:1-4).
Peter and John affirm this soteriology to lesser degrees in their own letters (1 Pet. 1:9 and 1 John 5:11-12). I agree with these contentions entirely, but in regards to deriving a works-based soteriology from the gospel of James, I would like to make an even bolder argument. Even if the epistle of James is allowed to stand alone, verses 14-26 in the second chapter of James cannot support a works-based soteriology.
3) Faith Again: Finding James
It is necessary to note that people do not simply have faith out of thin air; their faith is always in something, whether that be Jesus, or the Buddha, or that one piece of obscure but powerful advice your kindergarten teacher gave you ever so long ago. The question therefore becomes: when James talks about faith, what is he assuming as the object of that faith? Historical context strongly suggests that this object is Jesus Christ; the historians tell us that James was busily working to expand the Christian church at the time this letter was written. This strong indication is affirmed as a certainty by another verse in the letter:
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism (James 2:1 NIV, emphasis added).
Consider also James’ own language. Every instance of the word “faith” as it is found in James 2:14-26 is derived from the Greek word pistis, which can be translated to specifically indicate “reliance upon Christ for salvation” (Strong #G4102). This certainly changes things. Not only can we derive the object of “faith” as the word is used by James but also the reason for it. James advocates faith in Christ for salvation. And this, as we can clearly see, clashes vehemently with a works-based soteriology.
Allow me to demonstrate the point a little more clearly. A works-based soteriology does not, in fact, result in a complete absence of “faith” in the broad sense, as the name – and its opposition to a faith-based soteriology – seems to imply. A works-based soteriology has merely shifted the object of one’s faith. One who operates on a works-based soteriology has faith in his works for salvation instead of Christ. But we have already seen – through inferences based on the historical context of, the language in, and the remainder of this epistle – that James has written what he has written on the assumption that his readers already rely on Christ for their salvation. And, of course, you cannot rely both on your own works and Christ for salvation simultaneously. Christ’s words echo, “No man can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24 and Luke 16:13). We must choose one or the other: either we embrace a faith-based soteriology as advocated by Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, and, yes, even poor, misunderstood James, or we embrace a works-based soteriology for God knows why.
4) Faith Again: A Brief Rejoinder
We therefore conclude that a faith-based soteriology is biblical. But this, in no way whatsoever, means that we throw out deeds completely. That is clearly heresy. It would result in a head-on collision with the words of James, not to mention seriously bringing into question many of the words of John:
If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth (1 John 1:6 NIV, see also 2:4, 2:6, 2:9, 3:6, 3:9, and 3 John 1:11).
Consider also the words of the apostle Peter:
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ (1 Pet. 1:15-16 NIV, see also 1 Pet. 2:11-12)
Even Paul, our primary advocate of raw faith, knows not to thrust aside good deeds. In his letter to the Romans especially, he is well aware that his faith and grace centered theology brings about the temptation to go on sinning, and his repeated attempts to reel in his audience on the matter is really quite heroic:
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Rom. 3:31 NIV)
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Rom. 6:1-2 NIV)
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Rom. 6:15 NIV)
Lastly and mostly, we have Jesus’ confirmation as to the importance of good deeds (Matt. 5:20, 7:24-27, Luke 6:31, 6:47-49, John 8:11, 14:21, and John 14:23-24). We must stick to the bare-bone facts as the Bible has explicitly fed them to us, reading between the lines only barely, wherever warranted by context. We have two such facts. First, salvation is achieved by faith in Jesus Christ apart from works. Second, faith and works share an inseparable bond, such that, if works are divorced from faith, faith ceases to exist. The question therefore becomes: what is the nature of this bond? What relationship do faith and deeds share?
