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To: Hank Kerchief
The words faith and belief in English have discernible meanings, but in Scripture, the same Greek word is used for both terms which have been translated as 'faith' and as 'belief'. We are saved by faith alone, lest any man should boast. Believe in Me (Christ Jesus) and have everlasting life. "It is not necessary to hold any idea as the true one about anything. The ability to reason allows one to choose not to judge something (because they do not have enough evidence, or interest) and therefore hold no view about it—that is, have no belief about it at all."

Scripture doesn't offer a mechanism to obtain rationalism where it was previously impossible to have it. Man already has a soul, a mind, the ability to reason in his perception of logic and thinking. That, we already possess and might exercise to different degrees of consistency.

Faith is something different. If one places faith upon anything but Christ, that is the same thing as 'missing the target', or also called 'sin', a term used in archery practice by Greek archers when they missed their target. Believing or not believing in anything other than Christ as the object of faith, also fails to render any mechanism by which one may have fellowship with God with a regenerated human spirit.

Rationality is as far removed from faith as is physicality, but God still made man with body, soul, and spirit, and all three are usable in fellowship with Him, but without faith, we remain outside of fellowship.

182 posted on 06/09/2009 4:03:15 AM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: Cvengr
"The words faith and belief in English have discernible meanings, but in Scripture, the same Greek word is used for both terms which have been translated as 'faith' and as 'belief'."

"Faith is something different."

Let's see, The Greek word is πιστευω, and it's translated variously (KJ):

"believe"--John 1:12, 3:16, Rom. 10:9&10, Acts 11:31.

"faith"--Eph. 2:8, Gal. 3:22, Heb. 11:1, 6.

"commit"--John 2:24, Luke 16:11.

The problem with your argument is, the differences are all the result of translations of the same word. Theologians may say there is a difference in meaning, but there is no basis for that at all in Scripture. The Bible writers make no distinction about how they use the word πιστευω.

I do not accept the authority of the Bible in such matters, but even if I did, it is quite clear that the Bible teaches that knowledge comes by means of reason, even so-called saving knowledge. Read the book of Acts and notice how many times it says Paul "reasoned" with them out of the Scriptures. If reason is not needed for belief, or Faith, why does your God say, "Come let us reason together..."

What you are describing as faith is "superstition," which is plainly condemned in the Bible.

Hank

184 posted on 06/09/2009 6:51:15 AM PDT by Hank Kerchief
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