RE: Question about "faith"
September 16, 2020 at 12:39 pm
(This post was last modified: September 16, 2020 at 12:56 pm by John 6IX Breezy.)
The verse does not say faith is required to believe in God. If anything it shows you need to believe that God is, and that he rewards people, so that you can please him through faith. You can't trust someone you don't think exists or that you don't think fulfills their promises.
The verse is admittedly ambiguous, but that ambiguity is partially resolved when you note that it is sandwiched between examples of men of faith, such as Enoch, Abraham, Moses, people that literally saw and spoke with God. Their virtue comes from trusting God, not from believing he exists.
Likewise, Thomas was shamed for his doubts precisely because he did have evidence. He was a disciple who objectively saw all the miracles we now question. He saw Jesus walking on water. He saw loaves and fishes multiply. If faith is believing without evidence, then Thomas would be disqualified from ever having it. And Jesus would have put the nail on Thomas' coffin by showing him the wounds on his hands as proof.
The issue with Thomas was a lack of trust and doubt in the resurrection.
The verse is admittedly ambiguous, but that ambiguity is partially resolved when you note that it is sandwiched between examples of men of faith, such as Enoch, Abraham, Moses, people that literally saw and spoke with God. Their virtue comes from trusting God, not from believing he exists.
Likewise, Thomas was shamed for his doubts precisely because he did have evidence. He was a disciple who objectively saw all the miracles we now question. He saw Jesus walking on water. He saw loaves and fishes multiply. If faith is believing without evidence, then Thomas would be disqualified from ever having it. And Jesus would have put the nail on Thomas' coffin by showing him the wounds on his hands as proof.
The issue with Thomas was a lack of trust and doubt in the resurrection.