5) Faith Again: Testing One Hypothesis
We might begin by hypothesizing that deeds are meant to show that one has faith. James certainly seems to think so:
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:18 NIV)
And it is indeed true that good deeds, as a general rule, are proof of being in the Christian life (Rom. 6:2-4, return to 1 John 2:4, 2:6, 2:9, 3:6, 3:9, and 3 John 1:11). But we must distinguish. It will not do to say that good deeds are meant to prove faith. That is, we do not perform good deeds for the sole purpose of proving our faith. Jesus repeatedly railed on the Pharisees and Sadducees of His day for their over-emphasis on proving their religiousness:
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full (Matt. 6:5 NIV, see also Matt. 23:5-7, Mk. 12:38-40 and Lk. 20:46-47)
Common sense should tell us that looking at someone in need and thinking, “Well, I’d better go help that person to prove that I have faith in Jesus Christ,” is an invitation to hypocrisy. To whom are we trying to prove our faith? God? That is really rather foolish. To people? Nothing wrong with that, as far as it goes. But why not, rather, help someone in need because you love them? Isn’t that Jesus’ call to action (Matt. 22:39, Mk. 12:31, see also Rom. 13:9-10)? If you are only helping them in order to prove something, you are still ultimately being selfish. So what we have here is a useless fact. It is indeed true that deeds prove the existence of faith. But that is not why we do them. Why, then, do we do good deeds? If it is indeed true that a living faith is supplemented by deeds as James says, it is quite important for us to find their source; that is, what motivates us to do them.
6) Faith Again: There is no Motivation
Unfortunately, the Bible largely regards this question as an absurdity. Consider Paul’s words again:
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Rom. 6:1-2 NIV)
When confronting a possible hole in his argument, Paul states that we should not sin because we (the Christians) have died to sin. But if I was really arrogant, I might then ask, “Why should I die to sin?” to which he would probably be forced to answer, “Because you should.” You see what has happened? We are talking in circles. Now, I do not disdain the Bible for writing off the question, “Why should we do what is right?” Indeed, if we explore the basic logic of the original question, we realize that it is intrinsically absurd. We have essentially asked, “Why should we do what we should do?” Well, there’s no point in asking why we should do what we should do. We simply should do it. There may well be reasons for abstaining from sin; for instance, a Christian may abstain from premarital sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. But these possible downsides do not fully explain why a wrong deed is wrong and a right deed is right. Things are not wrong because they are detrimental, they are detrimental because they are wrong. Why are they wrong? That answer remains rooted in the character of an inscrutable God.
7) Faith Again: Good Deeds Will be Done
So we find that searching for a motivation for doing good deeds is a useless pursuit. But that does not mean that good deeds do not, in a different sense, have a source. The quotation cited above states that the source of abstinence from sin results from being dead to it, which already gives us something of a lead. A thoroughgoing study of the New Testament reveals a recurring theme of “New Life” (Rom. 6:18, 2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:4-5, 1 Pet. 2:16, 1 John 1:7, and 1 John 3:1-2); it is further asserted by the Bible that the New Life is tied closely with the doing of good deeds:
We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:3-6 NIV, see also Rom. 6:1, 6:15-18, 1 John 2:9-11)
In other words, someone who is in the New Life simply will do good deeds; it’s not a question or a cause for concern, really. Those who are reborn will act like it (in a sense, whether they like it or not, though they are quite certain to like it, since they are, indeed, reborn). We are getting close. If only we can find the method of entrance into this New Life, we can find the ultimate source of good deeds, and therefore better characterize their relationship to faith. Again, the apostle John is particularly helpful on the topic:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:1-5 NIV, see also Gal. 3:26)
In this verse, we find the entire conclusion laid out for us; the entire conundrum sorted out and tied up with a satisfyingly beautiful bow. We know that good deeds proceed from being in the New Life, and, thanks to this passage, we now know that being in the New Life (being a “son of God” as John puts it) proceeds from faith in Jesus Christ. It follows that good deeds proceed from faith. If someone in the New Life simply will do good deeds, and the New Life is entered via faith, then it follows that the one with faith simply will do good deeds. If you must, you might look at it in strict cause-and-effect terms (though the actual relationship is likely far more dynamic). Good deeds are caused by faith – it is the character out of which they spring.
