NATURE AND ROLE OF FAITH IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Limitation of the Study
Delimitation/Scope of the Study
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
CHAPTER THREE
EVIDENCE OF FAITH AND REASON IN THE SCRIPTURES
CHAPTER FOUR
RELEVANCE OF FAITH AND REASON IN CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
Conclusion
Recommendation
References
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Faith, which is defined as a general religious attitude or an accepted set of particular beliefs, was not present in the ancient Greek and Roman empires. Rather, the Hebrew Scriptures are the sole and direct source of the concept of faith (Hellwig, 1990).
Faith and reason have traditionally been regarded as sources of justification for religious beliefs. Because they both perform the same epistemic role, philosophers and theologians have been fascinated by how the two are related and how the rational actor should interpret statements drawn from either source.
Moreover, those who hold the latter viewpoint argue on whether faith or reason should take precedence when the two are at odds. For example, Kierkegaard values faith to the point of being affirmatively irrational, whereas Locke (cited in Jolley, 2007) emphasized the rationality of faith to the point where a doctrine’s irrationally-conflict with itself or with known facts is an indication that it is unsound. Others have proposed that faith and reason can each control their respective areas.
However, there has been a great deal written and spoken about faith and how it functions in Christian life. Faith is defined and explained in a variety of ways, each elucidating the essence of its meaning. Christians always resort to the Bible book of Hebrews for a detailed explanation of faith.
Furthermore, faith is an important aspect of life in general, not only in Christianity. When one sits down on a chair, for example, one has faith that the chair will support him or her. Faith, in this sense, is being certain of what one hopes for and certain of what one has not yet seen or experienced; hence, the Bible describes faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). There are several problems that plague human life, and human beings frequently seek the truth that lies beneath these problems.
Faith has always been a part of religion, and it has been studied by scholars from a variety of fields (Hellwig, 1990)8. Fowler (1981)9, on the other hand, departs from these traditional concepts of religion and links faith with individual meaning systems, as Hiebert (1993)10 points out.
Faith, according to Fowler, is the most universal and profound aspect of being human, the process of producing meaning. As a result, faith, in his opinion, is often but not always religious. Faith encompasses both seeing and knowing. Knowing happens when an active knower interacts with an active world of people and things, bringing the knower’s mind’s ordering and organizing ability to bear on the world’s unshaped or unstructured stimuli (Fowler, 1986b)11. Another crucial element to grasp in order to comprehend faith and imagination is the ultimate setting (Fowler, 1986b)12.
The ultimate environment is how people discover order and form their activities depending on what they perceive around them. Faith, like imagination, creates a full unit of what people see in their organized reality and invests it with value and power in terms of self, others, and the world. Symbols and metaphors can be used to represent the common images of an ideal environment.
The final environment has a huge impact on a person’s approach to life, and it is sometimes unconscious or implicit within a society. Faith, rather than being a problem, has the qualities of a mystery.
Faith is a process of constitutive-knowing that underpins a person’s creation and maintenance of a comprehensive frame (or frames) of meaning. It is derived from a person’s attachments or commitments to supra-ordinate value centres that have the power to unify his or her experiences of the world, thereby endowing the relationships, contexts, and patterns of everyday life, past and future, with meaning.
Faith, to put it succinctly, is concerned with the creation, maintenance, and change of human meaning (Nipkow, Schweitzer, & Fowler, 1991)13. The issue of faith development logically follows this notion of faith. Therefore, this research work aimed to examine nature and role of faith in the life of a Christian.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Faith comes in various levels of comprehension and conviction. People used to believe that you either had faith or you didn’t. But then it occurred to me that everyone has beliefs, and those beliefs drive one’s actions. It is the content and nature of one’s faith, not whether one has faith or not, that is ultimately a part of each individual.
Regardless of how a Christian approaches faith, all agree that the Christian faith is based on the ideals and example of Jesus’ life. The Christian recognizes God’s mystery and grace, and wants to understand and obey him. Faith, for a Christian, is not stagnant; it motivates one to learn more about God and to grow. God is the source of Christian faith. Faith leads to change in Christianity as it seeks a deeper understanding of God. Faith is more than just fideism or following a set of laws or claims.
Christians must first understand in whom and what they have faith before they may have faith. True faith cannot exist without understanding, and that understanding is based on the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions, and the believers’ own experiences. This research work aimed to examine nature and role of faith in the life of a Christian.
Purpose/Objectives of the Study
The general purpose of this study was to examine the nature and role of faith in the life of a Christian. Specifically, the research work aim on:
- Exploring the nature and role of faith and reason in the life of a Christian
- Hence, propose how the two concepts can be harnessed to make Christians walk better with God.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, besides the diverse perspectives of scholars on the question of faith, it is stressed in this paper, that the Old and New Testaments provide a biblical framework for understanding the foundation and meaning of Christian faith. The teachings of Jesus and the Apostles offer abundant proof that faith and knowledge (or reason) is not two opposing ideologies; rather, knowledge (or reason) serves as the basis for the Christian religion. Knowledge (or reason) comes before faith, according to the Bible. As a result, there can be no Christian faith without understanding (or reason). The research work also provided a thorough examination of the concept and practice of faith, particularly Christian faith.
In addition, faith brings salvation “For by grace are you saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). The Old and New Testaments provides a biblical guideline for understanding knowledge as the foundation for the Christian faith. The teachings of Jesus and the Apostles offer ample evidence that faith and knowledge are not two competing ideologies; rather, knowledge serves as the basis for the Christian faith.
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