Faith
Faith Defined
There are different kinds of faith, which is why there are many definitions. When reading about faith it is necessary to determine which kind of faith is being discussed.
At a general level, faith is how strongly we believe in something. It is the level of confidence we place in a particular idea. Thus, for every idea, every person has strong faith, weak faith, or no faith in that idea. The things we have faith in may be well-defined or very ambiguous. They may be simple or extremely complex.
Not all ideas are correct ideas. Some are true, some are false, and some are a mixture of both. Thus, there exists false faith when a person places confidence in something that is incorrect, and true faith when confidence is placed in a correct principle.
Not all ideas are of equal importance. Some ideas, such as which color of pen is most appropriate, are of relatively little import, while others, such as how one can best serve God, is of immense importance. The most important sets of ideas are often referred to in their own category, such as faith in an idea, faith in democracy, faith in the government, or faith in Christ. Faith in Christ is referenced so often in scripture and elsewhere that it is often truncated to read just "faith," even though the writer is really referring only to faith in the set of teachings given by Jesus Christ.
Faith Drives Behavior
Most beliefs are associated with outcomes. For instance, if a farmer has even limited confidence in the theory of evolution, then he or she might expect pests to mutate and thereby build an immunity if only one pesticide was constantly used on their crops. Conversely, the farmer might expect that several types of pesticides over time would be more effective, and would choose this approach instead. The farmer's beliefs drive his or her actions.
Faith is required for action. To build or buy, to stay or leave, to look at or to look away--virtually every action is a choice, and every choice is driven by beliefs and the expectations associated with those beliefs.
Unless in a coma, a person cannot help but outwardly express their faith. Every phrase we speak and every action we take is an expression of our faith, because faith is necessary for every action.
Hope stems from Faith
For every choice, certain outcomes are more desirable than others. For desirable outcomes, the level of certainty of that the outcome is often called hope. Thus, for any particular desirable outcome, a person can have great hope, little hope, or no hope (i.e. despair). Because beliefs and expectations can be true or false, false hope and true hope result.
Hope is required for action. Where there is no hope, there is no motivation to act, for no action is expected to change the outcome to make it more desirable.
Hope cannot exist without faith. If there are no beliefs, there are no expectations. If there are no expectations, there is no way to perceive one outcome as more desirable than another.
Faith Shapes our Societies
When a person or group professes faith in a set of ideals, they often acquire a name which helps identify their set of ideals. This name might be American, Republican, Christian, Nazi, etc. Other people associate the name of the group with the set of ideals it professes to have faith in. Perhaps all groups are with some sort of faith, even though many people tend to think only of religious groups as being faith-based.
It seems that all formal organizations are faith-based. Even businesses rely on their leaders' beliefs of what the future will hold based on the product or service they supply. These and/or other beliefs are usually even documented in a "mission statement," which delineates where the business places their faith. Academic organizations, political action groups, homeowners associations, and so forth all have some principles of faith which drive their actions.
Names are also given to identify unstructured groups of faith, such as socialists, abolitionists, conservatives, anarchists, environmentalists, and so forth. Some claim that faith has no part in certain lines of thought, such as logic, science, or atheism. But logicians are simply placing confidence in logic, and scientists place confidence in scientific theory. In fact, their confidence is not absolute--otherwise there would be no need to test scientific theories or rebut logical arguments. Even the name "atheist" reflects faith--in their case it is confidence that God does not exist.
Some claim that faith should have no part in government or social policies. But in truth, every law, policy, and ruling is based on faith. They are based on confidence in a particular ideal or set of ideals. Some of these ideals are rooted in religion, others are rooted in science or philosophy. Some may even be rooted in prejudice or racism. When any law is made, that law is simply placing one set of ideals above others (e.g. putting more faith in science than in religion). While a person may argue that science deserves our faith more than religion or vice-versa, he or she should not argue that one is based in faith while the other is not.
The Constitution of the United States has been argued to be both faith-based and non-faith-based. The Constitution does not endorse a particular religious group, but it is still a faith-based document. Those who claim the Constitution as their standard are expressing faith in ideals such as the right to life, freedom of religion, and the right to own property. They are expressing their confidence that those ideals are correct. Underlying all arguments opposing the Constitution is a lack of faith in one or more of its ideals.
Faith in God
Though faith permeates every action and every societal structure, most references to faith tend to refer to a specific type of faith--faith in God. Having faith in God doesn't necessarily imply a faith in any church or belief structure. In its simplest form, faith in God is simply a belief that God exists.
