Defining faith
Thanks for the kind remarks on the last post!
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I love being in a Bible class and asking the question: What’s faith? For, in most of these classes, you’ll get the response (and it’s a good one):
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
I’ve recently run across two other definitions that hit close to home. The first deals with Abraham’s faith. The central faith issue for this patriarch was trusting God with his future, be it when he left Ur and Haran for Canaan, or when God told him (again) that Sarah would give him a blessed son, or when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac (Abraham’s future). The old man’s faith was at its best when he confided all his tomorrows into God’s hands.
A second definition, less formal than Hebrews 11:1, but more approachable, is 1 Peter 1:8:
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
He describes to a T our desired faith, doesn’t he? We love him though we do not see him now…
But one day…
January 10th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I like that definition of faith. And we are never really left without a tangible illustration of what He tries to tell us through His word. Loving Him even though we haven’t seen Him might be, to some, a lofty aspiration if it is not understood. But we, in this fellowship of bloggers, have a human, tangible example of how very real the concept is. Most of us have never “seen” each other except through the insights revealed about each one of us through our “words.” But we love each other and are concerned for each other. Isn’t it neat that He gave us each other and we can translate something we know about into a much greater love and faith through His words to Him who is unseen, the giver of all blessings.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
One problem we have with faith is we want it to fit into a rational or reasonable world-view … and it doesn’t.
Good thoughts, Brady. I’d never used the 1 Peter verse as a definition of faith and it’s excellent.
January 10th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
VERY good stuff. I can’t wait to ask that question next time I teach.
I see you are reading “Orthodoxy,” another of my favorite reads. I have some Chesterton in my stack just waiting to be read.
January 11th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Great thougths and thanks for the verse from IPeter.
January 11th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
And why we do what we do, day after day, even after 22 years!