FAQ - What is Faith?
This is currently under construction.
posted by Earl Flask | 1:13 PM
About Me
- Name: Earl Flask
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Musings of a Christian on the nature of things.
Musings of a Christian on the nature of things.
2 Comments:
Earl,
I LIKE your diagram. May I brainstorm further with you about faith? It seems to me that your diagram shows aspects of faith: it is knowing, it is agreeing, it is trusting--the classic definitions of faith from Augustine, Aquinas, etc. I notice, too, that these represent aspects of human faith. However, Calvin noticed that while we are created with the FACULTY to know, agree/disagree, trust/fear, etc., which correspond to the aspects in your diagram, and which I suppose is part of our imago dei, we are not created with faith. It is not overstating the case to say that these are more indicative of our created faculties than faith itself. Where does this leave us? Some would say we are created with the ability to believe on the earthly plain but not created with the ability to have saving faith. I think this is a false duality and misdirection from what Scripture teaches. What we need is faith. Faith, according to Scripture is a gift from God. It is in keeping with all of created reality. God speaks and the world/reality comes to be. He tells Noah to build an ark and it comes to be. He tells Abraham that he will one day be a nation and have the land, and it comes to be. Jesus came announcing the kingdom of heaven and it started and is coming to fruition. All of these involve the creative Word of God plus what we presently understand to be intermediate agencies. And, so it is with faith. God declares us righteous, and "enfaiths" us, according to Calvin, and so we begin to believe. When He says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" it is a Call, an invitation, a promise, but it is more than these. It is creative. When we hear His creative Call, He gifts us with faith, which our created faculties respond to with the aspects you describe. Well, that's my brainstorming for now. What do you think the Scripture would say?
DanVPorter
Dan,
Thank you for the brainstorming comment. I completely agree with what you wrote.
I agree we are not born with faith and that we unable to exercise faith. Only when God grants us the gift of faith do we have faith and exercise it.
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