Though billions now and billions throughout recorded time have expressed their faith in God, none of the most fundamental beliefs about God have yet to find general consensus among all people. What kind of being God is, how much power God has, who or what He is, where He comes from, and what His relationship is to the human race are all examples of fundamental, first questions for a person who has chosen to believe in the existence of God. But all these and every other fundamental belief about God have yet to find general consensus worldwide.
Faith in Christ
Perhaps the most prevalent meaning of the word faith is faith in Christ. We might think that because faith in Christ is referred to so often, there would be a strong consensus on the definition. But here too, there are many meanings. At a minimum, faith in Christ is similar to faith in God, in that it is defined as a belief in the existence of Christ.
However, those who claim to have faith in Christ are usually referring to more than a belief in his existence. They are also expressing belief in His characteristics and teachings. But there is great discord when it comes to defining those characteristics and teachings. Where one person speaks of faith in Christ they may be referencing, among other characteristics, an ethereal, incomprehensible being who requires little more than a verbal recognition of His omnipotence in return for escaping a state of eternal burning after death. At the same time another person upon hearing the phrase "faith in Christ" might recall a loving, fatherly figure of human form, with a literal family relationship to humans here on earth, who requires complete servitude in heart, mind, and soul in exchange for becoming like they picture Him to be--perfectly loving, caring, powerful, full of joy, etc.
These are two fairly polar examples of what may be meant by "faith in Christ." Because of extensive disagreement on the tenets of Christ's nature and doctrine, the phrase "faith in Christ" has at least thousands of different meanings. In many cases these beliefs are contradictory and irreconcilable. Different churches coalesce around what they each feel is the most correct faith, or in other words, the most correct set of beliefs associated with Christ's characteristics and teachings.
Each church or non-church-affiliated believer in Christ tends to believe that their set of beliefs is closest to absolute truth. In other words, they are convinced that their faith is correct, while others exhibit some incorrect faith. It is correct faith, sometimes called true faith, that is considered of great value to those who profess faith in Christ.
True Faith in Christ
Faith in Christ can be considered a subset of faith. It is a set of beliefs, each belief carrying with it a level of confidence in that belief. The extra constraint is that such faith must relate to Christ and his teachings to be termed faith in Christ. True faith in Christ is a subset of faith in Christ in that it encompasses only those beliefs that are correct beliefs about Christ and his doctrine.
Though true faith in Christ is only a subset of faith, it is a particularly special subset. This is because the possession of true faith in Christ results in an additional source of confidence. While most confidence stems from assurances from internal or other worldly sources, Christ promises to provide assurance to the heart and mind of the person who has true faith in Him. In this way, true faith in Christ can endure in spite of all other persuasion. Christ is omnipotent and omniscient, and therefore His assurance is more persuasive and more reliable than any earthly evidence.
A man or woman who possesses assurance from Christ about a particular belief can have confidence in the associated belief that is deeper and stronger than can be obtained through any other means, because no other available source of persuasion even approaches the same level of intelligence or power. In particular, the power and intellect of the individual who receives heavenly assurance is not adequate to produce such powerful assurance. This is one of the reasons that those who have this assurance are led to admit that spiritual evidence can not have simply come from within themselves.
True Faith Creates Freedom to Make Good Choices
True faith implies belief in correct principles. If a person has false beliefs, their choices associated with those beliefs are guided by falsehood(s). A person with false beliefs cannot make a good choice because they do not understand what is correct. Such a person may blindly make a correct choice, but since they do not understand why it is good, they are not able to make a good choice based on the true merits. Thus, only when we possess true faith are we able to truly independently make correct decisions. In this way, truth makes us free.
While true faith allows a person to make independent decisions, false faith does just the opposite--it allows a person to be used and manipulated. As long as a person holds to a false belief, the source of that falsehood has power to manipulate that person's actions. In other words, if the person knew the truth, they would choose to act differently. Because he or she is deceived, his or her actions are driven by the false belief.
No one wants to feel like they are being used. Perhaps this is one reason why we strongly resist changing core beliefs--doing so is an admission that we were manipulated.
There is a catch to gaining true faith. To the extent we act knowingly, we are responsible for our actions, and though we are sure to reap the benefits of properly acting on correct knowledge, failing to act or acting improperly brings punishment.
True Faith in God Trumps Reason
Unfinished Thoughts on Faith
Strong faith does not come all at once. It must be built over time. There is no way to magically move from little faith to absolute surety in an instant.
