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Define Faith? |
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Peitho: Persuade, to trust, have
confidence, be confident Pistis: Conviction, faithfulness Elpis: expectation, hope 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The word “faith” in this verse is the Greek word Pistis, conviction, faithfulness. Its amazing that with all the academics of Brown, Driver, & Briggs and even that of Gerhard Kittle & Gerhard Friedrich and lastly A.E. Knoch all missed the boat. It would seem from reading all these different meanings of faith in the Greek, that the emphasis were more on a mental ascent, and not a walk with God as in “the just shall LIVE by faith” or “sealed with the spirit of PROMISE” or “we are grafted in” or “I press towards the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus” or “Co-heirs with Christ” or “Jesus is the author [beg, alpha, father] and finisher [end, omega, mother] of our faith” or “Be perfect (mature) as your heavenly father is” or “full stature in Christ” or “marriage to Jesus.” It is my assertion that the word “Faith” in the above verse is a lot bigger and multi-dimensional than mental ascent. The “Faith” is a walk, and in this walk one has access to gifts of the Holy Spirit that are both tools and platforms (ministries) to help us walk. If one can walk with God then one has “Faith”. But this verse is more than faith as a walk or even an end in itself. Notice the word “hope.” If one has a walk, then why hope? If we are already “saved” then why this hope? Many have told you that the Great Hope is “Rapture” and if even this were true, it is a contradiction of spiritual mechanics. If Jesus is the way, then the way or the path infers a walk. But today’s theology might as well make Jesus the Stop. The conclusion on this verse is that if you show faithfulness in your faith/walk then those gifts, ministries, position in Christ/the body go from lease/rent/probation/earnest/son of God/a god/gods to full stature/ownership/heirs/son of god/a god/ gods etc… |
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