8) Faith Again: Addressing Concerns
Some possible counterpoints should be addressed before getting too excited. There are verses in the Bible which imply that it is not, in fact, by faith that one enters the New Life but by baptism:
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4 NIV, see also 1 Cor. 12:13 and Gal. 3:27-29)
It would seem from this and the verses below cited that the New Life in Christ was entered into via physical baptism. This threatens, to a noticeable degree, the conclusion to which we have already come – that the New Life is entered via faith in Christ, not to mention even suggesting contradiction within the Bible. Luckily, however, this contradiction is softened in light of the consideration that baptism is usually done because of one’s faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed, it can be further argued not simply that baptism is done out of faith in Christ, but that you cannot be baptized in a spiritually significant way unless you have faith in Christ. We know that rituals commanded by Christ are not safe from misuse:
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself (1 Cor. 11:27-29 NIV)
This above example is of Communion (or Eucharist if you prefer), and its ability to be used unworthily. From this, we have reason to suspect that baptism, too, can be done unworthily. If this is indeed so, what would differentiate between worthy and unworthy baptism? Again, Acts is particularly helpful:
And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized].” And [the Ethiopian] replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37 HCSB)
This goes to show that faith in Jesus Christ is an integral part to baptism in His name. Indeed, practice affirms the conclusion that baptism is done out of faith in Jesus Christ. I have yet to meet someone who was baptized into the name of someone they thought merely to be a great moral teacher or a lunatic. This should give us the sense that baptism is made efficacious by one’s faith; it is how one is baptized into Christ’s rather than another’s name (see Acts 19:1-7). It is also notable that this does not work the other way around. The Bible does not indicate that one’s faith is useless until he gets baptized, but it does give us cause to doubt faithless baptism. The contradiction between John’s and Paul’s words is therefore liquefied in light of the fact that baptism and faith are inextricably linked. If you get baptized (the right way), it is out of faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ anyway.
This, by the way, brings us full circle back to the conclusion which is here being defended – the idea that good deeds proceed from faith. Baptism is easily classified as a good deed; Jesus said that “it is proper for us [to be baptized] to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15 NIV). And if indeed baptism is done out of faith, then this further hardens our conclusion that good deeds proceed from faith. Baptism may not activate faith, but it can be said to proceed from it. It is the perfect expression of faith and the New Life which it created in the faithful; our first example of faith’s ability to generate good deeds. Baptism is the “first fruit” of faith.
9) Faith Again: Conclusion
Faith is the motivation for good deeds. With that in mind, we might do well to return to James with a moderated eye, able, now that we have gone digging through the rest of the Bible, to decide what he very probably meant. By saying, “Faith without deeds is dead,” he is usually taken to mean, “You had better do good deeds, or your faith will die.” There may in fact be truth to this statement, but nevertheless it is so vulnerable to misinterpretations that it ought to be re-directed with proper emphasis. In light of the preceding arguments, James can be taken to be saying, “There is no such thing as a faith in Jesus Christ which does not motivate you to do good deeds.”
There is a certain beauty to this re-direction, for it really allows us to affirm salvation as an undeserved grace and also the pertinence of good deeds in the New Life of the Christian. If you say you have faith in Jesus Christ, and yet you are not motivated whatsoever to lift a finger for a brother or make a sacrifice for a friend, you are probably kidding yourself. If you say you had better do good works or be damned, you’ve gone too far. You need to be saved because you can’t do any good works; or at least, not anything that can overturn the nasty things you have already done, and definitely nothing which warrants being welcomed into Perfection. It is by grace through faith that we are saved not only from the penalty of moral imperfection but also its power; we are slowly but surely being made more perfect through faith.
From a purely practical standpoint, one who believes that something is true also acts like that something is true. You do not very often find someone walking about in broad daylight who truly believes that the apocalypse is going to begin in a few minutes, for the one who believes this will probably be found holed up in his house. If you did indeed find someone on the street who claimed to believe this, you would have every right to doubt the strength of their belief. So it is with Christianity. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ – if you truly believe it – you will find yourself acting like it as time goes on. If you resolve to follow Christ’s commands out of no conceivable motivation, pretty soon you’ll find yourself believing His truth-claims about religion and about Himself. There is hardly any distinction between these two statements. Neither precludes the other. If indeed belief is true, action follows (or begins to follow) at that same moment, and vice-versa. Faith contains both and unites both; you cannot have it with only one or the other. It compels one to practice what they preach. It is the method by which man imitates the practice and trusts himself to the preaching of Christ.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Faith
This post moves to dissect the nature and complexities of faith, or more exactly, faith in God, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Faith can be had in all sorts of other, worldly things that time and again prove themselves unworthy of that precious Gift that you can bestow on merely one thing. Is it not logical to place one's faith in God? After all, he is perfect; it is literally impossible for him to fail you and dishonor your faith in him.
