I've never stopped wondering about the faith conundrum. I like the Humble Skeptic take on it. It confirms what I'm comfortable with.
Those of us who don't accept the modern divide between reason and faith, nevertheless still face the reality that "faith" still stands in contrast to "knowledge".
As I mentioned, I think the popularization of the concept that man is composed of body, soul/heart, and mind contributes to our insistence that faith is how we believe what there is no evidence for. It allows us the comfort of a way to say we can believe what we cannot know. (actually, for most it is an insistence that it is a superior spirituality). In this superior spirituality we're supposed to believe with our hearts, not our heads.
In no area of our lives in which we had to believe to literally survive would we accept "believe with your heart, not your mind". But we accept it relative to Christian faith. And the catch-all reason? ....the Holy Spirit's leading.
Fully circular reasoning.
But I do wonder if rather than has been suggested here and elsewhere -- that "faith" should be best understood as "trust" (and I DO like that explanation), there's another English word that puts maybe an even finer point to it: "Bias"
What I mean is that part of the reason for the disagreement between those of us who believe that our faith is how we respond to evidence we believe, and those who believe faith is how you believe in spite of reason....
...is that faith, like bias, is often proven in the un- or subconscious choices and acts we do. True faith is often exhibited in what we do and how we act more or less automatically -- without thinking about it. Certainly as what theologians would call "sanctification" becomes more and more complete, choices and acts based on faith will become more and more automatic.
I would like to share a comment from Mr. Calvin on this subject:
Is this what believing means—to understand nothing, provided only that you submit your feeling obediently to the church? Faith rests not on ignorance, but on knowledge. And this is, indeed, knowledge not only of God but of the divine will. We do not obtain salvation either because we are prepared to embrace as true whatever the church has prescribed, or because we turn over to it the task of inquiring and knowing. But we do so when we know that God is our merciful Father, because of reconciliation effected through Christ [2 Corinthians 5:18–19], and that Christ has been given to us as righteousness, sanctification, and life. By this knowledge, I say, not by submission of our feeling, do we obtain entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. For when the apostle says, “With the heart a man believes unto righteousness, with the mouth makes confession unto salvation” [Rom. 10:10, cf. Vg.], he indicates that it is not enough for a man implicitly to believe what he does not understand or even investigate. But he requires explicit recognition of the divine goodness upon which our righteousness rests.
Vg. Vulgate version of the Bible.
Calvin, J. (2011). Institutes of the Christian Religion (J. T. McNeill, Ed.; F. L. Battles, Trans.; Vols. 1 & 2, p. 545). Westminster John Knox Press.
Only God reveals God.
I can talk to you about Him, but I cannot reveal Him to you.
Only God can do that.
As the Holy Spirit of God births children for God, He always does so in kind. (Cf. Genesis 1)
Faith is a gift that God gives to His newborn children. 1 Peter 1-2.
Knowing and understanding truth, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, these are spiritual realities of regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
I think that there is also a natural (to man) - I want to say - instinctual desire at play here too, that is, "I want to be like dad".
One thing that I observe of all (that I have witnessed), new-born children of God is an insatiable desire to be in the Word of God. In my opinion, that desire - that new found affection is so strong that only a jarring effect can draw them away and only for a short time.
These new-borns are eating up God's Word, they are digesting Truth. They are reading and coming into agreement with fact based evidence and reliable, consistent testimony of Jesus Christ by His Apostles and Prophets. It is truly a remarkable and beautiful thing that God does for us. And it is also a necessary thing because without God working this into us and for us, our foundation would be like sand. Which is - very sadly - the resting place of faith based on feeling.
I have listened to a lot of very good material over the past week or so, and so, I am not sure if I heard this on The Humble Skeptic Podcast or some other but, here it is, at least this is what I remember. This to me was very good and I have been encouraged by it.
In communicating the answer to "What is Faith" or "What is Christian Faith", we want to be able to understand it ourselves well enough, in simple enough terms, that a 6 year old would understand our answer - what we're getting at.
And this should be our goal - if we can communicate Christian Faith in terms that a 6 year old would understand then we might have confidence as we argue for knowldege based faith to those who have..., something else.
Our greatest mission field just might be our own churches.
Thank you for your work and thank you for posing the question.
How different would Christianity be today if it had never bought into the idea that it was possible to "believe with your heart" ....and that that was somehow superior to "believe with your head"?
I've never stopped wondering about the faith conundrum. I like the Humble Skeptic take on it. It confirms what I'm comfortable with.