Fear is the opposite of faith because it is a different reaction to the same belief...
Some outcomes are more defined than others--more clear. This makes them easier to believe. Heavenly Father purposely clouds the outcomes of faith in Christ. This is not to say the outcomes are unknown, but rather the details of the outcomes are often unclear. Why would God cloud the outcome? Two possible reasons are: 1) the more we know, the more responsible we are for our actions. Until we are of a character that is able to properly act on more knowledge, withholding that knowledge shields us from misery. 2) A perfect view of the destination from the beginning puts focus on the destination rather than the journey. If we are to become like God, we need to change our character so as to do good for goodness' sake, not do good just expecting a specific carnal reward. God tends to show us the spiritual benefits of keeping the commandments much more than the physical benefits.
Some outcomes are more obvious than others. Some are difficult to see, even if someone promises they are there. It is harder to place faith in an outcome that is difficult to see.
Faith in correct ideas is accompanied by heavenly assurance. It is assurance that something we hope will happen will happen. or what we believe is true is really true.
Expectations are simply a particular type of faith. They are one type of belief that stem from others.
Faith = Belief * Confidence.
Hope is desire for some occurrence or goal, together with a belief that that outcome will happen.
Hope = Desire * Expectation.
Because hope involves a type of faith, hope cannot exist without faith. Also, faith will not drive us to action if we do not have a desire for the outcomes we believe will result from our action. Thus, faith must be accompanied by hope to produce action.
Both God's and Satan's armies are constantly working to influence the beliefs, desires, and assurances of each person. For instance, Satan would have us hope for coercive power and fulfillment of selfish lust. He attacks the surety of our beliefs in personal responsibility and good works. Heavenly Father entices us to believe His guidelines and believe them more deeply. He helps us feel the value of good works so our desire to do them increases.
Though both sides constantly invite and entice us, neither side will force our mind. We choose our faith and hope every day.
Who we should have faith in
Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the messengers they commission.
Where Faith Fits in with God's Plan
We must believe what God says, and believe it deeply enough to motivate us to change who we are.
Not all ideas are equally difficult to believe. Having faith that the lights will turn on when a light switch is flipped is not a difficult proposition. The claim that God spoke to someone face to face when the vision was not seen or heard by anyone other than the individual who claims it is relatively more difficult to believe.
There are different kinds of faith, which is why there are many definitions. When reading about faith it is necessary to determine which kind of faith is being discussed.
At a general level, faith is how strongly we believe in something. It is the level of confidence we place in a particular idea. Thus, for every idea, every person has strong faith, weak faith, or no faith in that idea. The things we have faith in may be well-defined or very ambiguous. They may be simple or extremely complex.
Not all ideas are correct ideas. Some are true, some are false, and some are a mixture of both. Thus, there exists false faith when a person places confidence in something that is incorrect, and true faith when confidence is placed in a correct principle.
Not all ideas are of equal importance. Some ideas, such as which color of pen is most appropriate, are of relatively little import, while others, such as how one can best serve God, is of immense importance. The most important sets of ideas are often referred to in their own category, such as faith in an idea, faith in democracy, faith in the government, or faith in Christ. Faith in Christ is referenced so often in scripture and elsewhere that it is often truncated to read just "faith," even though the writer is really referring only to faith in the set of teachings given by Jesus Christ.
Faith Drives Behavior
Most beliefs are associated with outcomes. For instance, if a farmer has even limited confidence in the theory of evolution, then he or she might expect pests to mutate and thereby build an immunity if only one pesticide was constantly used on their crops. Conversely, the farmer might expect that several types of pesticides over time would be more effective, and would choose this approach instead. The farmer's beliefs drive his or her actions.
Faith is required for action. To build or buy, to stay or leave, to look at or to look away--virtually every action is a choice, and every choice is driven by beliefs and the expectations associated with those beliefs.
Unless in a coma, a person cannot help but outwardly express their faith. Every phrase we speak and every action we take is an expression of our faith, because faith is necessary for every action.
Hope stems from Faith
For every choice, certain outcomes are more desirable than others. For desirable outcomes, the level of certainty of that the outcome is often called hope. Thus, for any particular desirable outcome, a person can have great hope, little hope, or no hope (i.e. despair). Because beliefs and expectations can be true or false, false hope and true hope result.
Hope is required for action. Where there is no hope, there is no motivation to act, for no action is expected to change the outcome to make it more desirable.
Hope cannot exist without faith. If there are no beliefs, there are no expectations. If there are no expectations, there is no way to perceive one outcome as more desirable than another.