I think it only appropriate to start this post off with a definition of faith. The word "faith" appears a mere eight times in the Old Testament, according to my research on e-Sword (a fantastic tool for studying the Bible, if I do say so myself!), each having a slightly different definition from the next. However, Matthew, Mark, and Luke say it 28 times! The gospel of John never says "faith", but it does say "believe", which translates to the Hebrew word pisteuo, simply meaning "to have faith". This word appears in John 50 times!
What's entirely fascinating is that the meaning of the word "faith" changes when we cross over from the Old Testament to the New Testament. With the exception of Jesus talking about a "lack of faith", each word "faith" as it is used to refer to an abundance thereof has precisely the same definition throughout the Gospels (I haven't bothered to cross reference "faith" each and every time appears in the remaining books in the New Testament, as it appears countless times). Faith is derived from the Hebrew word pistis. Note that the definition of "believe" as it appears in John is derived form this word, whose definition is as follows:
1. persuasion, that is, credence
2. moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation
3. abstractly, constancy in such profession
4. by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself
- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity
Faith is "persuasion", which means "to persuade", whose first definition means "to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging". Faith is also credence, which first and foremost means "belief as to the truth of something". As the Bible defines it, faith involves both belief and deed. We can assume that "persuasion" as it relates to faith in Christ implies the Holy Spirit prevailing on you to do something, and the "truth", referenced by the word "credence", in which one believes is quite certainly the teachings of Christ. One might even say that the thing the Holy Spirit convinces you to do is to believe in the truth of Christ's words.
Faith is moral conviction of religious truth, the truthfulness of God, or the truthfulness of a religious teacher (such as Jesus?). Conviction's first definition is simple, "A fixed or firm belief". It also says "moral conviction", that is, the conviction is moral. This definition makes a bold statement; belief in religious truth is not merely a religious issue, it is a moral issue, an issue of right and wrong. Everyone is bound to the standards of right and wrong, that is, no one can escape their need to have this moral conviction; it is not merely intended for those of a particular religion. The definition goes on with a sentence supplementing what was just said about moral conviction, "Especially reliance upon Christ for salvation". So faith is moral belief in religious truth, especially when such belief involves reliance on Christ for salvation. Given this, we can easily rewrite the parenthetical annex to moral conviction as follows, "Of Christian truth, or the truthfulness of God or Jesus' teachings".
Faith, in an abstract sense, is constancy in such profession; "such profession" referring to the definition above. Therefore, in an abstract sense, faith is constancy in your moral convictions and reliance on Jesus Christ. Basically, faith is "following through", as believing without acting on those beliefs would be inconsistent, the opposite of consistent, which is synonymous to constancy. "Abstractly" is very likely added to take the stress off of deeds and their importance in relation to faith (though I do not think the importance is defaulted entirely; I'll explain later, of course). After all, one does not have to be perfect to have faith in Christ; you would have to be perfect to be considered "constant" in that profession.
Faith is, by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself. This confused me, at first, then I realized that the definition was much more simple than it sounded. This sense of the word "faith" merely refers to faith when used to refer to a religion itself. For example, the "Christian faith" is the system of Christian truth, the "Muslim faith" is the system of Muslim truth, etc. This particular word, though, is referring only to the truth of the Gospel, that is, the Bible, God's Word.
Now, we simply must address the incredibly divisive issue involving faith and its relationship to deeds. Some are tempted to say that there is no correlation whatsoever. As it is written, "For I'm convinced that neither death nor life, nor rulers, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depths, nor anything in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ." Tying faith down to deeds threatens that sense of connection, since it is through faith that we are connected to Christ and without it that we are disconnected. If something we do or do not do can default our faith, then is there truly nothing between us and God's love? So we should be careful not to over-idealize the power of our own efforts, since such implies that by them we can separate or connect ourselves to God. But it is not through ourselves but through Christ that we are redeemed to God.
Still, we cannot simply default deeds and their relationship to faith. The second half of James 2 harshly criticizes those who fail to prove their faith with deeds. As he writes, "You believe there is one God. That's fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear." Would you consider the demons to have faith in God? Certainly not; not in the sense defined above. Paul also writes to the Romans, "If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Notice that you cannot simply believe in your heart, you must also "declare with your mouth", an act which I consider literal or figurative. In other words, you must act on the belief in your heart.
"You believe Jesus is the Son of God, gents; your eternal soul is saved! By all means, go out, get drunk, have sex, do whatever you please because Jesus has you covered!" I hardly consider this faith, and nor does the Bible. On the flip side of things, "Do more, slaves! Give more money, be nicer people; do everything in your power because when you die, you better not have fallen short of your quota!" This is hardly faith either; the Bible is very clear.
