Saturday was a family day for me. Plus, I had to do a little bit of grad school preparation. So ends my excuse.
My question of the week is this: What is the difference, if any, between faith and belief?
I have been wondering about faith, specifically that if faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, then how can I flex my faith? Under what circumstances is faith allowed to exist? For example, if I see a car with a flat tire, and I believe that it can be filled with air and sealed, then why is it that, when I try and command these things to happen, the car remains "unmoved"? I know that faith is not the same as magic, because magic has to do with the exertion of my will to alter situations in some supernatural way. Still, just what is that substance of things not seen? Therein lies my query.
You see another problem, too, I think. I was quick to mention the word 'belief' in that example. Am I allowed to use the two interchangeably, or are they mutually exclusive? Or, to muddy the water, is there similarity without exactitude? So I looked up the two words for clarification. I hope this helps you, too, if you are wondering like I am. (The information is drawn from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, and from the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.)
πιστευω (believe, verb)- to be convinced of something; trust of religious belief in a special sense, as faith in the Divinity that lays special emphasis on trust in his power and his nearness to help, in addition to being convinced that he exists and that his revelations or disclosures are true; to entrust something to someone, or entrust oneself to someone, or be entrusted with something; to trust oneself to eat something (Romans 14:2), or entertaining the possibility (John 9:18)
πιστις (faith, noun) - that which causes trust and faith, i.e. faithfulness or reliability; trust, confidence, faith in the active sense = believing, in the religious sense; that which is believed, body of faith or belief, doctrine
So, is it that belief is something one does, and faith is that which one has? Or, perhaps, belief may be the state of being convinced of a creed, person, or statement to be true. Faith, on the other hand, could be an assent to said creed, person, or statement, with the goal of living a life affected by that subject. That is to say (hopefully clearly) that belief is movement, while faith moves. one to action.
That is a little clearer. The words are often used throughout the Scriptures to refer to same concept of trust in God and God's nearness and abilities. For now, I suppose I will relent...at least in writing; my mind will still churning. Now that I have a slightly better understanding, I have another question, which I will pursue at another time in the near future. The disciples had the same desire when they walked with Christ on Earth.
Luke 17:5 And the twelve said to the Lord, Make our faith greater.
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If your faith was only as great as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this tree, Be rooted up and planted in the sea; and it would be done.
How do increase my faith?
My question of the week is this: What is the difference, if any, between faith and belief?
I have been wondering about faith, specifically that if faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, then how can I flex my faith? Under what circumstances is faith allowed to exist? For example, if I see a car with a flat tire, and I believe that it can be filled with air and sealed, then why is it that, when I try and command these things to happen, the car remains "unmoved"? I know that faith is not the same as magic, because magic has to do with the exertion of my will to alter situations in some supernatural way. Still, just what is that substance of things not seen? Therein lies my query.
You see another problem, too, I think. I was quick to mention the word 'belief' in that example. Am I allowed to use the two interchangeably, or are they mutually exclusive? Or, to muddy the water, is there similarity without exactitude? So I looked up the two words for clarification. I hope this helps you, too, if you are wondering like I am. (The information is drawn from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, and from the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.)
πιστευω (believe, verb)- to be convinced of something; trust of religious belief in a special sense, as faith in the Divinity that lays special emphasis on trust in his power and his nearness to help, in addition to being convinced that he exists and that his revelations or disclosures are true; to entrust something to someone, or entrust oneself to someone, or be entrusted with something; to trust oneself to eat something (Romans 14:2), or entertaining the possibility (John 9:18)
πιστις (faith, noun) - that which causes trust and faith, i.e. faithfulness or reliability; trust, confidence, faith in the active sense = believing, in the religious sense; that which is believed, body of faith or belief, doctrine
So, is it that belief is something one does, and faith is that which one has? Or, perhaps, belief may be the state of being convinced of a creed, person, or statement to be true. Faith, on the other hand, could be an assent to said creed, person, or statement, with the goal of living a life affected by that subject. That is to say (hopefully clearly) that belief is movement, while faith moves. one to action.
That is a little clearer. The words are often used throughout the Scriptures to refer to same concept of trust in God and God's nearness and abilities. For now, I suppose I will relent...at least in writing; my mind will still churning. Now that I have a slightly better understanding, I have another question, which I will pursue at another time in the near future. The disciples had the same desire when they walked with Christ on Earth.
Luke 17:5 And the twelve said to the Lord, Make our faith greater.
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If your faith was only as great as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to this tree, Be rooted up and planted in the sea; and it would be done.
How do increase my faith?
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