To: Petrosius
The term pistis
is used in the Bible in a number of different senses, ranging from intellectual belief (Romans 14:22, 23, James 2:19), to assurance (Acts 17:31), and even to trustworthiness or reliability (Romans 3:3, Titus 2:10). Of key importance is Galatians 5:6, which refers to "faith working by charity." In Catholic theology, this is what is known as fides formata
or "faith formed by charity." The alternative to formed faith is fides informis
or "faith unformed by charity." This is the kind of faith described in James 2:19, for example. This paragraph caught my eye. I was not aware of the terms fides formata and fides informis before.
The important point the author makes is that the word pistis can have different meanings. A stubborn insistence that it must always be interpreted the same way can lead to misunderstandings.
4 posted on
09/01/2005 5:56:44 AM PDT by
Logophile
To: Logophile
"The important point the author makes is that the word pistis can have different meanings. A stubborn insistence that it must always be interpreted the same way can lead to misunderstandings."
The author asserts it's dangerous to interpret "faith" in the formulation, "saved by faith alone," as intellectual assent. Would you agree with that assertion?
6 posted on
09/01/2005 6:07:48 AM PDT by
InterestedQuestioner
("Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.")
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