Those of us who don't accept the modern divide between reason and faith, nevertheless still face the reality that "faith" still stands in contrast to "knowledge".
As I mentioned, I think the popularization of the concept that man is composed of body, soul/heart, and mind contributes to our insistence that faith is how we believe what there is no evidence for. It allows us the comfort of a way to say we can believe what we cannot know. (actually, for most it is an insistence that it is a superior spirituality). In this superior spirituality we're supposed to believe with our hearts, not our heads.
In no area of our lives in which we had to believe to literally survive would we accept "believe with your heart, not your mind". But we accept it relative to Christian faith. And the catch-all reason? ....the Holy Spirit's leading.
Fully circular reasoning.
But I do wonder if rather than has been suggested here and elsewhere -- that "faith" should be best understood as "trust" (and I DO like that explanation), there's another English word that puts maybe an even finer point to it: "Bias"
What I mean is that part of the reason for the disagreement between those of us who believe that our faith is how we respond to evidence we believe, and those who believe faith is how you believe in spite of reason....
...is that faith, like bias, is often proven in the un- or subconscious choices and acts we do. True faith is often exhibited in what we do and how we act more or less automatically -- without thinking about it. Certainly as what theologians would call "sanctification" becomes more and more complete, choices and acts based on faith will become more and more automatic.
I probably didn't make that very clear.
I would like to share a comment from Mr. Calvin on this subject:
Is this what believing means—to understand nothing, provided only that you submit your feeling obediently to the church? Faith rests not on ignorance, but on knowledge. And this is, indeed, knowledge not only of God but of the divine will. We do not obtain salvation either because we are prepared to embrace as true whatever the church has prescribed, or because we turn over to it the task of inquiring and knowing. But we do so when we know that God is our merciful Father, because of reconciliation effected through Christ [2 Corinthians 5:18–19], and that Christ has been given to us as righteousness, sanctification, and life. By this knowledge, I say, not by submission of our feeling, do we obtain entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. For when the apostle says, “With the heart a man believes unto righteousness, with the mouth makes confession unto salvation” [Rom. 10:10, cf. Vg.], he indicates that it is not enough for a man implicitly to believe what he does not understand or even investigate. But he requires explicit recognition of the divine goodness upon which our righteousness rests.
Vg. Vulgate version of the Bible.
Calvin, J. (2011). Institutes of the Christian Religion (J. T. McNeill, Ed.; F. L. Battles, Trans.; Vols. 1 & 2, p. 545). Westminster John Knox Press.
Only God reveals God.
I can talk to you about Him, but I cannot reveal Him to you.
Only God can do that.
As the Holy Spirit of God births children for God, He always does so in kind. (Cf. Genesis 1)
Faith is a gift that God gives to His newborn children. 1 Peter 1-2.
Knowing and understanding truth, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, these are spiritual realities of regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
I think that there is also a natural (to man) - I want to say - instinctual desire at play here too, that is, "I want to be like dad".
One thing that I observe of all (that I have witnessed), new-born children of God is an insatiable desire to be in the Word of God. In my opinion, that desire - that new found affection is so strong that only a jarring effect can draw them away and only for a short time.
These new-borns are eating up God's Word, they are digesting Truth. They are reading and coming into agreement with fact based evidence and reliable, consistent testimony of Jesus Christ by His Apostles and Prophets. It is truly a remarkable and beautiful thing that God does for us. And it is also a necessary thing because without God working this into us and for us, our foundation would be like sand. Which is - very sadly - the resting place of faith based on feeling.
I have listened to a lot of very good material over the past week or so, and so, I am not sure if I heard this on The Humble Skeptic Podcast or some other but, here it is, at least this is what I remember. This to me was very good and I have been encouraged by it.
In communicating the answer to "What is Faith" or "What is Christian Faith", we want to be able to understand it ourselves well enough, in simple enough terms, that a 6 year old would understand our answer - what we're getting at.
And this should be our goal - if we can communicate Christian Faith in terms that a 6 year old would understand then we might have confidence as we argue for knowldege based faith to those who have..., something else.
Our greatest mission field just might be our own churches.
Thank you for your work and thank you for posing the question.
That Calvin quote will come in handy—thank you!
The citation originated from Logos, but it appears to be incorrect.
The table of contents indicates Book 3, Chapter 2, Subheading 2: Faith rests upon knowledge, not upon pious ignorance. pg. 545
A fascinating chapter!
How different would Christianity be today if it had never bought into the idea that it was possible to "believe with your heart" ....and that that was somehow superior to "believe with your head"?