Faith

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timps

Guest
#1
What is faith?
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,703
6,888
113
#2
Some thoughts for you:

Hebrews, Chapter 11

1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In simple language: Faith is a person's belief in someone/something. This Faith can be carnal, and every person has a type of faith that allows them to believe in things that surround them.d

The sun will rise in the morning. Daylight follows dark which follows daylight which follows ..... etc

This carnal faith (IMO is the simple faith that allows man to first believe in Jesus Christ......revealed in John 3:16.

Spiritual faith is a gift from God. This faith is the faith that allows a believer to grow in Christ, and become a productive member of the One Church.

Ephesians, Chapter 2

8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

There is one more IMPORTANT aspect of faith that stands out from all others IMO.

Faith is the Law of the New Testament Covenant Grace...........

Romans, Chapter 3

24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27) Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29) Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31) Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

The Law of Faith guides all believers through the New Covenant Grace........

God bless
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,703
6,888
113
#3
From Profile Page:

Gender
male
Marital Status
married

Spiritual Status
unsure

Country Flag/Nationality
USA
Country (Location)
United States

Seems that you have been around CC since 2015. Surely you have had time to correct your Spiritual Status.

What concerns me is that there are 2 or 3 Threads Authored by "unsure" Members lately. Are they all the same person with numerous Screen Names? Or, are they truly different persons seeking answers?

Only "they" know for sure.

All I can do is pray for "them" and hope that "they" are not simply trolling CC............
 
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
1,528
113
#4
Some thoughts for you:

Hebrews, Chapter 11

1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In simple language: Faith is a person's belief in someone/something. This Faith can be carnal, and every person has a type of faith that allows them to believe in things that surround them.d

The sun will rise in the morning. Daylight follows dark which follows daylight which follows ..... etc

This carnal faith (IMO is the simple faith that allows man to first believe in Jesus Christ......revealed in John 3:16.

Spiritual faith is a gift from God. This faith is the faith that allows a believer to grow in Christ, and become a productive member of the One Church.

Ephesians, Chapter 2

8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

There is one more IMPORTANT aspect of faith that stands out from all others IMO.

Faith is the Law of the New Testament Covenant Grace...........

Romans, Chapter 3

24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27) Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29) Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31) Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

The Law of Faith guides all believers through the New Covenant Grace........

God bless
Yes the law of Christ's faith as a labor of his love working in us guides us and brings to our minds the former things he has taught us .. Faith is a work.. a labor of Love. Apart for each other they can do nothing. . . dead
 
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timps

Guest
#6
Reading these three replies, does anybody see any contradictions in what you are all saying?
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,703
6,888
113
#7
No...........do you? Or would you offering YOUR thoughts be far, far, too much to ask?
 
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timps

Guest
#8
Faith is a gift - faith is a work, which is it?
I know the sun will be coming up tomorrow because of repeated experiences. I see it. Faith is belief in things you can’t see.
 

tantalon

Active member
Oct 11, 2019
286
105
43
#9
Faith is a gift - faith is a work, which is it?
I know the sun will be coming up tomorrow because of repeated experiences. I see it. Faith is belief in things you can’t see.[/QUOTEI Faith or works? It's Faith THAT works. Faith has requirements that make it alive and real as there are benefits in obeying it's demands. Faith is the means by which one is saved, and the CHARACTER of faith produces works of righteousness, (like the sun coming up) that show it's reality. As the Bible says "All things that we see now, are temporal, but the things that cannot be seen are eternal". Like our faith.
 
May 19, 2020
3,050
1,275
113
#10
Faith can only come from God.....without being saved...you have nothing...you are dead to sin,in darkness...once you receive faith from God,Saved...your new journey in Christ begins.
 
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timps

Guest
#11
Faith can only come from God.....without being saved...you have nothing...you are dead to sin,in darkness...once you receive faith from God,Saved...your new journey in Christ begins.
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#12
Faith is a gift - faith is a work, which is it?
I know the sun will be coming up tomorrow because of repeated experiences. I see it. Faith is belief in things you can’t see.
That's too simplified if you are seeking answers.

Wind cannot be "seen" neither can emotion (excluding manifestations of emotion). A person visible shaking from anger or crying from pain/happiness/pleasure is a manifestation and not the emotion itself.

Suppose you had a group of people that hid their emotions and only uncontrollable emotions were "visible". To the person that controls their emotions they definitely have them but to another only the uncontrolled are visible.

Of course some people are more perceptible than others.


There are a few examples of things that cannot be seen and can only be experienced on an unseen level.



These are just two examples (Wind & emotions) that came to mind. Faith is quite difficult to "pin" down so to speak and it is critically important to understand (on a practical level) what it is and the distinctions within it.


I have questions regarding it myself. I already know the biblical definition and also that without faith it is impossible to please God (also a scripture). So it is important.