This is what I believe, and I believe that what I believe is in agreement with the sound Doctrine that is God's Word. Faith is a marriage between creed and deed; that is, between believing and doing. Suppose you believe that an action is good without doing the action? That's hardly faith. Suppose you did something that was good by coincidence and not because you believed it was good? That's not faith either. What's interesting to observe is this: if you do not act on your belief, is your belief even that strong? And if you do good coincidentally or mechanically, I doubt your good deeds will number very high. Faith is a marriage between these; they compliment each other, carrying each others' slack and keeping each other accountable.
Now, this is not to say that faith is created by a good creed and good deeds. On the contrary, faith creates firm beliefs and drivenness. It is not so coincidental that Jesus compared faith to a seed, since that is how I can best explain it. Faith is not a mixing pot, into which one must throw a few cups of conviction and ambition to create faith. Rather, it is a seed that is planted and catered to from which springs the branches of conviction and ambition. Creed and deed is the fruit of faith.
I say this for very good reasons. The depth and firmness of belief depends on the power of the believer. The goodness and number of good deeds depends on the power of the doer. With both, the strength lies with the person believing and doing. But our strength is in Christ, is it not? And he calls us to do things that the power of the flesh cannot do alone, does he not?
That is why we have faith. Faith does not draw strength from the faithful, rather, it sustains the faithful according to the subject of that faith. Consider this example: a soldier is wounded, behind cover, slowly being surrounded. There is another healthy soldier nearby, doing his best to help. The wounded soldier is very likely to place his faith in that healthy soldier. When he does as much, his friend's success becomes his, and his friend's failure also becomes his. The wounded soldier is sustained according his friend's ability to sustain him.
Now, suppose he had more of a choice. Suppose there are three soldiers close enough for him to drag himself near them and into their protection. If he knows which one is the most skilled in combat, which should he go to for protection? Obviously the most skilled. Why? Because that soldier's power will be the wounded soldier's power. He ought to choose the one with the most power.
We do not place our faith in cockroaches. Why? Because whatever the cockroach can do, we can do better. If a thief breaks into our house, we ought not trust the cockroach over ourselves to defend us from the thief. So you see? Faith not only has the power to add to our energy, it can also subtract from it. It is highly unwise and illogical to place faith in something weaker than us, since we can always simply have faith in ourselves when all else fails.
At the same time, it is also highly unwise and illogical to place faith in ourselves when we are weak. For example, suppose that the wounded soldier decided, "I can trust none of my men to protect me!" What would he have to do then? Well, he would have to have faith in himself and try to get himself to safety, an act that would almost certainly be futile. His enemies are perfectly healthy and can all too easily catch him. He's much better off having faith in a soldier on his team more powerful than he.
I suppose the soldier could have faith in nothing, and instead sit there and accept death. However, doing so would be a guaranteed death, while faith in himself at least gives him a chance. So while you can withhold faith from everything, it is the equivalent of giving up.
Anyway, my point is to point out faith's ability to empower or reduce you. This also works with my arguments for why one ought to have faith in Christ. Like I said before, He is perfect. He is omnipotent. Having faith in Him connects you to a limitless supply of sustenance and serious, raw power. Why have faith in anyone or anything else?!
If you find your belief being attacked by doubt, you shouldn't think, "I must strengthen my belief!" Instead, pray, "Lord, increase my faith." And if you find yourself doing evil at every turn, you shouldn't think, "I must do more good!" Again, pray, "Lord, increase my faith." God calls you to enormous heights not reachable through any means of your own. You cannot hope to have the belief and do the good God calls you to do through your own power. Remember, belief draws strength from the believer, and deeds draw strength from the doer. But faith in God draws strength from God, only through it can you "believe" and "do" to the degree that He calls you. Trying to "do" and "believe" is like trying to find fruit when you can just plant a tree.
It is not surprising that some Christians over-idealize the power of mere belief, since belief is almost certain to come first chronologically; specifically belief that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. Jesus being the Son of God is the only reason that you can have faith in God. Without Jesus, we are so separated from God that we cannot even have faith in Him; we could only believe what He said and act on His commands. Paul writes, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." It only makes sense that one must believe that Jesus is the Christ (at least on some level, regardless of how low) before putting their faith in him; otherwise, he would be putting his faith in "some mortal man".
