FAITH 
Questions:
- What is faith? How strong is your faith? What do you believe in strongly?
What does scripture say
about faith?
Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV)
27 Whatever happens,
conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Then, whether I come and see you or
only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in one spirit,
contending as one man for the faith of the gospel
28 without being
frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them
that they will be destroyed, but that you will
be saved—and that by God.
29 For it has been
granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also
to suffer for him,
30 since you are going
through the same struggle you saw I had, and
now hear that I still have.
More reading on
faith:
For more on faith also read 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
Per
dictionary.com, faith is: –noun
|
2. |
belief that is not based on
proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact. |
|
3. |
belief in God or in the
doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the
Pilgrims. |
|
8. |
Christian
Theology. the trust in God and in His
promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures |
Per Eaton’s
Dictionary, faith is:
Faith is in general
the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true
(Philippians 1:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Its primary idea is
trust. A thing is true, and
therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of
faith, in
accordance with the evidence on which it rests.
Per Martin Luther
on faith, please refer to the following website:
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/luther-faith.txt
Per Matthew
Henry’s commentary (Philippians 1:27-30) , faith is:
Those who profess the gospel of Christ,
should live as becomes those who believe gospel
truths, submit to gospel laws, and depend upon gospel promises. The original
word
"conversation" denotes the conduct of citizens who seek the credit,
safety, peace, and
prosperity of their city. There is that
in the faith of the gospel, which is worth
striving for; there is much opposition, and there is need of striving. A
man may sleep and
go to hell; but he who would go to heaven, must look about him and be diligent.
There
may be oneness of heart and affection among Christians, where there is
diversity of
judgment about many things. Faith is God's gift on the behalf of Christ; the
ability and
disposition to believe are from God. And if we suffer reproach and loss for
Christ, we are
to reckon them a gift, and prize them accordingly. Yet salvation must not be
ascribed to
bodily afflictions, as though afflictions and worldly persecutions deserved it;
but from
God only is salvation: faith and patience are his gifts.
Questions:
- Do you like Eaton’s definition of faith?
- Do you like Luther’s definition of faith?
- Do you like Matthew Henry’s definition of faith?
References:
The following websites were referenced on March 2, 2007:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%201:27-30
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith
http://eastonsbibledictionary.com
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/luther-faith.txt
http://eword.gospelcom.net/comments/philippians/mhc/philippians1.htm
http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/gallery/pictures.html
http://www.christian-faith.net/pictures/L-chr-faith-375x375.jpg
Any questions or updates? Please contact Jeff at jad-calif@cox.net