"The Bible tells us to have faith. 'Blessed are those who believe and have not seen'- Jesus. Faith is a requirement for salvation. How is 'having faith' a part of your search to find 'truth'?"
In response I would ask "what is your definition of faith?"
There are two rather broad definitions that I have encountered.
1. Blind faith- Choosing to believe something without (or even despite) evidence.
2. Trust- Faith in something because it has proven to be trustworthy.
But before we go any further, lets get some Greek and Hebrew action! (compliments of netBible)
Greek: πιστισ
Pronunciation: pis'-tis
Other ways this word is translated in netBible: faith 195, By faith 16, faithfulness 15, of faith 7, by faith 2, believe 2, believing 2, a faith 1, proof 1, in faith 1, pledge 1
Definition (netBible)1):
Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it 1a) relating to God 1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ 1b) relating to Christ 1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God 1c) the religious beliefs of Christians 1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same 2) fidelity, faithfulness 2a) the character of one who can be relied on
The first definition of "faith" is the one that has been popularized and has become widely accepted today. But what did "faith" mean for the disciples?
Hebrews 11 should be a great place to start:
11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. 11:2 For by it the people of old received God’s commendation.11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith he still speaks, though he is dead. 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 11:7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
And now for some breaking it down verse by verse.
1a. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
- "we"
- I think this refers to the church
- "what we hope for"
- I think this refers to the promise of God with reference to the future
- What is it that "we do not see?"
- I think that this refers to the future reward which is promised to Christians. In other words, faith in this sentence is a trust in God that what He promised will come to pass
- "being convinced of what we do not see" should not be misinterpreted as "being convinced that God exists without having reasons for that belief." This misinterpretation has nothing to do with what the author of Hebrews was saying, and is only inserted when a modern indiviudal adds meaning that is not there.
I do not think that Hebrews 11:1 is telling Christians to believe in the existence of God based on "faith" in the popular sense of the word (a.k.a. blind faith; believing something is true without having reasons or evidence).
Here are the errant fundamental assumptions that would lead someone to think Hebrews 11:1 is a proponent of blind faith:
- Assuming that "what we hope for" is referring to hope for the existence of God
- Assuming that "what we do not see" is God.
- "What we hope for" refers to the coming of the kingdom of God
- "What we do not see" is the kingdom
"These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth."
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Let us now check out a few examples of faith from the people mentioned in Hebrews 11.
1. Enoch
- According to Genesis 5:24, Enoch not only saw God, but walked with Him. Would it make ANY sense to say that Enoch had faith in terms of believing in something without having any evidence? NO. Enoch walked with God. This means that Enoch must have had the second kind of faith (which refers to trusting in God's faithfulness based on the trustworthiness of God)
- According to Genesis 6, God told Noah to build the ark. Once again, does it make any sense to say that Noah had faith in the popular sense? No!
- It is MUCH more accurate to say this:
- God told Noah to build an ark.
- Noah believed that God would flood the world and that the ark would save him based on extremely good evidence (does it get better than God talking to you?)
- With Noah, ONLY the second sense in which the word "faith" can be taken makes sense.
- Obviously, God also spoke to Abraham. Only the second sense of faith (based on evidence) applies to him for the same reasons as for Enoch and Noah.
I realize that not everyone in the hall of faith had direct contact with God. However, the sense in which faith is used in the passage still cannot be the popular one. Verse 13 nails shut the coffin on any claims that the "blind faith" sense of faith is what is being spoken about with reference to any person listed in Hebrews 11: "These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth."
Conclusion:
It is wrong to tell someone who is honestly searching for evidence for the existence of God that they just "need to have faith" or that "you cannot be saved unless you base your belief on blind faith."
It is right to have faith in God (as in place trust in God) for the future promise of salvation if one has sufficient evidence that God exists.
First and foremost, what do you take as "evidence" seeing how there is a constant mention of evidence.
ReplyDeleteHebrews 11:1 simply infers it means God is one of the things we do not see, still implying a kingdom of heaven. God is in the kingdom of heaven. You go to the kingdom of heaven because of belief. Ergo, you see God. Christ was the gift of the kingdom of heaven, i.e. eternal life in said domain. That said, as you must know if you've studied an iota of Greek or Hebrew, the Hebrew and Greek has multiple meanings. Interpretation is a matter of what the individual sees in the particular translation and what implied meaning is in a verse. Additionally, taking some verses at face value is frankly absurd. The mentality created Jehovah's Witnesses who believe God will only take 144,000 people to heaven come judgement day. One cannot discount justified meaning and private meaning, especially something that entails validation of faith for a lot of people.