In addition, belief in certain commands of Christ and different doctrines of the Bible also comes with faith. There is more to "believing" in terms of Christianity than merely believing that Jesus is the Christ, though that belief is what comes first.
Belief is also first chronologically on a day-to-day basis. It is nearly impossible to do a good deed without first believing that you ought to; and if you do it by coincidence, it cannot be credited to you as faith. This is not to say that deeds are less important; they come second in terms of order, not importance. Do the stones on top of the mountain think they are more important than the stones that form the base?
Remember that Paul also writes, "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." I think it entirely possible to annex "by faith" to the end of that verse. "Rather, we uphold the law by faith." Jesus himself said, "Do not suppose that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to complete." Just as through Jesus the Law and the Prophets are completed, so too through faith in Jesus can we uphold the decrees of the Law and the Prophets.
Do not consider yourselves better than others if you are better at believing than another, or if you are better at doing than another. I would not be surprised if some have more belief than deed, and others have more deed than belief. But in the end, you cannot have absolutely no deed and all belief or vice-versa. It's as simple as that.
Do not be worried about how much good you do or how strong your belief is. You are not saved from the world by such things. Rather, you are saved by faith which merely proves itself by creed and deed. Never jump over faith straight to belief or deed. That's when we get over idealism of our own efforts, which cannot save us any more than a spider web can catch our fall. But faith sustains us according to the subject of our faith, which ought to be Christ. That way, it is through Christ alone that we are welcomed into heaven and absolutely zero effort of our own.
Let's close with the most famous definition of faith as given by Paul, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." What's entirely interesting is that this sureness and certainty is not even from ourselves. We merely decide to start being sure and certain; God sustains that certainty as only He can.
So to recap: faith is certainty of the truth of Jesus' teachings. It is relying upon Him for your salvation. It implies acting, so far as possible, as a Christian ought; that is, faithful service to Christ (note that faithfully serving Christ can only be done through faith in Christ).
I think it only appropriate to start this post off with a definition of faith. The word "faith" appears a mere eight times in the Old Testament, according to my research on e-Sword (a fantastic tool for studying the Bible, if I do say so myself!), each having a slightly different definition from the next. However, Matthew, Mark, and Luke say it 28 times! The gospel of John never says "faith", but it does say "believe", which translates to the Hebrew word pisteuo, simply meaning "to have faith". This word appears in John 50 times!
What's entirely fascinating is that the meaning of the word "faith" changes when we cross over from the Old Testament to the New Testament. With the exception of Jesus talking about a "lack of faith", each word "faith" as it is used to refer to an abundance thereof has precisely the same definition throughout the Gospels (I haven't bothered to cross reference "faith" each and every time appears in the remaining books in the New Testament, as it appears countless times). Faith is derived from the Hebrew word pistis. Note that the definition of "believe" as it appears in John is derived form this word, whose definition is as follows:
1. persuasion, that is, credence
2. moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation
3. abstractly, constancy in such profession
4. by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself
- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity
Faith is "persuasion", which means "to persuade", whose first definition means "to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging". Faith is also credence, which first and foremost means "belief as to the truth of something". As the Bible defines it, faith involves both belief and deed. We can assume that "persuasion" as it relates to faith in Christ implies the Holy Spirit prevailing on you to do something, and the "truth", referenced by the word "credence", in which one believes is quite certainly the teachings of Christ. One might even say that the thing the Holy Spirit convinces you to do is to believe in the truth of Christ's words.
Faith is moral conviction of religious truth, the truthfulness of God, or the truthfulness of a religious teacher (such as Jesus?). Conviction's first definition is simple, "A fixed or firm belief". It also says "moral conviction", that is, the conviction is moral. This definition makes a bold statement; belief in religious truth is not merely a religious issue, it is a moral issue, an issue of right and wrong. Everyone is bound to the standards of right and wrong, that is, no one can escape their need to have this moral conviction; it is not merely intended for those of a particular religion. The definition goes on with a sentence supplementing what was just said about moral conviction, "Especially reliance upon Christ for salvation". So faith is moral belief in religious truth, especially when such belief involves reliance on Christ for salvation. Given this, we can easily rewrite the parenthetical annex to moral conviction as follows, "Of Christian truth, or the truthfulness of God or Jesus' teachings".
