What is faith.

Fr. Barron comments on What Faith Is and What Faith Isn't

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_4PSgFjtvI

brodav9 said:

The most important thing to know about faith is fellowship with God.

God must be more to us than religion, he must be a living reality.

Why would the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray---anyone could just talk to God. Lk. 11:1-2 the word them shows it was more than one disciple asking.

consider these 5 ideas which have to be understood before praying in faith.

we have to know what God's will is. It is his word that shows what his will is. Num. 23:19
we must ask for something. James 4:2 last part.
we must act like we believe. Why bring a umbrella saying it may rain when you pray that it won't
we must talk like we believe. I hope so or maybe or if is a sure picture you are not sure. We must expect a answer.
To presume God will obey is not the issue. Why pray for something you don't think will happen, that's unbelief.
We must hold to our confession of prayer. Things can happen to cause us to change our mind. We cannot be moved by circumstances because the prayer we pray is in the hand of God who is not able to let us down.
Job would have been destroyed if he did not have hope. He didn't listen to his wife but prayed though he slay me yet will I trust him. Instead he praised God.

Many years now I have seen God answer prayers that seemed impossible. God is more wonderful every day. Miracles are a real thing for me. God bless

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Good post.

You are so right, God still does miracles, healings, answears prayer and great & mighty things.

Suppose you receive a letter from a friend whose word you trust implicitly. A glance at the handwriting and signature assures you that the letter is actually from this friend. You thereby establish its genuineness and authenticity, and even before you read the letter or know its contents you are assured that your friend has sent you a message, and that you have his message in your hands. This corresponds to the preparatory stages (the praeambula fidei, as theologians call them), described above. Then you read the letter and learn certain facts, which you accept as true on the authority of your friend. This corresponds to the formal act of faith.

kepha31 said:

The steps that lead to Faith are these: -​

(1) I assure myself by reasoning and argument that God has actually spoken and communicated knowledge to mankind - that He is a witness to men of truth.​

(2) I prove that this knowledge is still available for use, is actually preserved somewhere in the world, is in the keeping of somebody from whom I can obtain it.​

(3) I learn the contents of the message, and accept them as God's revelation, on His authority. This last mental act is the formal act of faith. The other two processes, for the carrying out of which we rely on our own intellectual acumen and activity (aided by God's grace), are preparatory, and lead up to the formal act of faith.​

Suppose you receive a letter from a friend whose word you trust implicitly. A glance at the handwriting and signature assures you that the letter is actually from this friend. You thereby establish its genuineness and authenticity, and even before you read the letter or know its contents you are assured that your friend has sent you a message, and that you have his message in your hands. This corresponds to the preparatory stages (the praeambula fidei, as theologians call them), described above. Then you read the letter and learn certain facts, which you accept as true on the authority of your friend. This corresponds to the formal act of faith.

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First, unless you're "Illuminator" you really should cite your source when you quote someone verbatim. Now, let's look at Illuminator's 3 step faith program and see if it corresponds to Scripture.

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. -ESV

Let's look at an example.

Act 16:14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
Act 16:15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us. -ESV

The Lord opened her heart and faith came as the Gospel was preached. Lydia seems to have bypassed Illuminator's 3 step program. Let's look at what Lydia did not do:

She did not, "assure [herself] by reasoning and argument that God has actually spoken and communicated knowledge to mankind - that He is a witness to men of truth."

She did not, "prove that this knowledge is still available for use, is actually preserved somewhere in the world, is in the keeping of somebody from whom [she could] obtain it."

She did not, "learn the contents of the message, and accept them as God's revelation, on His authority" after the first two steps. Her heart was opened by God and she learned the contents of the message as it was preached and accepted it. I don't know of any NT examples of someone following this horribly man centered 3 step program.

As for the OP... Faith is belief or trust. That's what the Greek word translated "faith" means. I haven't looked at the entire thread, so someone may have already given this answer.

Nomad said:

As for the OP... Faith is belief or trust. That's what the Greek word translated "faith" means. I haven't looked at the entire thread, so someone may have already given this answer.

