DWoG 11 What is faith and how does it work?

Since our first meeting, we've delved into some of the core truths of the Christian faith. Today we want to explore the concept of faith. Different Christian groups might emphasize various aspects of faith, but we'll focus on the basics.

Faith in Christianity involves both knowledge and the decision to trust that knowledge. It's not just about knowing facts but also about responding to them. Let me illustrate this with an analogy. When you meet someone special, someone you might want to spend your life with, you gather facts about them like their age, their background and their interests. This is basic knowledge. But deeper knowledge comes from personal interaction—hearing their voice, seeing their reactions. The more time you spend together, the more intimate your knowledge becomes, reaching a point where you know them in a way that no one else does. This deep knowledge requires a decision: do you trust this person enough to commit your life to them, despite the unknowns? This is the essence of faith—trusting deeply and loving unreservedly, even if others don't understand.

Similarly, faith in God involves learning about Him through scripture and teachings. There are many facts and beliefs about God, some shared by both Christians and non-Christians. For example, Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, that God is the Creator, and that Jesus is the Son of God. These beliefs, summarized in the Nicene Creed, are the result of a reasoned process of understanding God.

Critics might see Christianity as irrational or unscientific, but exploring the Nicene Creed shows that the faith is quite rational. Christians value science and philosophy, seeing them as complementary to their faith. However, just as a relationship with a spouse goes beyond mere facts, faith in God involves more than intellectual acceptance. It involves a personal, intimate relationship based on trust and love.

In the Nicene Creed, Christians say, "We believe in God," indicating a deep, personal trust. Faith is not just a system of scientific proof but a relationship process of growing into God and sharing in His divine life. This is why God created humans—to be one with Him.

Faith requires a response to God's invitation. As you open yourself to God, revealing more of yourself, your knowledge and trust in Him grow. Faith is thus a free response to God's self-revelation and gift of Himself. Without God's revelation, there can be no faith.

Faith is a mystery involving cooperation with God. It's both a gift from God and a choice we make. Ephesians 2:8 says faith is a gift through God's grace, while other scriptures, like Mark 1:15 and Acts 2:38, depict faith as a choice and act of repentance. Philippians 2:12-13 illustrates that these elements are inseparable: "…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

God's redeeming work through Jesus Christ gives us new life and the opportunity to respond to His invitation. In 2 Peter 1, after describing how God invites us to share in His divine nature, the Apostle Peter urges us to support our faith with virtues like goodness, knowledge, self-control, and love. Faith involves both receiving God's gift and actively choosing to grow in it.

True faith, as Paul describes in Galatians 5:6, works through love. Love is not a one-time emotional response but a daily decision to work for the good of others. True love endures, as 1 Corinthians 13 says, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

If faith is a relationship with God, then it's also a process of growing deeper into Him and working for the good of His creation. Faith is not just intellectual belief but action. James 2:14-17 emphasizes that faith without works is dead. True faith manifests in deeds, like caring for the poor or protecting the environment.

Knowledge of God alone is not faith. Responding positively to God’s revelation, submitting to Him with our whole being, is true faith. This involves a daily choice to trust, love, grow, submit, obey, and participate in God's life.

Faith as a way of life can be challenging. Throughout history, many Christians have faced persecution for their faith, yet they persisted, looking at the world through the lens of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s resurrection. Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Biblical figures like Abraham and Moses exemplified this faith, not because they were perfect, but because they continuously chose to trust and obey God.

In Psalm 77, the author struggles with life’s hardships yet clings to God, recalling His deeds and trusting in His faithfulness. This is the mystery of faith—trusting in God even when we don’t have all the answers.

Faith is a dynamic, active trust in God, a daily commitment to align ourselves and the world with Him. It's about seeing the world as already being restored by Christ and working towards that restoration with God's help.