Faith Shapes our Societies
When a person or group professes faith in a set of ideals, they often acquire a name which helps identify their set of ideals. This name might be American, Republican, Christian, Nazi, etc. Other people associate the name of the group with the set of ideals it professes to have faith in. Perhaps all groups are with some sort of faith, even though many people tend to think only of religious groups as being faith-based.
It seems that all formal organizations are faith-based. Even businesses rely on their leaders' beliefs of what the future will hold based on the product or service they supply. These and/or other beliefs are usually even documented in a "mission statement," which delineates where the business places their faith. Academic organizations, political action groups, homeowners associations, and so forth all have some principles of faith which drive their actions.
Names are also given to identify unstructured groups of faith, such as socialists, abolitionists, conservatives, anarchists, environmentalists, and so forth. Some claim that faith has no part in certain lines of thought, such as logic, science, or atheism. But logicians are simply placing confidence in logic, and scientists place confidence in scientific theory. In fact, their confidence is not absolute--otherwise there would be no need to test scientific theories or rebut logical arguments. Even the name "atheist" reflects faith--in their case it is confidence that God does not exist.
Some claim that faith should have no part in government or social policies. But in truth, every law, policy, and ruling is based on faith. They are based on confidence in a particular ideal or set of ideals. Some of these ideals are rooted in religion, others are rooted in science or philosophy. Some may even be rooted in prejudice or racism. When any law is made, that law is simply placing one set of ideals above others (e.g. putting more faith in science than in religion). While a person may argue that science deserves our faith more than religion or vice-versa, he or she should not argue that one is based in faith while the other is not.
The Constitution of the United States has been argued to be both faith-based and non-faith-based. The Constitution does not endorse a particular religious group, but it is still a faith-based document. Those who claim the Constitution as their standard are expressing faith in ideals such as the right to life, freedom of religion, and the right to own property. They are expressing their confidence that those ideals are correct. Underlying all arguments opposing the Constitution is a lack of faith in one or more of its ideals.
Faith in God
Though faith permeates every action and every societal structure, most references to faith tend to refer to a specific type of faith--faith in God. Having faith in God doesn't necessarily imply a faith in any church or belief structure. In its simplest form, faith in God is simply a belief that God exists.
Though billions now and billions throughout recorded time have expressed their faith in God, none of the most fundamental beliefs about God have yet to find general consensus among all people. What kind of being God is, how much power God has, who or what He is, where He comes from, and what His relationship is to the human race are all examples of fundamental, first questions for a person who has chosen to believe in the existence of God. But all these and every other fundamental belief about God have yet to find general consensus worldwide.
Faith in Christ
Perhaps the most prevalent meaning of the word faith is faith in Christ. We might think that because faith in Christ is referred to so often, there would be a strong consensus on the definition. But here too, there are many meanings. At a minimum, faith in Christ is similar to faith in God, in that it is defined as a belief in the existence of Christ.
However, those who claim to have faith in Christ are usually referring to more than a belief in his existence. They are also expressing belief in His characteristics and teachings. But there is great discord when it comes to defining those characteristics and teachings. Where one person speaks of faith in Christ they may be referencing, among other characteristics, an ethereal, incomprehensible being who requires little more than a verbal recognition of His omnipotence in return for escaping a state of eternal burning after death. At the same time another person upon hearing the phrase "faith in Christ" might recall a loving, fatherly figure of human form, with a literal family relationship to humans here on earth, who requires complete servitude in heart, mind, and soul in exchange for becoming like they picture Him to be--perfectly loving, caring, powerful, full of joy, etc.
These are two fairly polar examples of what may be meant by "faith in Christ." Because of extensive disagreement on the tenets of Christ's nature and doctrine, the phrase "faith in Christ" has at least thousands of different meanings. In many cases these beliefs are contradictory and irreconcilable. Different churches coalesce around what they each feel is the most correct faith, or in other words, the most correct set of beliefs associated with Christ's characteristics and teachings.
Each church or non-church-affiliated believer in Christ tends to believe that their set of beliefs is closest to absolute truth. In other words, they are convinced that their faith is correct, while others exhibit some incorrect faith. It is correct faith, sometimes called true faith, that is considered of great value to those who profess faith in Christ.
True Faith in Christ
Faith in Christ can be considered a subset of faith. It is a set of beliefs, each belief carrying with it a level of confidence in that belief. The extra constraint is that such faith must relate to Christ and his teachings to be termed faith in Christ. True faith in Christ is a subset of faith in Christ in that it encompasses only those beliefs that are correct beliefs about Christ and his doctrine.
