Faith, Part 4 - Now what?

For the last 3 posts in this series, I talked mostly about what faith is, or is not. I tried to show how popular concepts of faith address some dimensions of the idea, but a full understanding incorporates something often ignored -that evidence may be involved. In other words, faith is not "blind" - and is not intend to be. I also hinted that when all these elements are put together, we can better understand faith to be synonymous with loyalty. The psychological, mental assent to truth we associate with faith is the byproduct of this loyalty, often given when one is convinced of the truth.

Believe it or not, this is also the conclusion of social science experts ("social anthropologists") who have studied Biblical culture extensively. [1]  These people have interviewed individuals from many cultures that still operate on values and structures similar to those of the 1st century (not every culture has adopted "western" values). Although I did not explicitly reference their work while writing these posts, you should understand this kind of material helped shape my thinking on the topic. It is a relatively new area of study, and much of the information is just now trickling down to more pastors, Bible teachers and laity. So keep an eye out for the insight it can reveal (you can get books from Bruce Malina to get more exposure). Also just be aware I will use this kind of material often at my blog. It is a sorely absent part of most attempts to put the Bible in proper "context".

Not only is this the conclusion of social science experts, but is apparently a truism within Jewish belief as well. With that said, it may be hard for you to picture how any of this discussion has practical application for your life. "Faith" is still a very prominent word in Christianese, and you'll find as other people discuss it, they too will be unaware of the concepts of loyalty and evidence as it relates to the word. Typically, anytime people use the word faith, you can discover these concepts more hidden in what they're saying. But what can you really do with this information? What practical things can you take home out of this discussion? After all, I would hate for you to have an "ah-hah" moment without making use of it.

To answer those questions and finish this series, I am going to use a bullet-list to jot down some things that came to mind while writing the series.

• If faith were more about belief, then "even the demons believe" (James 2:19). Do they have faith?
• If our faith is not belief in spite of reason (shallow), but belief with reason, then it is more tangible and able to be evaluated or examined (deep). 
• If faith is not just an abstract feeling or state of mind, then it involves a measurable effort on our part to produce it
  
• If faith is built on belief or emotion, we can try to produce more but will inevitably fail. If faith is built on evidence, it is easier to build than believed. 
• If we are "struggling in our faith", we are probably missing a proper perspective on our situation. No amount of "emotion", "belief" or perceived satisfaction will fix the problem.
• If faith is loyalty, we are responsible for producing it. If we are responsible for producing it, it is a failure on OUR part (not God's) if we seem to have "little faith". This sounds obvious, but often when people fail to muster up enough belief to validate their "faith", they distance themselves from God. They perceive he has not done as they desired, and may become removed from God or close themselves off to Him.

An example of this last one can be related to a couple I knew at my church. My wife and I had the opportunity to dine with them, and other couples, as part of a fellowship started during a special lent program. As the night moved into discussion one night, the wife revealed struggles with her "faith" because of difficulty she was experiencing in her marriage. She had endured abuse and neglect from her husband for several years, and began having doubts about their marriage (and God). On hearing the story, I remember thinking how much faith (loyalty) she must have really had to remain with her husband for so many years, in spite of the problems. It was not something I had a chance to communicate to her, and I regret it, but she still failed to see that faith was not her problem. She was merely worn out and was stronger than she gave herself credit for. Unfortunately, in the long run she did leave the husband - failing her commitment to him. And why? Because she failed to acknowledge the evidence around her - first, that she had endured much hardship, and second, that her husband was actually proving himself able to change (not just speaking it). I don't know where this person stands with God now, but to this day it troubles me that this happened because faith was seen as something that must be felt.

Moving on, there are some more last-minute thoughts lingering in my brain that are worth sharing....

• Unfortunately for Michael Tait in the Newsboys song "God's Not Dead" (which I like!), if faith is not about our feelings, it is not something that can be "dead" unless we let it die. It also not on us to ask God to "resurrect" it. We are responsible for how lively it is and how the fire is stoked - for how we respond to the evidence God gives us. Whether it's hard evidence like the Bible's record of history, or more personal evidence of experience - we must see it, embrace it and build our trust on it.
• If we are saved by grace through "faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9), then salvation may not depend on works but it does depend on our commitment to God. If faith were just belief in God, one could believe in God (that they are saved) but not obey or do anything to show it (good works) and still remain saved. Does it not make more practical sense that someone who is committed (faithful) to a cause (Jesus) will do things (good works) to help advance that cause? And that such commitment may not be expected from someone who just merely believes it is a good cause? (side note: in ancient Judaism, talking about God but failing to live as if he were present was akin to atheism)
• "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) makes more sense. If faith is loyalty, then doing what God asks and choosing to "take up your cross daily" (Luke 9:23) - things that show loyalty - clearly please Him. Belief put into action - building the kingdom of God - show we are faithful and that we do more than just blindly accept the truth of the Bible (which many people do without putting into action). The often ignored 2nd part of this verse even says "...anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Note the and - how can you believe He rewards people? (hint: he rewarded many people who sought him in the gospels - evidence!)
• "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17) literally becomes a tautology, not just a statement to motivate good deeds. In other words, true faith only shows itself through works (loyalty). Good works (that please God) are not something you do after you believe, but can be a sign that you may already believe.
• "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7) is the very end of a discussion starting at around 4:13, which concerns a debate on whether or not there will be a resurrection body for Christians. Paul's initial case from 4:13 is that God rose Jesus from the dead (something witnessed by people!)  so we know he will do so for us. As we come to 5:7, we repeatedly see verses that use the word "confidence". Essentially, because Jesus was raised from the dead (eyewitnesses!) we can be confident God (unseen) will do the same for us. This is opposed to sight, which would be trusting in earthly (seen) authorities (like Pharisees/Saducees, who couldn't make up their minds on the issue) for an understanding of the matter.

This is all I've come up with so far, and should serve as more than enough to give you some practical ways to consider your personal loyalty to God, and how you might strengthen it and shape it to be a more committed follower of Christ. If you still struggle with any of the concepts I've discussed, or still have questions, I'm always willing to go into more detail. Just drop me a line or comment on this post. The same applies for scriptures - pistis is not always the word that was translated faith, and in some contexts "loyalty" does not apply as the correct meaning. But I have tried hard to show how a combination of contexts supports my idea, and I believe most of the time this is what is in view. Faith does not have to be blind - it is not even intended to be!

In conclusion, I have a beatitude of my own. "Blessed are you who believe without evidence - but how much deeper could you go with it?"




Regarding future posts, there are many directions I am contemplating at the moment. I will most likely return to my philosophical proofs for God, so I can complete the thoughts I was communicating through that series. However, I've already got outlines for a half dozen different topics, and have given lots of thought to covering this graphic on Biblical marriage. At some point, I also intend to start fleshing out ideas for the book I am planning. So be sure to stay tuned, and prepare for more insights into the challenges of exercising discernment in our Christian lives!



[1] Pilch, John J., and Bruce J. Malina. Handbook of Biblical Social Values. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998. 72. Print.