Faith, in an abstract sense, is constancy in such profession; "such profession" referring to the definition above. Therefore, in an abstract sense, faith is constancy in your moral convictions and reliance on Jesus Christ. Basically, faith is "following through", as believing without acting on those beliefs would be inconsistent, the opposite of consistent, which is synonymous to constancy. "Abstractly" is very likely added to take the stress off of deeds and their importance in relation to faith (though I do not think the importance is defaulted entirely; I'll explain later, of course). After all, one does not have to be perfect to have faith in Christ; you would have to be perfect to be considered "constant" in that profession.
Faith is, by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself. This confused me, at first, then I realized that the definition was much more simple than it sounded. This sense of the word "faith" merely refers to faith when used to refer to a religion itself. For example, the "Christian faith" is the system of Christian truth, the "Muslim faith" is the system of Muslim truth, etc. This particular word, though, is referring only to the truth of the Gospel, that is, the Bible, God's Word.
Now, we simply must address the incredibly divisive issue involving faith and its relationship to deeds. Some are tempted to say that there is no correlation whatsoever. As it is written, "For I'm convinced that neither death nor life, nor rulers, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depths, nor anything in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ." Tying faith down to deeds threatens that sense of connection, since it is through faith that we are connected to Christ and without it that we are disconnected. If something we do or do not do can default our faith, then is there truly nothing between us and God's love? So we should be careful not to over-idealize the power of our own efforts, since such implies that by them we can separate or connect ourselves to God. But it is not through ourselves but through Christ that we are redeemed to God.
Still, we cannot simply default deeds and their relationship to faith. The second half of James 2 harshly criticizes those who fail to prove their faith with deeds. As he writes, "You believe there is one God. That's fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear." Would you consider the demons to have faith in God? Certainly not; not in the sense defined above. Paul also writes to the Romans, "If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Notice that you cannot simply believe in your heart, you must also "declare with your mouth", an act which I consider literal or figurative. In other words, you must act on the belief in your heart.
"You believe Jesus is the Son of God, gents; your eternal soul is saved! By all means, go out, get drunk, have sex, do whatever you please because Jesus has you covered!" I hardly consider this faith, and nor does the Bible. On the flip side of things, "Do more, slaves! Give more money, be nicer people; do everything in your power because when you die, you better not have fallen short of your quota!" This is hardly faith either; the Bible is very clear.
This is what I believe, and I believe that what I believe is in agreement with the sound Doctrine that is God's Word. Faith is a marriage between creed and deed; that is, between believing and doing. Suppose you believe that an action is good without doing the action? That's hardly faith. Suppose you did something that was good by coincidence and not because you believed it was good? That's not faith either. What's interesting to observe is this: if you do not act on your belief, is your belief even that strong? And if you do good coincidentally or mechanically, I doubt your good deeds will number very high. Faith is a marriage between these; they compliment each other, carrying each others' slack and keeping each other accountable.
Now, this is not to say that faith is created by a good creed and good deeds. On the contrary, faith creates firm beliefs and drivenness. It is not so coincidental that Jesus compared faith to a seed, since that is how I can best explain it. Faith is not a mixing pot, into which one must throw a few cups of conviction and ambition to create faith. Rather, it is a seed that is planted and catered to from which springs the branches of conviction and ambition. Creed and deed is the fruit of faith.
I say this for very good reasons. The depth and firmness of belief depends on the power of the believer. The goodness and number of good deeds depends on the power of the doer. With both, the strength lies with the person believing and doing. But our strength is in Christ, is it not? And he calls us to do things that the power of the flesh cannot do alone, does he not?
That is why we have faith. Faith does not draw strength from the faithful, rather, it sustains the faithful according to the subject of that faith. Consider this example: a soldier is wounded, behind cover, slowly being surrounded. There is another healthy soldier nearby, doing his best to help. The wounded soldier is very likely to place his faith in that healthy soldier. When he does as much, his friend's success becomes his, and his friend's failure also becomes his. The wounded soldier is sustained according his friend's ability to sustain him.
Now, suppose he had more of a choice. Suppose there are three soldiers close enough for him to drag himself near them and into their protection. If he knows which one is the most skilled in combat, which should he go to for protection? Obviously the most skilled. Why? Because that soldier's power will be the wounded soldier's power. He ought to choose the one with the most power.
