Faith Defined
This is about Christian faith; and so we seek answers in the Bible.
In the New Testament you will find that Jesus Christ often talks about faith, especially when he heals people from serious illness. One such instance is about a man whose son has what we would call severe epilepsy. The father is desperate and petitions Jesus.
“But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Mark 9:22-23
And then he heals the boy.
The Bible is clear. Faith is an overwhelming resource to solve overwhelming problems. Faith is the power of God channeled through people. There is an entire New Testament chapter on faith with many examples. The text grows long-winded, prompting the author to cut it short. (The various names refer to biblical personalities.)
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Hebrews 11:32-34
The Bible undeniably portrays faith as a superpower.
Hedenius on Faith and Reason
This section of Bibelkraft is entitled Faith and Science.
That was also the title of a book by Swedish philosopher Ingemar Hedenius
(1908-1982) published some 75 years ago.
(A reissue appeared in 2009 with a foreword by Lena Andersson.)
Those names may not be very well known outside Sweden, but the book and opinion pieces by Hedenius developed into a devastating attack on Christianity, causing a lot of commotion at the time. The criticism Hedenius offered was not exactly delicate. He readily used irony and other means of slighting his opponents.
If only he had informed himself about biblical faith! He maintained his own definition, equating faith with assumption, mental consent, a lower form of knowledge, wishfulness, or just plain delusion. With this definition he, quite logically, concluded that faith was grossly overrated.
According to Hedenius, the Christian faith (as defined by him) precluded reason. Many problems would be solved if this obstacle could be removed. His followers, among them the Swedish Secular Humanists, held a similar view.
Today, the influence of the Christian faith on society is negligible. Therefore, we ought to find reason in prominent positions in society and see urgent problems solved.
What does the Bible have to say on this matter?
And you know what is restraining [the lawless one] now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
My view, and the view of many others, is that he who now restrains it is related to the collective Christian presence in society.
What, then, is to be expected when Christian influence is scaled down?
- According to Hedenius and the Humanists, reason breaks through,
- According to the Bible text above, lawlessness breaks through.
We know the answer. Lawlessness has become one of the most pressing problems of Swedish society. Neither Hedenius nor the Humanists realised what kind of power the Christian faith is, or what the powers are that control the progression of society.
In an irony of history, the Swedish Humanists gained official status as a faith in January 2024.
Too much, or too little faith?
Few things bothered Jesus more, in his time, than his followers lacking faith. In the case of the epileptic boy above, the disciples could not heal him, which got Jesus rattled.
And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
Mark 9:19
Somewhat earlier in the same Gospel we find Jesus in his hometown. People regarded him as the carpenter who grew up among them. It did not work out well.
And Jesus said to [the people], “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.
Mark 6:4-6
It seems faith is a key to the power of God. The absence of faith is something Jesus finds strange and unexpected.
Among people who Jesus commends for their faith, we find a Roman commander (Matthew 8:5-13) and a woman from a heathen neighboring people (Mark 7:24-30). Neither belongs to the Jewish tradition. What they have in common is that they were insistent when pleading with Jesus.
There is a radical parable (Luke 18:1-8) where Jesus invites his followers to keep entreating God in their prayers without giving up. Not only that, he also seems to regard insistence as evidence of faith. (The Son of Man is what he calls himself, referring to his second coming to earth.)
And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
Luke 18:7-8
Jesus calls attention to those who persistently plead, call out, pray, nag, and intrude on God. His view is that they will get relief. Jesus seems to worry that there is too little of this kind of faith.
A different aspect of faith
Is there a catch with faith as a superpower? Compared to superheroes in films: yes indeed, a big one.
Jesus, who had channeled the supernatural power of God countless times, got strong enemies in the religious establishment. They made sure he was arrested, convicted in a mock trial, and executed on a cross. How could this happen? Where did the superpower go?
So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”
Matthew 27:41-42
That scorn was on the spot. Jesus successfully saved others, but he refrained from all superpowers to save himself. This is what he said to his followers at an earlier occasion:
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44
Jesus lived what he taught. His life and, ultimately, his death, was totally devoted to serving others. What kind of logic is that? The apostle Paul (one of the main authors of the New Testament) says it is the foolishness of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Chorinthians 1:25
This “foolishness” is an essential aspect of the Christian faith and the reason why the Christian primary symbol is a cross.
The source of faith
The disciples of Jesus did not manage to simply muster up the faith needed to heal the epileptic boy. They certainly tried. Nevertheless, Jesus scolded them for their lack of faith. This means that there is something we can do to get faith.
The first step towards faith is to receive Jesus Christ in one’s life. This step is wide open for all to take anytime.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12
The first step of faith is to become a child of God, that is, to gain a personal relationship with God. Jesus assured that God does not give bad things to his children.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11
The faith that starts out as a personal relationship to God continues in the same way. Faith is a journey. It is as if God were saying: “if you trust me, I will trust you”. Building trust takes time. A solid trust in God provides security in life and inner peace. Jesus proved what it may mean on an occasion when he and his disciples were about to cross a lake by boat.
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Mark 4:37-38
They were not exempt from challenges, but Jesus was so secure that he could sleep in the midst of the storm. When he woke up, he knew that they had nothing to fear.
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Mark 4:39-40
Summary
Faith, according to the Bible, is the power of God channeled through people in order to solve overwhelming problems. Jesus Christ helped many with supernatural power. Despite having mighty enemies, he never used that power against them, or to save himself from the death sentence they set up for him.
Ingemar Hedenius and many others have maintained that the Christian faith is a barrier against reason. What happened in reality when Christianity lost influence over society? Did reason advance correspondingly? Hardly. On the contrary, lawlessness expanded to become one of the most pressing problems of our society, as was predicted in the New Testament.
The core of faith is a personal relationship with God, mutual trust. Faith is greater than reason and will not be limited to reason.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Faith is not abstaining from reason, only not allowing reason to automatically have the final word.