May 2, 2007

Belief and Faith

Belief is more than knowledge of a fact, as in, "I believe you've grown." It is also more than trust, as when we say, "I believe in you." When we say that "We believe in God" we are making more than a statement of fact or trust. In a very real sense we believe in God in the same way we sleep in bed. Being "in" God through incorporation in the church makes this special kind of belief possible, for the church is the medium and context for this special kind of belief. We call it faith, and we experience it in the blessed company of all faithful people. —Tobias Haller BSG

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 02, 2007

    In Latin the distinction is traditionally made between:

    Credo Deo (I believe what God says)
    Credo Deum (I believe that God exists)
    Credo in Deum (I believe in God).

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  2. ErinMay 03, 2007

    Your image of belief in God as akin to sleeping in bed brought to mind something a professor of mine said to me once about how we envision our relationship with God. He suggested that instead of the image of having Jesus 'in my heart' as some evangelical students were fond of saying it would be better to think of being 'in the heart of Jesus.'

    ReplyDelete

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