What is faith?

[Godlovesmetwo]

Once a person holds up another person to be an infallible authority on all things religious.. They are making that person effectively their LORD and Messiah..

have to agree there, never make anyone your guru, not even Pope Francis

 

[JoeP222w]

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 

[Aseyesee]

Faith (has become, ) to me is the person of God, whom I cannot separate from myself.

 

[RaymondG]

Faith is a knowing that a future event is present right now, but is only awaiting the passage of time.

 

[chilehed]

Tolstoy said:
"Faith is a knowledge of the meaning of human life, the consequences of which is that man does not kill himself, but lives. Faith is the force of life. If a man lives, then he must believe in something...Without faith it is impossible to live." (from his book A Confession )

The Hebrew word aman is translated as “believe”, “trust”, “have faith”, and also “support”, “nourish”, and “make lasting”. A derivative word is omenat, meaning “pillars” or “supports of the door” as in 2 Kings 18:16. Another cognate is emunah, which is “faithfulness” or “trust”, as in Exodus 17:12 where God brought victory to Israel as long as Moses would hold his hands up. Aaron and Hur held up his hands so that they “remained emunah until sundown”. All of these illustrate that faith is an action that we take, which is exactly what the Catholic church teaches. Faith is a work, it's about what you DO and not merely about what you believe.

We are not able to do this work by our own effort because of the effects of original sin. Each and every time we turn toward God and away from sin it is because God gave us at that moment the grace to be able to do it. It is completely and totally due to the grace of God, who enables all of us at some point in our lives to perform the work of freely responding to Him by performing the "obedience of faith". At that moment we truly have the choice that Adam had, to submit to God or submit to ourselves, and we only have that choice because of God’s grace.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses this by saying that faith is an act of the will in which one turns toward God and away from sin; in which we decide that we will cooperate, with our intellect and will, with the divine grace that God gives us to enable us to comply with the moral law; it is a free response of the human person to the initiative of God; it is a personal adherence of the whole man to the God who reveals himself. It is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is Truth itself. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God." For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "works through charity."

These are all actions, things we do in obedience to God. Thus the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:5 "Through Him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith...” This obedience is the essence of Christianity: submission to the Eternal One who was enfleshed, and through that submission being brought into union with Him so that we may participate in His divine life.

 

[Ken Rank]

Tolstoy said:
"Faith is a knowledge of the meaning of human life, the consequences of which is that man does not kill himself, but lives. Faith is the force of life. If a man lives, then he must believe in something...Without faith it is impossible to live." (from his book A Confession )

But faith is not belief, they are tied together but they are unique.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and is dead with works (action). So we "hear" and we believe what we hear because the source was God, and then we "act" on what we hear.

Belief is to be firmly convinced in the mind of something, and faith requires having belief... but one can believe in something without hearing God or acting on what they heard, which proves, these are not the same word.

Did you see "God's Not Dead?" You might remember how the pastor's car wouldn't start a few times and finally the missionary walked the pastor out and they were by the car and the pastor was going to try one last time? When the pastor set the suitcases on the ground the missionary told him, "NO!.... put them in the trunk and have faith that the car will start." Ok, that isn't faith, that is belief and moreover... treating God like your personal genie. He is under no obligation to do ANYTHING for any of us.... faith means us listening to HIM and doing as He says, not use believing so hard He is forced to act for us.

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

i'm surprised it took this long for this verse to be cited by someone in a 'Christian philosophy and ethics' forum.

 

[JoeP222w]

i'm surprised it took this long for this verse to be cited by someone in a 'Christian philosophy and ethics' forum.

Sadly, I find far too many examples on this website of those who do not hold scripture in high regard and yet call themselves Christian. It does not make sense.

 

[The Brown Brink]

(If Tolstoy is not referring to Christian faith only):
What about the man who pursues wealth all his life, wealth and status? Their faith in earthly success alone. Faith in the "self-made man" philosophy". "Its all about winning the game of life" mentality. These people have a faith in this life and they might feel like the winners of it. They want to live for as long as possible and are far from suicidal. But I guess they try and keep their mind off what "might" happen after they die.

The pursuit of wealth and status is one sure way to be quite miserable.
This kind of pursuit never ends.
There is no rest.

This already is hell.

 

[The Brown Brink]

I think faith is sometimes used as an excuse for us not to DO anything for ourselves or others.

Faith can be very lazy.

 

[dqhall]

Cicero was born before Jesus walked in Galilee. He wrote, "Faith makes good on its promises."

Jesus taught, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you could move mountains (Luke 17, Matt. 17).

