Faith Measured By Knowledge And Is Essential

Since we heard of your faith

in Christ Jesus 

and your love for 

all the saints; 

because of the hope 

which is laid up for you

in heaven, 

of which you heard

before in the Word

of the truth

of the gospel.

Colossians 1: 5-6

     Our understanding of faith has been on a journey so that we can ground our faith on the authority of God and nothing else outside of that authority.  It should now be understood that faith is of different kinds.  For instance, we understand the reality of a rock, we understand its presence ontologically as well as physically for we can touch it and sense it be feel, sight, etc.  As to propositional faith we have the unknown, i.e., we are saved to eternal life by the death of Christ.  To say that we just believe in the unknown is not to say we have faith, it cannot be faith for included in faith is knowledge.  For how can we believe in something we don't know, or understand.  Faith is measured by knowledge.  You might ask: "Can't we just have faith?"  Yes! Although it is only blind faith and has no ground on which to stand and is pliable and frail, changeable as a situation might dictate.  To have faith in the unknown or eternal God is not blind faith, that is unless all you do is believe on the authority of another person, God is to be believed  only on that which He reveals and on that revelation we can place our faith, for now we know.  If we believe only on what the Bible teaches without knowing that is to believe in the unknown is not to say that a person has the correct representation of God, or of His revelation.  If you are prepared just to believe on Biblical authority whatever the Bible teaches and declare the Bible to be true how can a person then in any proper manner believe on its contents?  You cannot truly believe that which you don't know.  

     The Bible has many narratives that are hard at first sight to believe and we often just take those narratives on faith.  One of the hardest to believe and understand, that is if you are honest with yourself, is the narrative about being healed by a bronze serpent upon a stake.  If we  would ask most people if that be true and could they put their faith in that story as truth, they would promptly answer, NO!  Therefore is one is ignorant of what the Pentateuch actually records and if you come to read and understand the record of healing of those Israelites that were bitten by snakes, then it would be rational to answer, Yes!  To have the disposition to believe whatever the Bible teaches on the basis of what you have been taught, to believe implicitly, that is unquestionably, as absolute faith is no real faith.  there is none of the characteristics of faith, and worse it has none of its power.  

     Faith must be grounded upon knowledge it is essential.  Where to get that faith?  In the Bible, read, study, meditated, pray, and act upon what is taught, based first of all on the authority of God as He is revealed in the Bible.  That is the starting point, and that is the never ending work of a Christian, to be in God's Word.  But, we won't stop at this point and leave you without proof of that fact that knowledge is essential to faith.  Examining that precept is the next Blog.

Great is the LORD, and

     greatly to be praised

In the city of our God,

     In His holy mountain....

For this is God, 

     Our God forever and ever,;

He will be our guide

      even to death.

                           Psalm 48:1,14

May God Bless You 

as you worship Him

this day.

Richard L. Crumb