Most of the Christians I polled ended up describing faith as a feeling or experience. Though we don't find this language in the Bible, we do find it in the writings of Joseph Smith.
While I think the Hebrew term לב lev was understood aa and applied to the entire respiratory and circulatory organ that makes up our chest and extends into the whole body, there is something that the Scriptures mention: a certain insensibility that affects us when we distrust or doubt God. And, yet, when we do observe and value and trust God (who is truth) we may feel a burning joy in ourselves as we perceive more clearly and grow in strength due to an ever increasing trust in God who is perfect and pure and will lead all who will into the life that lasts and that will never perish, being one with Him by whom we live, from greatness to greatness unceasing. How will there be an end when even our eyes and hands are made in a way we may never fully comprehend, may we? We might even, but how at thos point remains not everyone's guess (because who asks such a question?) but almost entirely hidden and mostly unknown to us.
This calls for more specificity. It certainly is a problem if and when we fail to trust the God who has revealed himself so fully in Christ with so many convincing proofs (Acts 1:3, etc). Some of the NT words for doubt (διακρίνω, διστάζω) relate more closely to wavering between two opinions, doublemindedness, etc. Peter had seen Jesus perform miracles, and yet in Mt 14 he began to sink as he walked on the water, because he wavered between two beliefs: 1) People can't walk on water 2) Jesus has demonstrated his power over nature. When, however, people do not know whether Jesus is who he claimed to be, or whether the Bible can be trusted, it is never wrong to question these things when doubts arise. Dismissive doubt is certainly a problem, since it is just another form of blind faith. All unbelief is rooted in our presuppositions (i.e., our previously held beliefs). Investigative doubt, on the other hand is what the Bible encourages, everywhere ("test all things, but hold on to the good" 1Th 5:21, etc.).
When we trust God, we are free to doubt everything and even the seemingly explicit word of God. That's why Abraham will be rewarded, and the bible translators be crushed.
You ask me how I know he lives? Because of the compelling evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb, credible eye witness testimony of those who saw Jesus after he had been raised from the dead, and the authoritative word of the one who spoke the universe into existence.
Shane, your commentary has me thinking again about how our fallen natures have made our Christian faith uniquely unintuitive. Whereas all other religions are intuitively works-based with our earthly subjective feelings and desires informing our thoughts and actions, Christian faith is from the very beginning objective by way of the work of the Holy Spirit who opens our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts to our triune God and his truth.
The cornerstone of our faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Without the objective act of God coming from outside of ourselves and historically entering human time and space through his son, Jesus Christ, there is no basis for Christianity.
Out of this font of objective faith flow our responses which include not only God-glorifying fruits of the Spirit, but also our subjective feelings. The Bible is uniquely structured in this same way. The indicative (what God has done) always precedes the imperative (what God calls us to do). As your colleague Michael Horton likes to say, 'It's not "Do this and live". It's "Live and do this."' In our fallen state, this is totally unintuitive. This is why Satan relentlessly appeals to our earthly feelings.
Good points Dave. With regard to the Spirit, B.B. Warfield once noted that he doesn't provide us with new evidence, but simply opens our hearts and minds to attend to the truth of Scripture with all its evidence about Jesus (in the form of reliable testimony, fulfilled prophecy, etc.)
This is great, Shane - thanks. One small quibble - and perhaps it's splitting hairs a bit - but Smith claimed to have received those as "revelations" from God, not actual appearances of God. Mormons retain the word "visions" for actual divine appearances.
While I think the Hebrew term לב lev was understood aa and applied to the entire respiratory and circulatory organ that makes up our chest and extends into the whole body, there is something that the Scriptures mention: a certain insensibility that affects us when we distrust or doubt God. And, yet, when we do observe and value and trust God (who is truth) we may feel a burning joy in ourselves as we perceive more clearly and grow in strength due to an ever increasing trust in God who is perfect and pure and will lead all who will into the life that lasts and that will never perish, being one with Him by whom we live, from greatness to greatness unceasing. How will there be an end when even our eyes and hands are made in a way we may never fully comprehend, may we? We might even, but how at thos point remains not everyone's guess (because who asks such a question?) but almost entirely hidden and mostly unknown to us.
This calls for more specificity. It certainly is a problem if and when we fail to trust the God who has revealed himself so fully in Christ with so many convincing proofs (Acts 1:3, etc). Some of the NT words for doubt (διακρίνω, διστάζω) relate more closely to wavering between two opinions, doublemindedness, etc. Peter had seen Jesus perform miracles, and yet in Mt 14 he began to sink as he walked on the water, because he wavered between two beliefs: 1) People can't walk on water 2) Jesus has demonstrated his power over nature. When, however, people do not know whether Jesus is who he claimed to be, or whether the Bible can be trusted, it is never wrong to question these things when doubts arise. Dismissive doubt is certainly a problem, since it is just another form of blind faith. All unbelief is rooted in our presuppositions (i.e., our previously held beliefs). Investigative doubt, on the other hand is what the Bible encourages, everywhere ("test all things, but hold on to the good" 1Th 5:21, etc.).
When we trust God, we are free to doubt everything and even the seemingly explicit word of God. That's why Abraham will be rewarded, and the bible translators be crushed.
*our inner chest, our resoiration and circulation and breathing and blood and life
You ask me how I know he lives? Because of the compelling evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb, credible eye witness testimony of those who saw Jesus after he had been raised from the dead, and the authoritative word of the one who spoke the universe into existence.
Shane, your commentary has me thinking again about how our fallen natures have made our Christian faith uniquely unintuitive. Whereas all other religions are intuitively works-based with our earthly subjective feelings and desires informing our thoughts and actions, Christian faith is from the very beginning objective by way of the work of the Holy Spirit who opens our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts to our triune God and his truth.
The cornerstone of our faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Without the objective act of God coming from outside of ourselves and historically entering human time and space through his son, Jesus Christ, there is no basis for Christianity.
Out of this font of objective faith flow our responses which include not only God-glorifying fruits of the Spirit, but also our subjective feelings. The Bible is uniquely structured in this same way. The indicative (what God has done) always precedes the imperative (what God calls us to do). As your colleague Michael Horton likes to say, 'It's not "Do this and live". It's "Live and do this."' In our fallen state, this is totally unintuitive. This is why Satan relentlessly appeals to our earthly feelings.
Good points Dave. With regard to the Spirit, B.B. Warfield once noted that he doesn't provide us with new evidence, but simply opens our hearts and minds to attend to the truth of Scripture with all its evidence about Jesus (in the form of reliable testimony, fulfilled prophecy, etc.)
This is great, Shane - thanks. One small quibble - and perhaps it's splitting hairs a bit - but Smith claimed to have received those as "revelations" from God, not actual appearances of God. Mormons retain the word "visions" for actual divine appearances.
Thanks for the clarification, Adam.