1.) Typo. Hebrews 11:13. 2.) Through faith these people had a vague glimpse, a dim recognition of the kingdom before them. They could not see of their own accord before hand, and only with God inherent in their faith could they catch the smallest glance of the heavenly reality to come. This doesn't really "nail shut" the concept of "blind faith."
And now for the blind faith bit. As you've heard before "Blessed are those who do not see and believe." This is a proponent of faith alone, and implicitly faith had despite the circumstances. And if you think about it, there is no such thing as blind faith when you begin to wonder how God is at work in so many things around you, meaning, despite what I cannot see and cannot explain by the senses and logic I am capable of using, I still believe.
Also, I personally believe the conception of "blind faith" translating to "believe regardless" is okay. The better one is, "We couldn't see anyway." And as Hebrews 11:13 says, "These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth." These all could see just a little by their faith, faith in spite of their inability to completely understand, i.e. "see" the truth of the kingdom before them.
Josh, this is Robby. What you're bringing up in this article is definitely interesting, but I think it changes if you look at the texts in the original contexts/languages. For instance, the Hebrew word for trust is "אמון" (emun) while the word for faith is "אמונה" (emuna). These words are quite similar and are both from the same roots as the verb 'to beleive,' showing the close relationship between trust and faith, but also showing that they are separate concepts within the original language of Genesis. Even though you took the examples out of Hebrews 11, it is important to see which words are used in the original stories, because it is from these stories that the author of Hebrews made his claim.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend that you use Evan Shoushan's accordance for Old Testament Hebrew. He shows the meanings, usages, and connotations of every word used in the Hebrew Bible (huge book), to take a little bit of the guess-work out of figuring out what the Hebrew Bible is saying.
Hi Robby!
ReplyDeleteGreat points. I love doing studies on words to determine the best interpretations. Thus far I am in my third semester of Greek, and will be learning more about the language and culture over the next year.
Do you feel that what I argue in this post is refuted by the meanings of the words you find in Shoushan's accordance?
I will put that book on my 'wanted list.'
-Josh
My friend James Rochford published a book on this very subject here is a synopsis of the books ideas:
ReplyDeleteAs Christians, we shouldn’t be defensive about our beliefs, but we should learn to intelligently defend our faith to those around us. In Evidence Unseen, James Rochford offers accesssible and careful thinking on the current popular attacks against the Christian worldview. In Evidence Unseen, you will find:
• Solid evidence for why belief in God is both reasonable and logical for thinking people today.
• A response to the New Atheism (e.g. Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens).
• Counterarguments to the claims of popular biblical critics (e.g. Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, etc.).
• How biblical prophecy predicted Jesus of Nazareth centuries in advance.
What Christians need today in apologetics is clarity and accessibility. With simple and direct language, clever illustrations, and a down to earth approach, this is the book to give to a spiritual seeker or a skeptic; a doubting Christian or to study in a small group. Aimed especially at college students and seekers, Evidence Unseen shows us that Christian faith is not a blind leap in the dark, but a humble dependence on the God of the Bible, who has revealed himself through substantial evidence. The author presents this evidence quite readably under four headings: internal evidence, external evidence, and evidence from Scripture, divided into fulfilled prophecy and the historical reliability of its message. He shows us that humans need God in order to be able to function consistently in this world; that nature universally and locally points to its creator and designer; that this designer has also controlled history to fulfill the predictions of the biblical prophets; and that the biblical narratives (here, the narratives about Jesus) show themselves to be fully trustworthy. I highly recommend Evidence Unseen for your own search for what life is all about, and for helping others in their searches. (Dr. Robert C. Newman Emeritus Professor of New Testament & Christian Evidences Biblical Seminary PhD Theoretical Astrophysics, Cornell University) --Evidence Unseen
About the Author
James Rochford has a bachelor s degree in English from The Ohio State University, and he is currently completing a master s degree in Christian Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He serves in Xenos Christian Fellowship as a sphere leader in their growing college ministry, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and Christian studies, as well as providing weekly expository Bible teaching. In his free time, he enjoys writing, playing music, drawing, and leading a homechurch. James lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife Duyen.