 

[PeaceJoyLove]

James 2:20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

There is a lot in this piece of scripture. It tells us what faith is and what it is not. And I think it is of the utmost importance, Faith, for without it no one can please God. It is a prerequisite to being made whole, complete with the fullness (redundant on purpose) of Christ. To Entering the Kingdom. Sin is not allowed in the Kingdom or near God. It separates us from Him and the Promises for those who truly believe.

How do we know if we have faith are true believers? By our actions works that show it. Like being able to put our son on the altar, literally , if God demanded it. He will increase our faith! But are we faithful with what He has already deposited?
Where is our faith? Why do we have fear of the world's judgments problems if we have faith trust God? Why do we have strife, contentions and discord to show for our works of faith?
Faith is not just in talk, but actions. Otherwise, it is all head knowledge with no power. The Gospel of Jesus Christ requires FAITH to have power... HIS power. His power to penetrate the heart and truly transform it. That has to happen, or He will say, "Depart, I never knew you."

Genuine faith (in the LORD) believes HE can and will come and cause us to be able to walk as HE walked in holiness and the righteousness of God. Genuine faith will grow as we exercise it, doing what HE says to do (works of faith), giving increase in HIM and less of 'self'. Even if those things are not quite happening, faith causes us to continue to HOPE for the promise to be fulfilled and HIS Love completed in us.

Years ago, I thought faith was just concentrating with all my mind on what was being prayed for, I'd be able to muster up enough faith... and adding the magic words "in Jesus name" at the end of it. But it is so much more than that. It is complete and utter TRUST that God is all HE says HE is and will DO all HE said...knowing we are powerless to do anything, not matter how hard we try.

By hoping in ALL that HE says, HE promises this Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Real faith believes this is possible...and if it is not experiential, then causes one to seek and knock until it becomes so...because one TRUSTS His promises are true and will be given to those who possess such faith...as it grows by HIS increase and our use of each increment HE gives.

 

[RaymondG]

Cicero was born before Jesus walked in Galilee. He wrote, "Faith makes good on its promises."

Jesus taught, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you could move mountains (Luke 17, Matt. 17).

We need big faith....not small faith. A mustard seed has big faith.

 

[Saint Beloved]

For me, faith is taking a daily trusting leap with God and resigning myself to the fact that there's stuff I can't know or control and that something bigger than me has it all sorted out ahead of time kreping their eyes on the big goal so I can focus on the small things.

As for having faith in government... As much as I dislike the consistent fact we are under and misrepresented I once again have to resign myself to the fact that God appoints earthly power for His own reasons so whoever is in power and for however long it is appointed by God and as a citizen I have to respect their authority and allow a limited-finite-human faith in their abilities to lead.

 

[DrBubbaLove]

have to agree there, never make anyone your guru, not even Pope Francis

Faith.
Collectively we could talk about everything believed to be true in regard to our Christian life/relationship with God. Seems reasonable that as mankind collects this body of revealed knowledge from Him that God would preserve it for us.

Christian faith is a Gift from God, a Grace required to believe things to be true which we cannot see or must take on the Authority of the One giving us the truth for somethings otherwise unknowable (IOW not belief from our intellect, reason, intuition, or lessor authority (some blokes opinion)). Whatever we lack in belief to assent to we can pray for more Grace(God's Help) to get there - IOW "I believe, help thou my unbelief."

And no, that does not mean we know or even need to know everything. We cannot, especially in our present state.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

*** clean up ***

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Tolstoy said:
"Faith is a knowledge of the meaning of human life, the consequences of which is that man does not kill himself, but lives. Faith is the force of life. If a man lives, then he must believe in something...Without faith it is impossible to live." (from his book A Confession )

Faith is living and acting as though something that cannot be seen or known in the present is a reality.

 

[The Brown Brink]

I often hear the "we're powerless to do anything" argument when the topic of faith comes up...

I don't like the "powerless" version of faith.

Powerless faith creates victims.

 

[PeaceJoyLove]

I think faith is sometimes used as an excuse for us not to DO anything for ourselves or others.

Faith can be very lazy.

Hmmmm....if faith is lazy, then it is not faith...faith is an action word. By faith Noah built the ark. By faith Abraham left the land of Ur. By faith Abel offered God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. And, without faith, it is impossible to please God.

 

[PeaceJoyLove]

I often hear the "we're powerless to do anything" argument when the topic of faith comes up...

I don't like the "powerless" version of faith.

Powerless faith creates victims.

Genuine faith knows that we are powerless BUT that HE is All Powerful God...and thereby we TRUST HIM in ALL things...and that HE will give us the power to walk righteously by the power of HIS spirit. Admitting how powerless we truly are is a huge step to BIG faith.