Faith

[prayerchanges]

What’s the difference between faith and belief? How is one able to increase faith without increasing knowledge on a particular subject?

 

[atman]

Well, he is not exactly a Doctor of the Church, but C.S. Lewis is about as close an Anglican can get. In his Mere Christianity, he distinguishes between faith as belief and faith as a virtue. As a belief, it is merely signifies just that, a belief, properly about that which cannot be demonstrated by reason or science. Faith as a virtue, on the other hand, he defines as the art of defending those beliefs against doubt. I hope this helps.

 

[Biggie]

As you are using the two words in context, one can have a belief without staking anything to it. It is a potential. If the basis for the belief is shown to be false, one can abandon the belief without loss of esteem. Faith, however, implies work. A potential has become actual. One has staked his course of action on the basis of it. One, therefore, becomes more faithful by acting more faithfully.

 

[Jacafamala]

Yes to what the others have said. I’ll just add a little…

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The Baltimore Catechism tells us that faith is the theological virtue by which we believe because of the authority of God revealing, who can neither deceive or be deceived.

So faith is belief in union with virtue. It’s belief inclined towards goodness.

 

[JRKH]

I believe it was Fulton Sheen who told the story of the man who stung a high wire across Niagara Falls. As he was doing this a large crowd gathered. He asked them, “do you believe that I can walk this tightrope over and back blindfolded?”
“Yes Yes”, they shouted.
So the man carefully inched his way over and back wearing a blindfold.
When He returned he asked them, “Do you believe I can walk the tightrope over and back pushing this wheelbarrow?”
“Yes Yes”, they shouted.
So he proceded to walk over and back pushing the wheelbarrow.
He then asked the crowd, Do you believe I can cross the tightrope pushing the wheelbarrow with a person in it?
“Yes Yes”, they shouted.
He then asked for a volunteer from the crowd to ride in the wheelbarrow…

This illustrates one aspect of the difference between “belief and faith”

Peace
James

 

[neophyte]

What’s the difference between faith and belief? How is one able to increase faith without increasing knowledge on a particular subject?

The Hebrew word aman is translated as “believe”, “trust”, “have faith”, and also “support”, “nourish”, and “make lasting”. A derivative word is omenat, meaning “pillars” or “supports of the door” as in 2 Kings 18:16. Another cognate is emunah, which is “faithfulness” or “trust”, as in Exodus 17:12 where God brought victory to Israel as long as Moses would hold his hands up. Aaron and Hur held up his hands so that they “remained emunah until sundown”. All of these illustrate that faith is an action that we take, which is exactly what the Catholic church teaches. Faith is a work, it’s about what you DO and not merely about what you believe.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses this by saying that faith is an act of the will in which one turns toward God and away from sin; in which we decide that we will cooperate, with our intellect and will, with the divine grace that God gives us to enable us to comply with the moral law; it is a free response of the human person to the initiative of God; it is a personal adherence of the whole man to the God who reveals himself. It is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.” For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God’s will. “The righteous shall live by faith.” Living faith “work through charity.”

These are all actions, things we do in obedience to God. Thus the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:5 "Through Him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith…” This obedience is the essence of Christianity: submission to the Eternal One who was enfleshed, and through that submission being brought into union with Him so that we may participate in His divine life.