There exists a distinctions between faith & sight in scripture. That is usually my starting place for understanding faith and then engaging the clear differences (if any) between faith & trust.

Does that provide a direction for you? I've considered starting a topic like this several times. I don't want to hijack but it is hard to maintain structure in a thread most times without moderation and moderation isn't employed that way here.

Note: I'm not disagreeing with the way moderation is done on this site, just that there are different approaches depending on collective aims. I don't know the mods, so I am unwilling to critique the system quite yet :p
 
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timps

Guest
#13
certainly God only gives faith to those who will accept it. So God only gives faith to some and the rest go to hell? If he gives it to all, how could they refuse? Are you saying that they completely understand the choice, especially how bad hell is, And then choose hell? Do you honestly think that they really understand the choice?
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#14
certainly God only gives faith to those who will accept it. So God only gives faith to some and the rest go to hell? If he gives it to all, how could they refuse? Are you saying that they completely understand the choice, especially how bad hell is, And then choose hell? Do you honestly think that they really understand the choice?
That's a point that's been made before and I feel that it holds water to an extent.

It should be considered along with accountability. There is a theme in scripture that you are responsible for what you know. The more you see and the more you know, the more responsibility/culpability you have.

I heard a professor use the phrase "proximity effect" with regard to why angels don't get second chances. I am unwilling to espouse second-chance theology (my term but probably has a following somewhere) but you are following a train of thought that presents some seemingly VERY real quandaries regarding God's character. However, I prefer to use scripture as a base for this type of engagement and if you use that as your base I will continue. If not, it's dicey ground and there are many traps that I don't find it wise.
 
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timps

Guest
#15
That's too simplified if you are seeking answers.

Wind cannot be "seen" neither can emotion (excluding manifestations of emotion). A person visible shaking from anger or crying from pain/happiness/pleasure is a manifestation and not the emotion itself.
All of these things are knowable by our senses. No faith is needed.

Suppose you had a group of people that hid their emotions and only uncontrollable emotions were "visible". To the person that controls their emotions they definitely have them but to another only the uncontrolled are visible.
Emotions are a thing we experience. We feel them. No faith is involved. You are saying that faith is something we can have without experiencing anything. I can say that about anything that may or may not be real. I can say that the man in the moon exists There is no evidence that faith in God exists. The proof is that people say what they think God is or what he told them that completely contradicts others and yet they all say that they have faith in the same god and even use the same holy books.

Of course some people are more perceptible than others.


There are a few examples of things that cannot be seen and can only be experienced on an unseen level.



These are just two examples (Wind & emotions) that came to mind. Faith is quite difficult to "pin" down so to speak and it is critically important to understand (on a practical level) what it is and the distinctions within it.


I have questions regarding it myself. I already know the biblical definition and also that without faith it is impossible to please God (also a scripture). So it is important.


There exists a distinctions between faith & sight in scripture. That is usually my starting place for understanding faith and then engaging the clear differences (if any) between faith & trust.

Does that provide a direction for you? I've considered starting a topic like this several times. I don't want to hijack but it is hard to maintain structure in a thread most times without moderation and moderation isn't employed that way here.

Note: I'm not disagreeing with the way moderation is done on this site, just that there are different approaches depending on collective aims. I don't know the mods, so I am unwilling to critique the system quite yet :p
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,428
113
#16
Reading these three replies, does anybody see any contradictions in what you are all saying?
At a time before Hebrew was written as it is now but written in simple pictures called pictograph, faith was written by an arm pounding a nail in a wall. It pictured man having faith in something solid.
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#17
You do realize @timps that you are just quoting me with no response right?

You can type your text beneath the quote or you can @Mii and that works just as well.
 
T

timps

Guest
#18
That's a point that's been made before and I feel that it holds water to an extent.

It should be considered along with accountability. There is a theme in scripture that you are responsible for what you know. The more you see and the more you know, the more responsibility/culpability you have.

I heard a professor use the phrase "proximity effect" with regard to why angels don't get second chances. I am unwilling to espouse second-chance theology (my term but probably has a following somewhere) but you are following a train of thought that presents some seemingly VERY real quandaries regarding God's character. However, I prefer to use scripture as a base for this type of engagement and if you use that as your base I will continue. If not, it's dicey ground and there are many traps that I don't find it wise.
 

Mii

Well-known member
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
1,330
113
#20
No, my answers are between your lines.
That's pretty difficult to see. You can do something like this

and then paste the quote again

No, my answers are between your lines.
In order to make it clear which sections you are responding to. Just copy the first quote thing "quote="mii... etc and then the words ad then ([/quote]) like this

between your lines.
Because I didn't see anything on the second quoted post. Sorry if this is frustrating lol...It's a lot of effort, I get that. If you want you can just @ and type my username. It's a bit easier :p