Though true faith in Christ is only a subset of faith, it is a particularly special subset. This is because the possession of true faith in Christ results in an additional source of confidence. While most confidence stems from assurances from internal or other worldly sources, Christ promises to provide assurance to the heart and mind of the person who has true faith in Him. In this way, true faith in Christ can endure in spite of all other persuasion. Christ is omnipotent and omniscient, and therefore His assurance is more persuasive and more reliable than any earthly evidence.
A man or woman who possesses assurance from Christ about a particular belief can have confidence in the associated belief that is deeper and stronger than can be obtained through any other means, because no other available source of persuasion even approaches the same level of intelligence or power. In particular, the power and intellect of the individual who receives heavenly assurance is not adequate to produce such powerful assurance. This is one of the reasons that those who have this assurance are led to admit that spiritual evidence can not have simply come from within themselves.
True Faith Creates Freedom to Make Good Choices
True faith implies belief in correct principles. If a person has false beliefs, their choices associated with those beliefs are guided by falsehood(s). A person with false beliefs cannot make a good choice because they do not understand what is correct. Such a person may blindly make a correct choice, but since they do not understand why it is good, they are not able to make a good choice based on the true merits. Thus, only when we possess true faith are we able to truly independently make correct decisions. In this way, truth makes us free.
While true faith allows a person to make independent decisions, false faith does just the opposite--it allows a person to be used and manipulated. As long as a person holds to a false belief, the source of that falsehood has power to manipulate that person's actions. In other words, if the person knew the truth, they would choose to act differently. Because he or she is deceived, his or her actions are driven by the false belief.
No one wants to feel like they are being used. Perhaps this is one reason why we strongly resist changing core beliefs--doing so is an admission that we were manipulated.
There is a catch to gaining true faith. To the extent we act knowingly, we are responsible for our actions, and though we are sure to reap the benefits of properly acting on correct knowledge, failing to act or acting improperly brings punishment.
True Faith in God Trumps Reason
Unfinished Thoughts on Faith
Strong faith does not come all at once. It must be built over time. There is no way to magically move from little faith to absolute surety in an instant.
Fear is the opposite of faith because it is a different reaction to the same belief...
Some outcomes are more defined than others--more clear. This makes them easier to believe. Heavenly Father purposely clouds the outcomes of faith in Christ. This is not to say the outcomes are unknown, but rather the details of the outcomes are often unclear. Why would God cloud the outcome? Two possible reasons are: 1) the more we know, the more responsible we are for our actions. Until we are of a character that is able to properly act on more knowledge, withholding that knowledge shields us from misery. 2) A perfect view of the destination from the beginning puts focus on the destination rather than the journey. If we are to become like God, we need to change our character so as to do good for goodness' sake, not do good just expecting a specific carnal reward. God tends to show us the spiritual benefits of keeping the commandments much more than the physical benefits.
Some outcomes are more obvious than others. Some are difficult to see, even if someone promises they are there. It is harder to place faith in an outcome that is difficult to see.
Faith in correct ideas is accompanied by heavenly assurance. It is assurance that something we hope will happen will happen. or what we believe is true is really true.
Expectations are simply a particular type of faith. They are one type of belief that stem from others.
Faith = Belief * Confidence.
Hope is desire for some occurrence or goal, together with a belief that that outcome will happen.
Hope = Desire * Expectation.
Because hope involves a type of faith, hope cannot exist without faith. Also, faith will not drive us to action if we do not have a desire for the outcomes we believe will result from our action. Thus, faith must be accompanied by hope to produce action.
Both God's and Satan's armies are constantly working to influence the beliefs, desires, and assurances of each person. For instance, Satan would have us hope for coercive power and fulfillment of selfish lust. He attacks the surety of our beliefs in personal responsibility and good works. Heavenly Father entices us to believe His guidelines and believe them more deeply. He helps us feel the value of good works so our desire to do them increases.
Though both sides constantly invite and entice us, neither side will force our mind. We choose our faith and hope every day.
Who we should have faith in
Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the messengers they commission.
Where Faith Fits in with God's Plan
We must believe what God says, and believe it deeply enough to motivate us to change who we are.
Not all ideas are equally difficult to believe. Having faith that the lights will turn on when a light switch is flipped is not a difficult proposition. The claim that God spoke to someone face to face when the vision was not seen or heard by anyone other than the individual who claims it is relatively more difficult to believe.
