Last week I blogged about the differences between a bevy of things like mayo vs. Miracle Whip, plaid vs. tartan, broth and stock, and other things. Today, being Sunday, I thought I’d keep the theme going by looking into belief vs. faith (with some hope and trust thrown in) and I have faith you’ll believe it’s all very interesting!
You could say believing makes faith possible, but it goes deeper than that. You can believe in something but you may not have faith in it. Think sky diving. You believe it’s possible but do you have faith that your chute will open and you’ll land safely? You can believe in God but lack true faith that all is in His hands. That’s where trust come in.
As the saying goes, you build trust, and faith without trust is no faith at all. Faith always has an object. The object of Christian faith is Jesus. In fact, the biblical definition of faith requires trust and Webster defines faith as “belief and trust in…” name your object here. In that skydiving example, you need to trust the pilot and the equipment before having faith that all will go as planned.
Belief is the first foundation of faith and commonly defined as the acceptance and conviction of something true. For Christians, it encompasses the core doctrines of the faith, including the existence of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Our personal beliefs shape and influence our values, priorities, and decisions. This holds true for civilization in general. Or so we hope. We believe murder is wrong, so we don’t do it. We believe too much sugar is bad so we eat too much of it. Our beliefs make us who we are. And I truly believe that.
Hebrews 11:1
Trust, on the other hand, is the second critical aspect of faith. When you trust someone, you open yourself up to a relationship that may include vulnerability, honesty, and allowing them to have a significant impact on your life. Hmmm…same with God. By placing our trust in Him we rely on Him to fulfil His promises and we open ourselves up to His influence, allowing Him to shape and transform us.
The third critical aspect of faith is hope: the belief in a positive outcome despite present circumstances. Hope provides us with the strength to endure difficult circumstances and persevere through trials. Christians center their hope around the promises of God and have hope in Him that we can endure any hardship because we have faith that He is in control and has a plan for our lives. We are not alone.
Many credit Judaism for giving us the gift of hope. The teaching is that western civilization is the product of two cultures: ancient Greece and ancient Israel. The Greeks believed in fate: the future is determined by the past. Jews believed in freedom: there is no ‘evil decree’ that cannot be averted. The Greeks gave the world the concept of tragedy. Jews gave it the idea of hope.
Think about it. Old Testament scripture gave us the hope of everyone from Abraham to Moses to Hannah not to mention the trust of Noah.
And who can blame them as their history is full of reasons to be hopeful, even in the darkest of times. They’ve been forced into exile, lost their homeland, have historically been oppressed, are told they as a country should not exist (even to this day and even though it existed in the Bible), and of course, the Holocaust. You would think they’d give up hope, but they don’t.
Christian, Jew, or otherwise, it’ll be a tough life if you give up hope. It all begins with belief and trust that work together to build the foundation of faith and give us hope. Are you ready to jump? Do you believe, trust, and have faith that God will catch you? I sure hope so.
Next up: Joy vs. Happiness and later, Mercy vs. Grace.
Beyond Words 