What is Faith?

What is faith?  When asked many would recall the humorous story of the little boy who replied:  It is believing in something you know is not true.  As with most humor, there is an element of truth in this little boy’s statement for faith is the certainty that something is true even if we do not have proof for it.  Faith says there are things beyond our current knowledge and understanding that are true.  As the Bible tells us:  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1-2 ESV)

In this blog we have repeatedly emphasized that we are finite and we have explored how being finite impacts various Christian doctrines.  Being finite is why faith is essential.  We must have faith because we do not know everything; we must have faith because we are so limited in all aspects of our lives.  As Timothy McDermott says in his commentary on Summa Theologiæ:  “Faith and hope are virtues of this life only, for in themselves they carry an element of imperfection:  in the life to come they will be replaced by other gifts of God’s friendship, vision replacing faith and possession hope”. [1]  Aquinas states:  Faith “resembles knowing in giving firm assent, but resembles doubting, suspecting and holding opinions in having no finished vision of the truth” [2]

So what is faith?  Aquinas believes that faith “is an act of mind not determined by reason but by will.” [3]  God has given us free will.  It is up to us to decide how we live our lives and what kind of world we want to create.  Because we are finite, we need help in this endeavor and we find such help in Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV).

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[1]   Timothy McDermott, editor, St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiæ, Norte Dame, IN:  Christian Classics, 1989, p. 327.

[2]   McDermott, p. 331.

[3]   McDermott, p. 331.

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