What do you think "Faith" is?

I'd like to see what different people define "Faith" as. I've noticed in my conversations that people have different ideas about what "Faith" is.

What is "Faith" to you?

I've listed all occurrences of the word "Faith", "Faithless", etc, in the first four books of the New Testament.

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M't:6:30: Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
M't:8:10: When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
M't:8:26: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
M't:9:2: And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
M't:9:22: But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
M't:9:29: Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
M't:14:31: And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
M't:15:28: Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
M't:16:8: Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
M't:17:17: Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
M't:17:20: And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
M't:21:21: Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
M't:23:23: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
M't:24:45: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
M't:25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
M't:25:23: His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
M'r:2:5: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
M'r:4:40: And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
M'r:5:34: And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
M'r:9:19: He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
M'r:10:52: And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
M'r:11:22: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Lu:5:20: And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Lu:7:9: When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Lu:7:50: And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Lu:8:25: And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Lu:8:48: And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
Lu:9:41: And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
Lu:12:28: If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Lu:12:42: And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Lu:16:10: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Lu:16:11: If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Lu:16:12: And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
Lu:17:5: And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Lu:17:6: And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Lu:17:19: And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Lu:18:8: I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Lu:18:42: And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Lu:19:17: And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Lu:22:32: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Joh:20:27: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.



[edit on 15-3-2009 by B.A.C.]

reply to post by B.A.C.


My understanding of the definition of Faith would lead me to explain it as... a strong unfaltering belief in any given issue, theory, happening or future event.

The word has varying contexts in which it can be used in, but I assume you are questioning what I would define faith as meaning with regards to religion specifically (outside rational speaking) in that case I would define it as... having a strong belief in religion, along-with/or it being used as a means to assert pressure onto people by ensuring they affirm their beliefs.

Hence the constant mention by the peoples that wrote the manipulative biblical texts.

Originally posted by B.A.C.

What is "Faith" to you?

It is the material of everything we SEE...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

BAC, too much to re-write..we'll talk!

OT

Also Proverbs3:5, 6 is a good practical application of faith...

hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

this can be applied to alot of things. by this definition faith can be linked to trust.

scientifically, we have faith that the laws that govern our universe will not suddenly go haywire. we go to bed each night with faith that the sun will rise in the morning, even though at that particular time, you may not be able to see it. when i put a turkey in the oven, i have faith that in time my turkey will be cooke, even though at that particular time the turkey is uncooked.

spiritually it can be applied to trust. we have faith in god in that we trust that god will fulfill his promises. he says that ¨death will be no more¨, we have faith that this will be fulfilled even though at this particular moment we have death. the blind man was healed by his faith because he trusted that jesus (son of god) was capable of healing him.

personally it can be applied to trust too. i have faith that my friends will be there for me when i need them. i may not be in that situation right at this moment, but im sure that if i am, i can count on them.

faith and blind faith are not the same thing.

if i say that i have faith that the OP will send me chocolate, yes that is faith, but its blind faith. i cant say that with conviction, because there is no evidence to support it.

I would define Faith (capital F) as one's own personal religious beliefs, whether as part of an "official" religion, or a personal "relationship" with their Creator. To me, it definitely involves a deity and the person's dependence on that deity.

On the other hand, faith (small f) is simply "belief without proof" as relating to anything from one's own abilities to their spouse's fidelity to their belief in aliens.

Here's a biblical quotation that should shed some light on the subject:

1 Corinthians 2
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul takes the term that was applied to something to do with trust and created a whole new context for it. When he talks about righteousness by faith, he is talking about a gift of the Spirit that goes beyond just the ordinary sort of thing that transpires in normal human interaction. He is talking about an interaction with God that could only come about through the shedding of the blood of Christ. God has a gift, that he gave His only begotten Son, so that those who believe in him shall not parish but receive everlasting life. In order for that sacrifice to have the proper effect, God gives us His Spirit as an intercessor. What the Spirit does is create that bond between God and man, to prepare us for that future life. Having faith is a miracle that only had a chance to happen by our allowing it to. When Paul says we are saved by faith, that does not mean faith in the ordinary sense, that is a product of our human psyche. It is the growth and constancy of that connection through the Spirit, to the blood of Christ. Once that comes into effect, Christ is able to be our direct intercessor to God the Father. So, without faith, there is no sacrifice for us and by blocking out the Spirit from giving us faith, we doom ourselves.

very simple.


"belief"


peace/

Originally posted by OldThinker

Originally posted by B.A.C.

What is "Faith" to you?

It is the material of everything we SEE...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

BAC, too much to re-write..we'll talk!

OT

Also Proverbs3:5, 6 is a good practical application of faith...

Wow that thread takes it to another level. Some good stuff there for sure.

I was just curious what "faith" meant to others, but I see it can be looked at in a whole new light now. This will give me a few things to ponder.

Nice