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I haven't read the thread mayself but here's a bump to the top of the page
Hebrews 11:1

kepha31 said:

The steps that lead to Faith are these: -​

(1) I assure myself by reasoning and argument that God has actually spoken and communicated knowledge to mankind - that He is a witness to men of truth.​

(2) I prove that this knowledge is still available for use, is actually preserved somewhere in the world, is in the keeping of somebody from whom I can obtain it.​

(3) I learn the contents of the message, and accept them as God's revelation, on His authority. This last mental act is the formal act of faith. The other two processes, for the carrying out of which we rely on our own intellectual acumen and activity (aided by God's grace), are preparatory, and lead up to the formal act of faith.​

Suppose you receive a letter from a friend whose word you trust implicitly. A glance at the handwriting and signature assures you that the letter is actually from this friend. You thereby establish its genuineness and authenticity, and even before you read the letter or know its contents you are assured that your friend has sent you a message, and that you have his message in your hands. This corresponds to the preparatory stages (the praeambula fidei, as theologians call them), described above. Then you read the letter and learn certain facts, which you accept as true on the authority of your friend. This corresponds to the formal act of faith.

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source: Rev. Albert Power S.J. 1960 not available on line. from my personal files.

kepha31 said:

source: Rev. Albert Power S.J. 1960 not available on line. from my personal files.

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Albert Power is a Jesuit (S.J. equals Society of Jesus) at Newman College in Melbourne, Australia.



and you will find the quotes online in "The Sanity of Catholicism".
http://www.pamphlets...a/acts1348.html

and

http://www.catholicp...CATHOLICISM.pdf

and

http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/B008N3QGY0
And Amazon's synopsis of this book.
Our object in this paper is to show that Catholicism is a sane and sensible religious system. We propose to prove the sanity of Catholicism by showing - First, that it appeals to the intellect and is founded, not on mere sentiment or conjecture, or blind prejudice, but upon the rock of reason. Secondly, that it provides suitable and effective means to enable the individual to deal with the problems and difficulties of life; that is, it provides a practical working system whereby each one can, with reasonable diligence, save his soul from the contamination of sin, lead a pure, honest, upright life, and thus secure his eternal salvation.

Comment from Axehead: What quickly comes to mind is "Faith is not a system". It is based on the Rock (Jesus), but not the rock of "reason." And true faith is not known by the intellect or attained by the intellect (otherwise, only intellectuals would be saved). Though, intellectuals have set up religious systems and made them complicated thereby telling the masses to trust "us", because we understand the system and it is GOOD!

True faith is neither sane, nor sensible and will never be inculcated into a man-made religious system. Religious systems only kill true faith in the Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Axehead

Can I make a comment?

True faith is neither sane, nor sensible and will never be inculcated into a man-made religious system.

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If true faith is trust, and belief, in what God speaks, then this statement has the potential to suggest that what God speaks is neither sane nor sensible - which of course many men, using their own powers of 'reason', find to be true in their own estimation. Therefore it's appealing to them to squeeze God out of the equation, and set up something which seems sane and sensible to themselves - like the tower of Babel - regardless of whether it accommodates the word or the will of God to mankind.

True faith latches on to the word of God Himself, knowing it to be 'the truth', regardless if it turns the reasoning of man upside down.

A man or woman who knows God's voice and has adopted His reasoning towards the affairs of men, is the sane person.

kepha31 said:

source: Rev. Albert Power S.J. 1960 not available on line. from my personal files.

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http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110602105313AAKBflI

Scroll one third of the way down the page.

Nomad said:

http://uk.answers.ya...02105313AAKBflI

Scroll one third of the way down the page.

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Yep, I saw that.

Faith is dying to self and trusting in God.

like the mustard seed must die to being a seed to become a great seed bearing plant.

Faith is taking God at His Word and to step out on it, and just as you know your name and no one can tell you different have that faith in God's name.
In the beginning was the Word.....

Faith is belief that produces action. Our faith is our belief but it also encompases our actions/fruit that validate the faith we say we possess. In other words faith is possessing what we profess!

Broda - I see you are still trolling.....

Faith is living in contentment in the face of ambiguity. It is the act of suspending our disbelief because of our hope in Christ.

If our faith isn't the faith of our father Abraham, then we have no father and our faith is in vain. This faith can only be perfected in believing that Abraham's Seed (Jesus) is the one who Father's us born from the dead according to the promise of the covenant. Only by being fathered by Jesus, the Husband of the Bride, and being the children of the New Jerusalem (Sarah type), are we of "The Faith" and Children of God and can cry "Abba Father!".
(Rom 4:9,9,12,16, Gal 3:7,8,9,14 Gal 4:26-31 Heb 11:8, 17... etc)