We do not place our faith in cockroaches. Why? Because whatever the cockroach can do, we can do better. If a thief breaks into our house, we ought not trust the cockroach over ourselves to defend us from the thief. So you see? Faith not only has the power to add to our energy, it can also subtract from it. It is highly unwise and illogical to place faith in something weaker than us, since we can always simply have faith in ourselves when all else fails.
At the same time, it is also highly unwise and illogical to place faith in ourselves when we are weak. For example, suppose that the wounded soldier decided, "I can trust none of my men to protect me!" What would he have to do then? Well, he would have to have faith in himself and try to get himself to safety, an act that would almost certainly be futile. His enemies are perfectly healthy and can all too easily catch him. He's much better off having faith in a soldier on his team more powerful than he.
I suppose the soldier could have faith in nothing, and instead sit there and accept death. However, doing so would be a guaranteed death, while faith in himself at least gives him a chance. So while you can withhold faith from everything, it is the equivalent of giving up.
Anyway, my point is to point out faith's ability to empower or reduce you. This also works with my arguments for why one ought to have faith in Christ. Like I said before, He is perfect. He is omnipotent. Having faith in Him connects you to a limitless supply of sustenance and serious, raw power. Why have faith in anyone or anything else?!
If you find your belief being attacked by doubt, you shouldn't think, "I must strengthen my belief!" Instead, pray, "Lord, increase my faith." And if you find yourself doing evil at every turn, you shouldn't think, "I must do more good!" Again, pray, "Lord, increase my faith." God calls you to enormous heights not reachable through any means of your own. You cannot hope to have the belief and do the good God calls you to do through your own power. Remember, belief draws strength from the believer, and deeds draw strength from the doer. But faith in God draws strength from God, only through it can you "believe" and "do" to the degree that He calls you. Trying to "do" and "believe" is like trying to find fruit when you can just plant a tree.
It is not surprising that some Christians over-idealize the power of mere belief, since belief is almost certain to come first chronologically; specifically belief that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. Jesus being the Son of God is the only reason that you can have faith in God. Without Jesus, we are so separated from God that we cannot even have faith in Him; we could only believe what He said and act on His commands. Paul writes, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." It only makes sense that one must believe that Jesus is the Christ (at least on some level, regardless of how low) before putting their faith in him; otherwise, he would be putting his faith in "some mortal man".
In addition, belief in certain commands of Christ and different doctrines of the Bible also comes with faith. There is more to "believing" in terms of Christianity than merely believing that Jesus is the Christ, though that belief is what comes first.
Belief is also first chronologically on a day-to-day basis. It is nearly impossible to do a good deed without first believing that you ought to; and if you do it by coincidence, it cannot be credited to you as faith. This is not to say that deeds are less important; they come second in terms of order, not importance. Do the stones on top of the mountain think they are more important than the stones that form the base?
Remember that Paul also writes, "Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." I think it entirely possible to annex "by faith" to the end of that verse. "Rather, we uphold the law by faith." Jesus himself said, "Do not suppose that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to complete." Just as through Jesus the Law and the Prophets are completed, so too through faith in Jesus can we uphold the decrees of the Law and the Prophets.
Do not consider yourselves better than others if you are better at believing than another, or if you are better at doing than another. I would not be surprised if some have more belief than deed, and others have more deed than belief. But in the end, you cannot have absolutely no deed and all belief or vice-versa. It's as simple as that.
Do not be worried about how much good you do or how strong your belief is. You are not saved from the world by such things. Rather, you are saved by faith which merely proves itself by creed and deed. Never jump over faith straight to belief or deed. That's when we get over idealism of our own efforts, which cannot save us any more than a spider web can catch our fall. But faith sustains us according to the subject of our faith, which ought to be Christ. That way, it is through Christ alone that we are welcomed into heaven and absolutely zero effort of our own.
Let's close with the most famous definition of faith as given by Paul, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." What's entirely interesting is that this sureness and certainty is not even from ourselves. We merely decide to start being sure and certain; God sustains that certainty as only He can.
So to recap: faith is certainty of the truth of Jesus' teachings. It is relying upon Him for your salvation. It implies acting, so far as possible, as a Christian ought; that is, faithful service to Christ (note that faithfully serving Christ can only be done through faith in Christ).
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